Two deadly species battle for supremacy with man in the middle.

Bouvetoya Island in Antarctica is a desolate frozen waste. When a satellite from Wayland Industries discovers a heat source emanating from two thousand feet under the ice a team of Archaeologists and a drill team are hastily dispatched to the island to check this new discovery out lead by Charles Wayland (Lance Henriksen), the founder of the company. The survival guide is Lex Woods (Sanaa Lathan), a seasoned ice climber but once she discovers the immediacy of the expedition refuses to help as there will be insufficient time to prepare the party for the dangers ahead on the ice. She is convinced that it would be better if she came along as it will go ahead with or without her and she reluctantly agrees. They find the site close to a old fishing station used for hunting and whaling, now abandoned. As they drill team prepares is equipment they discover a hole has recently been dug which wasn't there days earlier. They proceed down into the tunnel to the depths below and discover an ancient pyramid partially protruding in a large cave. With trepidation they enter the structure, in so doing activating it. Above them a ship that has entered the Earth's atmosphere drops three pods that land close by and three young predators emerge armed to the teeth and follow the group. The Pyramid is a proving ground for the predators and deep within its bowels is a frozen 'Mother Alien' who is automatically bought out of stasis when the explorers first entered the pyramid. As they go deep and make more astonishing discoveries they realise there situation and that they are in the middle of a fight between the Predators and the Aliens. The predators for the right to call themselves warriors and the Aliens for the chance to escape their prison. The pyramid is an ever changing labyrinth of tunnels and the group are trapped with little hope of escape. Things go from bad to worse and soon the surviving explorers lead by Lex must decide which side they will stand by, neither choice offers much hope.

1st time Around
With two icons of cinema for the first time coming face to face I had high hopes for this film and to a certain extent I wasn't disappointed. The Alien and predator effects are pretty good and the story itself is a good idea. However the acting leaves a little to be desired and you can tell this was made at a budget as it lacked that certain something that made it stand out. The action sequences are good as are the cast on the whole but i couldn't help but feel that Lex was over acted as were some of the other archaeologists. The signature themes are there and add to the feel of both breeds. There are references to the two other film franchises that could or should of been omitted as they are obvious if you know the films, but this is a minor flaw. It seems to have been made for a wider audience as it doesn't feel as mature a film as either of its related predecessors. This is not a bad film however and does its best to live up to expectations with the budget allowed. If you are expecting the standards of Alien or Predator then it may disappoint but it makes for an enjoyable action/horror romp.

2nd Time Around
I enjoyed this film as I am an Alien and Predator fan but if you aren't then it will be one that is watched once and then left. One for the enthusiast.

7/10