Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007): Film Overview

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem was a science fiction action horror crossover film directed by the Brothers Strause and served as the sequel to Alien vs. Predator (2004). The film followed the aftermath of the first movie's ending, when a Predalien burst from the body of Scar aboard a Predator ship and caused it to crash near Gunnison, Colorado. As Xenomorphs spread through the town and surrounding wilderness, a veteran Predator known as Wolf arrived to contain the outbreak before it could be traced back to his species. The film shifted the crossover from an ancient Antarctic pyramid to a small American town, turning an already deadly conflict into a large-scale infestation on Earth. Its story expanded the crossover continuity by showing how quickly a Xenomorph infection can spread on Earth.

Film Overview

Released in 2007, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem adopted a more grounded and brutal tone than its predecessor while continuing the crossover story established in 2004. Rather than centering the action in a hidden ceremonial site, the film placed the conflict in suburban streets, homes, forests, a hospital, and a sewer system. The crash of the Predator ship allowed facehuggers and Xenomorphs to escape into the surrounding area, where they began infecting humans and building a hive. At the same time, Wolf reached Earth with specialized equipment meant to erase evidence of the outbreak and eliminate every Xenomorph involved. Human survivors became trapped between the Xenomorph infestation and Wolf's cleanup mission, with neither side concerned about protecting civilians.

Plot Summary

The story began immediately after the end of Alien vs. Predator. A chestburster emerged from Scar's body aboard the Predator ship and grew into a Predalien, which attacked the crew and caused the vessel to crash in the forests outside Gunnison. Several facehuggers escaped from containment and began infecting hunters and local residents, while the Predalien survived the wreck and started producing more Xenomorphs. As disappearances mounted, the town's inhabitants remained unaware that an extraterrestrial infestation was spreading around them.

On the Predator homeworld, the distress signal from the crashed ship was received by Wolf, an elite Predator cleaner sent to erase all traces of the incident. Wolf arrived on Earth with advanced weapons and equipment, including dissolving fluid used to destroy Alien remains and Predator technology. He tracked the growing infestation through the woods, power station, sewer tunnels, and buildings of Gunnison, killing multiple Xenomorphs while trying to prevent the creatures from escaping beyond the town. Unlike the Young Blood hunters in the previous film, Wolf operated alone and was focused on containment rather than ritual glory.

The human side of the story followed several residents of Gunnison, including Dallas Howard, Ricky Howard, Kelly O'Brien, Molly O'Brien, Sheriff Eddie Morales, and others who were caught in the outbreak. As the Xenomorphs began attacking the hospital and other populated locations, the survivors gradually realized that the town had become a war zone. They attempted to escape by reaching the center of town and later a helicopter, while military forces quarantined the area without fully understanding the scale of the threat. Meanwhile, the Predalien (hinted to be a Queen) established a hive and accelerated the infestation, making the situation impossible to contain through ordinary means.

In the climax, Wolf battled the Predalien inside the town while the surviving humans made a final attempt to flee. Their struggle was cut short when the United States military destroyed Gunnison with a tactical nuclear strike intended to contain the Xenomorph outbreak. Although most evidence was erased, a recovered Predator plasma weapon was later shown in the hands of Yutani Corporation executive Ms. Yutani. That ending suggested that human corporations might one day begin developing technology through contact with Predator equipment, giving the film a loose connection to the broader future of the Alien universe.

Main Characters

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem featured a mix of civilian survivors, military personnel, Xenomorph creatures, and a single elite Predator hunter. The human cast played a larger role in the town's survival story, while Wolf and the Predalien drove the central creature conflict.

• Wolf (Ian Whyte) - Veteran Predator sent to Earth to contain the Xenomorph outbreak and destroy all evidence of the crash.
• The Predalien - Hybrid offspring born from Scar that caused the Predator ship to crash and became the main creature antagonist.
• Dallas Howard (Steven Pasquale) - Ex-convict and one of the main human survivors during the Gunnison outbreak.
• Kelly O'Brien (Reiko Aylesworth) - Returning soldier who tried to protect her daughter after arriving home to Gunnison.
• Molly O'Brien (Ariel Gade) - Kelly's young daughter who became one of the civilians caught in the infestation.
• Ricky Howard (Johnny Lewis) - Younger brother of Dallas and one of the film's central teenage characters.
• Jesse Salinger (Kristen Hager) - Ricky's love interest and one of the townspeople trying to survive the attacks.
• Eddie Morales (John Ortiz) - Gunnison sheriff who attempted to respond to the escalating crisis.
• Darcy Benson (Miko Hughes) - Young resident of Gunnison and friend of Molly.
• Tim O'Brien (Sam Trammell) - Kelly's husband whose disappearance became part of the widening outbreak.
• Ms. Yutani (Françoise Yip) - Yutani Corporation executive seen in the film's closing scene receiving recovered Predator technology.

The Predalien

The Predalien was the film's most important creature and the direct continuation of Alien vs. Predator's final tease. Born from Scar, it combined features associated with both Predators and Xenomorphs, including mandibles and a more hybridized skull structure. In Requiem, the Predalien served as the source of the new infestation and was treated as a uniquely dangerous organism. It was more than a visual hybrid, since its presence directly linked the two crossover films and made the Gunnison outbreak possible. The creature became Wolf's main target and remained one of the best-known hybrids in the wider Alien and Predator mythos.

The Xenomorphs in Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem

The film presented the Xenomorph species as an uncontrolled outbreak spreading through a living town rather than a hidden ruin. Once facehuggers escaped from the crashed Predator ship, humans across Gunnison became hosts and the infestation grew rapidly. Xenomorphs moved through forests, rooftops, homes, schools, sewers, and the hospital, showing how dangerous the species became when introduced into a civilian environment. The creatures eventually established a hive and began converting large sections of the town into a breeding ground. Their rapid expansion forced both the human survivors and Wolf into a desperate struggle that never truly restored control.

Wolf and the Predators

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem focused on a very different kind of Predator than the Young Blood hunters of the first film. Wolf was an experienced enforcer whose mission was to clean up a failed hunt, destroy Xenomorphs, and remove all technology and biological evidence left behind. His equipment included advanced plasma weaponry, wrist blades, a whip, mines, and chemical agents capable of dissolving bodies and traces of Alien resin. Wolf operated with far more discipline and tactical awareness than the younger hunters seen in Alien vs. Predator, reinforcing the idea that Yautja society contained specialist roles beyond ceremonial hunting. Through Wolf, the film expanded the image of the Predators as not only hunters but also custodians of secrecy who acted when one of their hunts threatened to expose them.

Gunnison, Colorado

The small town of Gunnison served as the film's main setting and gave Requiem a very different identity from the first crossover movie. Instead of an isolated pyramid beneath Antarctica, the conflict unfolded in recognizable homes, streets, public buildings, and woodland areas. That setting made the outbreak feel broader and more immediate because ordinary civilians with no knowledge of either species were pulled into the violence. The town gradually transformed from a normal community into a quarantined combat zone, then into a place marked for total destruction. Gunnison's downfall emphasized how catastrophic a Xenomorph infestation would have been if it had ever reached a populated area on Earth.

The Human Survivors

The human characters in Requiem were not explorers or specialists drawn into an ancient ritual. They were civilians, law enforcement, and returning military personnel who had to react to an unimaginable situation without preparation. Dallas became one of the group's most active survivors, while Kelly's military background helped the others stay organized as the town collapsed around them. Sheriff Morales attempted to respond through conventional authority, but the outbreak quickly exceeded anything local law enforcement could handle.

Place in the Alien and Predator Timeline

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem took place in October 2004, directly after the events of Alien vs. Predator. Like its predecessor, it has been suggested that it exists outside the main future-set Alien timeline and was usually treated as part of a separate crossover continuity. On the Predator side, the film continued the idea that Yautja operated secretly on Earth and intervened when their technology or hunts risked exposure. On the Alien side, it presented a modern-day Xenomorph outbreak that did not fit neatly with later continuity about humanity's first encounters with the species. Because it followed the 2004 film so closely and continued the Predalien storyline, Requiem was generally viewed as the second and final entry in the original Alien vs. Predator crossover timeline.

Production

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem was directed by Colin Strause and Greg Strause, often credited together as the Brothers Strause. The production aimed for a harsher and more violent tone than the first crossover film, with a stronger emphasis on gore, creature attacks, and nighttime horror. Much of the action was staged in practical locations rather than a single large set, helping the story feel more immediate and urban. The film also leaned into creature suit performance and practical effects, while using digital effects to support the Xenomorphs, ship crash, and large-scale destruction. The movie is known for profound darkness, with anything on the screen being difficult to see.

Legacy

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem remained an important part of crossover franchise history because it resolved the cliffhanger left by Alien vs. Predator and introduced Wolf, one of the most recognizable Predators in the expanded fan conversation around the films. It also gave the Predalien its largest live-action role and showed the most extensive Xenomorph outbreak seen on modern-day Earth in the crossover continuity. The film's placement in continuity was often debated in the same way as the first crossover movie, but together the two films formed a distinct branch of Alien and Predator screen lore. Its final scene with Ms. Yutani also kept attention on the connection between extraterrestrial technology and future human corporations. However, the movie was generally poorly received, and killed off the prospect of Alien vs. Predator 3 for a while.

Tag Categories: Alien Movies