Jamal
Super Freak
Okay, I know I seem to get into this argument on a daily basis, but all that design had a purpose. The Predators in AVP were Initiates. They were there for their Rite of Passage/ first big hunt. While they are "alien" by their very nature, I would imagine they still share similaries to other bi-pedal races, such as humans. Think of them as teenagers trying to prove themselves. Of course they are going to be cocky (I actually thought the chest bump/slap thing illustrated that well). The pyramid was suppose to be a controlled environment. They really didn't fear going in there ... until the humans screwed it up by hitting the "start" button before they reached their cannons. The film did a good job of punishing the predators for their arrogance (I still love the "Yeah, I am badass ... now let me pose here, even though the place is crawling with these f'kers" and the resounding chest stab from above by the alien). So, yeah, what many of you see as weaknesses I see as character development. Besides, I am sure it takes a few hunts before they learn the lessons of P1, P2, and presumably Wolf ... it takes more than an arsenal to take down aliens ... you have to be a warrior born.
Don't get me wrong, I still cringe at some of the pacing problems (i.e. the accelerated alien birth cycle, the haphazard movement patterns of the pyramid, etc). However, I remember reading an interview with Anderson a while back where he explained how the studio had gutted a lot of his intended continuity with the budget cut and PG-13 mandate. I won't go into it all, but here's an example - Anderson had planned to shoot a scene with the alien queen activator to show the viewer that the machine artificially sped up the growth cycle of the Aliens to create a better testing environment. But FOX cut the budget and refused to push back the release, so he had to go with what he had. All in all, Anderson gets crucified for AvP, when it really wasn't all his fault. I agree it wasn't up to the standards of it's fore bearers. However, I don't feel it was Anderson's fault.
Having read all this i think Paul Anderson begs to differ about his Predators experience in hunting, he states himself on the special features disc that "my Predators are older and wiser than that of P1 and P2, those 2 Predators were let loose on earth like children to play with human prey whereas my Predators were more seasoned hunters going after the Alien prey in the pyramid" i **** you not he said this on the special edition disc. Its not a quote but thats what he said in a nutshell