A C-list cast and a B-list set of special effects adorn this hopeless rehash of the original Alien vs Predator movie (2003) - which was itself no great shakes.

It's the first feature of the brothers Colin and Greg Strause, who are said to be "passionate about the material". If only.

This time round the aliens and predators do battle against each other and a new composite monster called the Predalien - whom I at first thought might be a Republican Presidential candidate.

The creatures have dropped from the ether into a small Colorado town where ordinary people (very ordinary in this case) must fight to save themselves. John Ortiz, a theatre actor worth more than this, plays the policeman who calls in the National Guard.

The Strause brothers cloak most of the proceedings in the darkness of night, possibly to disguise the unconvincing nature of the slobbering nasties.

A lugubrious death hits both a little boy and a pregnant woman, which seems a bit beyond the pale. But a dog is spared, so that's OK.

Otherwise, a confused and confusing plot winds its way towards a conclusion that suggests a further episode. But after this mess another go is not worth even thinking about.