Origin:

I cheated a little by including this one. Both the Aliens and the Predator are derived from original fim concepts (see below) - however Dark Horse comics ran a series called Aliens vs. Predator and the film was based on this comic. Ergo, the comic came first.

Synopsis:

Set in a Jules Verne world beneath the earth's surface in an incalculably ancient pyramid buried 2,000 feet beneath the Antarctic ice cap, Paul W.H. Anderson's film imagines an apocalyptic conflict between two of 20th-Century Fox's franchise monsters, on loan from "Alien" (1979) and "Predator" (1986). The humans don't have much to do in "Alien vs. Predator" but put the plot in motion and stand back to watch it work, a precarious position that eventually claims most of them. Though Mr. Anderson does have an idea for creating a rooting interest, it's too far-fetched even for fantasy, and the film turns into a cold but occasionally impressive special-effects extravaganza.

© Dave Kehr, The New York Times

Prequels, Sequels and Follow-ons:

Alien (1979) - Dir. Ridley Scott. Starring Tom Skeritt, Sigourney Weaver, John Hurt and Ian Holm.

Aliens (1986) - Dir. James Cameron. Starring Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, Lance Hendiksen and Jenette Goldstein.

Predator (1987) Dir. John McTernan. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Elpidia Carrillo, Bill Duke, Jesse Ventura and Sonny Landham.

Predator 2 (1990) Dir. Stephen Hopkins. Starring Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Ruben Blades, Maria Conchita Alonso and Bill Paxman.

Alien3 (1992) - Dir. David Fincher. Starring Sigourney Weaver, Charles S. Dutton, Charles Dance, Paul McGann and Brian Glover.

Alien Resurrection (1997) - Dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Starring Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder, Dominique Pinon, Ron Periman, Gary Dourdan and Michael Wincott.