I think the three preds vs. hundreds of bugs showed a really important point: The Xenomorphs are a disease, a biological weapon with the potential of wiping out all life in the galaxy. If you let an infestation grow without crushing it early enough, you'll be overwhelmed.
No matter how good you are. You think Xena coulda done any better? (LOL).
As for the first movie: I actually, on reflection, didn't mind it. Sure, I was really sad that the CMC didn't show up, but the storyline was, for a vs. movie, surprisingly solid and interesting, the characters the same - sure, they were no Ellen Ripley or Dwayne Hicks, but it wasn't too difficult to give a shit about them.
And the action scenes? GLORIOUS! I do like the way they went back to guys in suits for most of them - it added realism to it that CGI never could. Props to them for actually taking the time to make costumes and hire stunt guys to do it.
As for AVPR...I saw it once, at the cinemas. I remember...two things from it. Wolf had 2 plasma casters, and the humans ended up getting to use one of them. Oh, and the pregnant fetish predalien.
Other than that, instantly forgettable. The characters...sorry, what characters? They were just there to die. The stor-oh, wait. I can't remember any. Without those two elements, the action scenes cannot do shit to make a story good.