Posted on: July 11th, 2010 REVIEW: Predators

I love the original Predator. In my opinion it’s a damn near-perfect action-sci-fi film. Great cast, great action, great cat and mouse thriller, amazing score. It’s a ‘classic’. This then set up a universe, a mythos, or as studios like to call them, a franchise. Before you knew it, this franchise had built up comic books and video games and three more movies. But the thing is, most of it hasn’t been any good. While I remain a very vocal champion of the first sequel, Predator 2, has there really been anything Predator to sing about? Has anything really captured the essence of the Schwarzenegger film? Go watch the AVP films and then answer that… a resounding no.

It was after years of promise and failure and tainted childhood fantasies that I grew weary of anything Predator being anything good. Even when it was announced that Robert Rodriguez would be spearheading this new entry, one that would apparently ignore the rest of the films save for the original, I was cautious. I’m just not sure I cared any more. I wanted more than anything a good Predator film, but at this point I realized I would still have all that really mattered, John McTiernan’s 1987 film – which I recently revisited, and subsequently fell in love with once more. Oh but the kid in me, the fan inside, showed his excitement as the time drew near and the lights dimmed in the theater.

I’m happy that Predators was made. Not only is it a great sequel – though not without its flaws – but it gives me hope for the future of Hollywood. How does it give me hope? Well, it’s proof. Proof that you can make a franchise without selling out, or selling garbage. Proof that you can pay homage to something and tell a new story within an established continuity. Most of all, it’s proof that you can have fun with a film without suffering from the modern action movie pitfalls that deflate so many of our screens. Predators (produced by Robert Rodriguez, directed by Nimrod Antal) is the proof that you can capture the tone of another artists work, decades after the fact, and revitalize a dead franchise. Now, there’s an awful lot of proof-spewing going on here, do not confuse that with me claiming this film to be a masterpiece – it is no Predator. It is just very good, and with a concept as simple as man (in this case, men) versus hunter, that’s what I wanted. Predators makes the last two AVP films that much worse.

The film starts a lot quicker than it’s predecessor. Eight humans are dropped, literally, into a jungle planet, with no recollection how the got there. They simply just land. These aren’t just regular schmucks like you or I off the street, most of these cats are already equipped with guns and knives and bandoleers and scars. We quickly learn, as do they, that each one of them is dangerous. One is a former black ops mercenary, one a former federale, one a yakuza, and so forth. It isn’t long before the hunt begins and this rag tag group of no-gooders clue in to them being the prey for the alien predator race. From here on out it’s fairly straight-forward action with explosions, fire, blades, lasers and plenty of bullets and screaming.

The original Predator had great characters, all very memorable and they worked very well together. Schwarzenegger shed most of his on-screen goofiness at this point. Carl Weathers was a complete badass that would’ve whooped Apollo Creed in a minute. Jesse Ventura was a goddamn sexual tyrannosaurus. It was very much a team driven movie, even if they were wiped out, one by one. Predators takes the same approach, but nearly doubles the roster and spins the table around – they’re not soldiers this time, they’re more or less scum, and most of them don’t get along. This is where the film gets stretched a little thin. There are too many characters to care about and too little development. In Predator you have very strong, abrasive characters, yes, but they were people, fully fleshed and emotional. Predators really only features archetypes – the wimp, the crazy, the leader. There are strong performances indeed – Adrien Brody is a fantastic leading man and convincing badass, and Laurence Fishburne is a vibrant addition to the film – but overall, Predators lacks that connection to the human plight that made the first film so memorable.

Also, for a film that paces itself rather well and gets a good rhythm going in terms of the story and the action, there are a couple of moments in the third act that dampen the narrative. There is one completely unnecessary character twist that shoehorns its way into the big finale of the film. I also I found the ending to be a little too anti-climactic, though I’m anticipating a sequel.

That’s really the only nitpicks I have with the film. The rest of Predators is entirely fun and in the spirit of the original, right down the the iconic score – which, just like in the first film, is its own character. God, I love that score. It’s also refreshing to see practical effects and costumes. Granted, there are a couple of CG baddies – the contrived predator dogs (predadogs?) – the monsters in this film are straight outta ‘87 and everything feels very real and tangible. Quite the opposite from the horrendously large and clumsy creatures from the two Alien vs. Predator films.

At the end of the day, no film can top the original. It’s a pointless task to even try. Predators is however, a valiant follow up and a true sequel. Go ahead and throw out those other DVDs -but keep Predator 2, because you’re being too hard on it – and check this one out. It could be the only decent action film we’ll get this summer.

One Response to “REVIEW: Predators”

1. rocky Says:
   July 11th, 2010 at 10:31 pm

   nice! was hoping for some good news on this one

Leave a Reply