Predators

First off I'm a huge predator fan. I love this film. It gives a great take on the predator hunted theme which is basically the same story every generation, and also a smart remake. Great cast every performance hits the write mark and the script does everything it should without any fluff. The ever evolving Predator works perfectly with some great updates. It's a shame Rodriguez didn't follow this on cause that I would have wanted to see. I can see why some fans weren't happy, especially with the Fishburn character but for me it's all very good.

This is a strip down predator movie. A group of disparate tough people are parachuted off into an alien world. There isn't much of a setup. They find themselves being hunted by predators.

This one stars Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Walton Goggins, Danny Trejo, and Laurence Fishburne. Fishburne's character is a bit of a missed opportunity. There are other actors who could play crazy better.

Even though Robert Rodriguez didn't direct this, it's got many of his touches. And it's a worthy sequel to '87 original. It's definitely better than all the Predator versus Alien movies. It's even better than the 1990 sequel.

After re-watching this movie for a third time in 4k and 10 years later, I think this is better than I thought the first and second time. The story is quite simple and enjoyable and most of the characters are true Badass. Action is pretty well done and filming locations are similar to original Predator. Last, I just noticed Oscar winner Mahershala Ali is in the cast! Probably one of his first roles. So, overall a great re-watch in 4k and great movie for franchise fans.

I actively avoided watching this movie for years. I'm a fan of the original Predator movies, and old Aliens stuff. I hated what they did on AVP and the newest Aliens so I didn't expect much here and continued to skip it. Finally watched it in 2022 and I was pleasantly surprised. I really liked the cast they put together and the old Predator feel of the movie. Great music and really good practical effects. I honestly would like a sequel to this as they left it open for more. Not a bad show to watch when you feel like you've seen everything, or have a winter Sunday without football. Grab some popcorn and enjoy.

Before I took a chance on this film there was really only one question I wanted answered...

'Is this film going to be another steaming pile of disappointment like the AVP films?'

And the answer, happily, is 'No', though after having to sift through all the unhelpful and uninformative 1 rater reviews here, I never would have guessed. I almost gave this film a miss, but I'm glad I didn't. It was actually quite good, and I'll tell you why (no spoilers I promise).

I think it is important to go into this film with the right expectations. This film returns to the original Predator format, and borrows heavily from the first 1987 Predator film. There are scenes and characters (and even weapons) which are so reminiscent of the first film that they would not be out of place in a remake. I like to view this as very deliberate homage to the original rather than shameless plagiarism, and I enjoyed the film more and feel much happier because of it. Of course this is not a remake. It is a sequel with some major differences from the 1987 film, and enough originality to make it interesting and unique in its own right.

The story is not overly ambitious, they play it straight and the focus is given more to building tension, which it manages to do very well. Because it is a Predator film you kind of know what is going to happen, but it still manages to be suspenseful from the start, and there are quite a few surprises and twists along the way to keep you guessing. The unnerving way the truth of their situation unfolds for the characters is quite enthralling, and reminded me strongly of shows like 'The Outer Limits'.

The characters are interesting and all of them are well portrayed. Some are a little cliché, but the main character played by Adrien Brody is actually more human and teeters on the edge of being a full blown anti- hero.

My only major gripe with this film is that there is little character development. The characters are (as I said) interesting, but there just doesn't seem to be enough time to explore them very deeply. The most you really get is a shallow glimpse of who they might be, which left question marks over some of their motivations. This does make the film slightly forgettable, as you never really end up feeling or caring too much for them, and sometime it feels like they do things just to drive the plot/action forward, rather than because it is something their character might do.

Overall I would give the film a 7 out of 10, it was above average for and action flick and screamed quality, despite a retentively low budget, and I definitely wouldn't mind going to see it again. An entertaining action thriller at worst, and a nice edition to the Predator franchise.