Predators

Predators Review

In A Nutshell...

Eight of Earth's most dangerous Soldiers and Criminals awaken falling into an unknown jungle – on an alien world. As they try to work together to stay alive, an invisible enemy hunts them for sport.

Review

In 1987 John McTiernan directed a testosterone filled action flick, which pitted Arnold Schwarzenegger against a bad-ass alien, it did well with its worldwide audience and is still considered a solid action film today. But after a poor sequel, which replaced The Terminator himself with Danny Glover (bad idea) and two laughable spin-offs, it seemed the predator franchise was all but dead and buried.

Twenty-three Years later producer Robert Rodriguez (Sin City) and director Nimród Antal (Vacancy – but don't be put off just yet) have come together with an unproduced 1994 script by Rodriguez – who has been eager to get the picture made for quite some time. The film does well with the original formula, a jungle, a group of mercenaries with big guns, a strong leader — who in this case is Oscar winner Adrian Brody (The pianist, King Kong) who has bulked up for the role of Royce, but is merely a shadow of Schwarzenegger's Dutch in size. But what Brody lacks in statue, he makes up for in pure acting talent, and brings a well needed central performance, to a film that ultimately lacks in dialogue.

The supporting cast unlike other movies of this genre, don't just play the part of a large body count, but have a likable mentality (well some do) similar to James Cameron's Aliens – but don't get me wrong, none of them are by any means Bill Paxton's Hudson. An honourable mention goes to the Katana wielding yakuza Hanzo (Louis Ozawa Changchien) whose sword skills are somewhat deadly. Unfortunately one of the biggest disappointments of the film is how the predator is handled, with the introduction of the new berserker Predator, which hunts the humans and Predators alike. You would think they would be ten times the hunter that the first was – But actually they are a lot sloppier in comparison to the 1987 original.

Final Thoughts

The first half is a brilliantly paced action movie which lives up to expectations, in many ways surpasses them. Unfortunately due to a few minor hick-ups and a dull climax it suffers in the third and final act. But overall a well earned three star effort, which should grant Nimród Antal another bash at the recovering franchise.

3/5 Stars www.CrazyAboutFilm.com

By the release of 2007's dismal "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem," the "Predator" franchise was all but left for dead. Then, a miracle happened as Robert Rodriguez ("Planet Terror," "Desperado") got his hands on the property. Drawing from a script he had originally penned in the mid-90's, Rodriguez teamed up with director Nimród Antal ("Vacancy") in an effort to restore the series to its roots. "Predators," the latest saga concerning the jungle-dwelling hunters, is an action-packed roller-coaster ride that successfully ignores the maligned "Alien vs. Predator" franchise and plays as more of a direct sequel to the 1987 original.

Although there's no Arnold Schwarzenegger or even a "CHOPPAH!" to be found, "Predators" succeeds in delivering the same high-octane thrills as the original film. Although admittedly not as fueled by testosterone as its predecessor, "Predators" gets by with a solid cast that includes Adrien Brody as the unlikely hero of the story, as well as Alice Braga, Danny Trejo and Topher Grace. Dumped on an alien planet against their will, this group of unsavory characters finds themselves being hunted by a gaggle of bizarre and deadly creatures, the least of which being the titular character(s). Brody has big shoes to fill – essentially replacing Arnie as Dutch – and wouldn't you know it, the Oscar winning actor pulls it off. Laurence Fishburne also appears, making the best of a brief appearance. Fishburne chews up the screen and steals just about every scene in perhaps his juiciest role since "The Matrix."

The film certainly has the Rodriguez touch, but Antal definitely puts on a good show on his own. Not only does the film look good (taking advantage of its Hawaiian location), but it is every bit as fast-paced and fun as it should be, too. The only real flaw at hand would be that the central characters aren't fleshed out enough for us to truly connect with them. While the actors themselves turn in fine performances, it's the fault of the script for not giving us enough to care about when the group starts getting picked off one by one. In the end, though, it doesn't serve to tear down the good times at hand. "Predators" is a more than worthy trip back to the jungle and aims to please its core audience. Possibly the most faithful sequel in recent memory, it's worth watching to be reminded of a time when sci-fi and action were at their peak and goofy looking creatures from across the universe rocked our collective world.

Inevitably this movie couldn't come close to the original in terms of sheer impact. It is, however, such an improvement over the other dreadful sequels that it deserves merit simply for that. Adrien Brody is solid in an against type role, and carries himself well. Every other character had the potential to be interesting but was not explored enough, especially Laurence Fishburne. The action was seriously well done, with flashes of the visceral energy that this series desperately needed. Should have been about half an hour longer to flesh out the characters and maybe have a few more plot twists but as a straightforward, entertaining and visually appealing sci-fi actioner it works. Will not go down as a classic but will always be worth watching when in the mood for an adrenaline rush.

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.