Logan Sork Film Reviews
Predators
The Predator franchise took a long hiatus after 1990’s Predator 2 was released. It reemerged as a crossover with the Alien franchise in 2004’s Alien vs Predator and again in the 2007 sequel. The next real installment to the franchise would be Predators, a sequel/reboot that would hopefully re-invigorate the films with new blood. So, did it achieve that? In some ways yes and in some ways no. The film is more inventive than the previous sequel and adds some new lore to the predator mythology and is entertaining in its own right. It also unfortunately has some dull characters and takes itself way to seriously.
Predators follows a group of people that is made up of different soldiers, mercenaries and killers from around the globe as they find themselves stranded on an alien world with no recollection of how they got there. They discover that they are being hunted for sport by the Predators on their home world and that there is a war between different predator factions. The group must work together to survive and find a way off the world before they become the trophies of the new type of predator.
The film does add some interesting elements to the Predator mythology. A new species known as the “Bad bloods” are introduced as being bigger, stronger and more ruthless than the previous Predators seen in other films. At first, I wasn’t really a fan of these guys as they felt unnecessary, upon re-watching the film, I have taken a liking to them. They aren’t afraid to fight dirty if it means getting their kill. Where the previous Predators would fight honorably, these would almost play with their prey before taking their trophies. This adds some interesting conflicts between the two predator types as they are seen fighting with each other in terms of honor and what is right in the hunt. This adds not only a new layer to the Predators themselves, but also to the mythology in the franchise, something previous sequels were lacking in.
There is also a lot of entertaining action in the film. This film contains many of the loud action moments that we’ve come to expect from the franchise, and it doesn’t disappoint. It features some incredible gun battles against the Predators, as well as an awesome moment in the forest involving alien dogs. It also has some amazing hand to hand battles, one of which involves a predator in a sword fight with a member of the Yakuza faces off with a Predator. The final act of the movie is also extremely fun to watch, as it features the first ever predator vs predator fight as well as some heart pounding moments of tension. The film also utilizes its location better than the previous. By returning to its jungle roots, the film creates genuine moments of suspense and tension by having the creatures attack from unknown locations.
While these elements do sound promising, what really sinks the film is the cast and characters. The characters are boring and generic, more of cutouts than characters. Each one has a different ethnicity background and while there are some fun characters to be found, they aren’t really that funny. The two leads are very bland, and the performances don’t do much to elevate the characters. There are also some weird casting choices that don’t really work, one of which is the leader Royce, played by Adrian Brody. Brody has been good in other films, but he never struck me as the stone-cold killer he was meant to be. He is also very scrawny, this is in no offense to Brody, but I can’t help but laugh as this small person manages to make such a last stand with the lead predator in the final battle where the predator from the original film threw Arnold Schwarzenegger around like a ragdoll. There is also a weird choice to cast Topher Grace as a psychotic serial killer, believe me it’s as ridiculous as it sounds.
The film also takes itself way to seriously. Yes, there were some dramatic and serious moments in the previous films, but there was also this sense of fun and silliness to be had. The characters in those films knew when the situation was tense and when they could be funny, even being funny during a tense situation allowed for some level of fun. Apart from one funny moment given to us from Lawrence Fishburne as a crazy survivor on the planet, there is no levity to be found in the film. Everyone also acts way too seriously, the previous characters in the other films seemed like fun people to hang out with. Everyone in this film is either brooding, depressed or boring, hindering the diversity of personalities that previous casts brought to the films beforehand.
Overall, Predators adds some new elements to the franchise that are interesting, mainly the new type of predators and the layers they add to the mythology. It also has some fun action moments that make for a pleasant viewing experience. Where it falters is in its characters and some strange casting choices. Overall, I prefer this one over Predator 2 because it does add some new elements to the franchise, but it is nowhere close to the level of the original.
Rating: 6.5/10