Review: Predators

One of my favorite sci-fi films of all time is the original Predator; you know, the one from the 80's featuring the governor of California. For whatever reason, its one of those movies I can just watch over and over. Sure, its cheesy at times, and the dialogue is often laughable, and yes, there are plot holes big enough to drive a John Deere through, but the film is loud, gory and fun. And I love it for it.

Since that film launched the franchise, everything that's followed has been a collection of steps in the wrong direction. From the horribly miscast hero in Predator 2 (Danny Glover) to the bad idea to combine Predator with the Alien franchise, each film seemed to move further and further away from the classic Schwarzenegger film. With that in mind, my expectations for the latest entry into the franchise were weak to the say the least.

I'm happy to say, Rodriguez and Antal did just fine. While the film had more than a few flaws, I found the movie to be very enjoyable and a great way to spend two hours on a hot summer day.

The film wastes no time getting down to it, as the ensemble of characters find themselves marooned on a strange, alien planet, with a terrain similar to the rain forests of Earth. Exactly how they got there is never fully explained, but through vague descriptions, the viewer eventually learns that humans were captured and air dropped into this foreign wilderness. With no other options available, the group becomes an unlikely team focused on survival.

Of course, these humans aren't alone, and they quickly find out that something is hunting them and that perhaps, that's their whole purpose in being there. Its during these scenes, where a group of well armed men (and one woman) work their way through the jungle to an unknown destination that the film most closely resembles the original. They hear and see things that are seemingly not there. They fight, they make up, and come together when faced with extreme danger. I really enjoyed the opening moments of the movie as we get to know the characters and feel the plight that they've been unwillingly thrown into.

As the film moves along there are few unexpected twists, but there are a couple. While some critics have complained about the lack of new and creative story arcs, I couldn't disagree more. The whole premise is different than anything we've seen from the franchise up to this point, and I really liked it. Sure, it might seem odd that they would have the story take place on a different planet that pretty much looks like the South American jungle from the first one, but that's not the point. The people have been captured from their everyday existence and forced to look in the mirror to try to answer exactly why they have. It's an interesting character study and one that shouldn't be overlooked in the midst of mindless action.

Speaking of the action, there's some outstanding action scenes in the movie. I really enjoyed an early scene that featured an attack by a strange breed of alien dogs (I really don't know what else to call them) that required the team to take a stand and fight back together. Later in the movie, after the Predators have really begun to focus on catching their prey, there's a cat and mouse sequence in the hull of an alien space craft. Oh, and the first sword fight between a Predator and an Asian Assassin. That probably sounds out of place, but it was extremely well done and very cool to watch.

The film has somewhat of an unexpected ending but certainly leaves the door open for future installments. I walked out of the theater excited about the movie and where future sequels might go.

Predators was worth the wait. If you're a fan of the original, it shouldn't be missed.

8.5/10