Predators (2010) (Movie Review)

    I’ve often considered the predator creature to be one of the biggest bad-assess of science fiction cinema, but I’ve also felt that he deserved a far better, and bigger series than what he got. The first “Predator” was a great B movie classic, “Predator 2” had its moments, but wasn’t consistent enough to called a great sequel, and the two AVP movies, while entertaining monster flicks, still didn’t help generate the awesome series I was hoping for. Then at long last in 2010, we got “Predators”, the 5^th, entry in the predator series, and for me … I think it’s an absolute blast!  

All I could say after words was “FINALY!”, “That was the predator sequel I’ve been waiting for”. It may not reach quiet the same level of quality or even memorable characters of the first film, but I do feel this is the best of what the sequels offered at the time. Still kept in the continuity of the first “Predator”, this film takes us back to basics, as well as moves things further into outer space. “Predators” was also produced by one of my favorite writers/directors Robert Rodriguez, who’s delivered some of my favorite B action movies of all time, including “Desperado”, “From Dusk Till Dawn”, “Sin City” and “Machete”. He wrote this script back in 1994, but the studio turned it down because it would have required a huge budget that they couldn’t afford. By the end of the early 2000’s, the film finally saw the light of day, and it perfectly fits alongside all his other great macho, action flicks.

  

    The premise does a brilliant job bringing us back to the roots of what we loved from the original, while also giving us something new, and further exploring the predator universe. Eight strangers, all of whom are skilled fighters, have awakened in a strange and mysterious jungle, which just happens to be an alien game preserve. It doesn’t take long for the humans to discover that their part of a hunting game, with a lethal team of alien hunters closing in around them, and it quickly becomes a fight for survival. While the film threatens to buckle under its familiar elements of soldiers being hunted in a jungle, I feel there’s just enough new material to level out the enjoyment of the experience.

I love that the series is finally going into space, but in a subtle way that doesn’t feel too outlandish for the franchise. There’s a really cool moment when the team is on a hill top and they can see all the different planets (including the predator home world) in the sky, and they thankfully never say anything to obvious, they know that there on another planet and so does the audience, so they really don’t have to explain it further. The mystery and buildup in the first half of the film is great, because they give us so many new things never seen in any of the previous films. By extent, everything we already know is summed up nice and quickly. As I was watching this exposition, I kept saying to myself “Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant!” they’re giving us just the right amount of familiar content, while also giving the surroundings a fresh and original concept. The film’s location crew did an excellent job finding really cool looking spots, which look like they could be from another planet. 

    We also have a nice twist with the main characters … they aren’t just regular people that the hunters have abducted … these are the predators of our world. It’s a team comprised of mercenaries, mobsters, convicts, and death squad members, making them the perfect prey for the real threat. The brilliance of this team is that while they’re all technically bad people, they still hold my attention, and some of them display a reserved sense of honor and dignity. It’s really cool seeing these people put aside differences, develop trust and team skills, and it’s a great contrast to the team of heroes from the first film. 

There’s also an engaging cast of talents on screen, including Robert Rodriguez’s regular Danny Trejo, as well as Alice Braga, Mahershala Ali, Topher Grace, Walton Goggins, Laurence Fishburne, and Adrien Brody in the lead role of a tough as nails soldier. He genuinely surprised me as the films leading tough guy, as I’m so use to him in dramatic films like Roman Polanski’s “The Pianist” but he actually did a great job in the role and was naturally believable as this really tuff soldier. However, I’ll admit that while the cast in consistently engaging to watch … none of the characters are memorable in of themselves. Adrien Brody certainly delivers, but his character isn’t the most likable of leads. Alice Braga’s role as the single female soldier is easily the most compelling, but sadly not very memorable either. Laurence Fishburne is given a thankless role as a cooky survivor, who gets ejected from the film as abruptly as his sudden arrival. Oddly enough, I found Topher Grace the best utilized as a seemingly feeble doctor, who secretly has a dark side, and feels at home on a world of monsters … too bad he didn’t keep his slimy Venom costume from “Spider-Man 3”, then he really would have fit right in.   

 

   Another thing I love about this movie is that it makes the predators fierce hunters again, and they got so many new things to offer. First on display are the new predator hunting dogs, which engage the team in battle, and it’s an appropriate new trait to give the hunters there hunting dogs. This way the Predators can study the team, and learn about their strengths and weaknesses before going in. We have a fun collection of booby traps, new weapons, a predator drop ship, and even a robotic predator stealth bird, which is awesome. There’s also a phew other ferocious alien creatures that were dropped on the planet to be hunted, which again sells the premise of an alien hunting ground.

  

    Just like in the first film, we don’t see the predators till the end, but we feel their presence throughout the whole movie, and the payoff is more than satisfying in this film. This film expands on the different breeds of predators, and the film delivers with some new designs. They still have the same basic features of the original predator, but with just enough little differences … as the film states, it’s kind of like dogs and wolves. These new predators are so cool, and I love all the different details in their helmets and armor. One has a bony jaw, while another has tusks, and there’s this one predator that looks like the Shredder from the Ninja Turtles series. We also get an awesome scene with one of the new predators fighting the classic predator ... which is nothing short of awesome! 

  

   The whole third act of this film is a bloody, testosterone-fueled, action-packed spectacle, complete with explosions, slow-motion decapitations, unexpected character betrayals, fires, monster brawls, shoot-outs, and sword fights … it’s great! I actually feel that there’s select improvements over some reservations I had with the original “Predator” movie. 

For example, there’s a scene in the first film where one lone man stays behind from the grope to make a last stand, but it’s completely wasted as he dies for nothing, and his whole last stand fight is off-screen. In this film, we also have a scene with someone making a last stand, yet his death isn’t in vain, as he proved helpful in giving our team a chance to escape, and we actually get to see his whole fight with the predator. It’s an awesome fight that’s like a classic samurai flick, the two battle with swords in this big open field, with tall grass that’s blowing in the wind. Actually, a lot of the characters get hero deaths, and either die saving someone, taking out a Predator, or helping the team, and that’s one thing that the first movie never did, and needed to have more of. As the climax reaches its peak, Adrien Brody puts up a really good fight against the new lead predator, and this time it’s more of an even match, it’s not just one character beating the other. 

    To sum things up, “Predators” is no game changing classic … but it’s a rock-solid instalment to the franchise, and is one of my personal favorites. It interjected life back into a dyeing franchise, right when it really needed a good boost. It took the series back to its awesome roots, while also giving us something new, kicked some ass, and even improved on minor problems that even the original had. I’d say the films only real shortcomings are that the human characters could have been a little stronger, but at least the cast was engaging to watch. All around, I found this a thrilling hunting season … and I eagerly await to see where this cat and mouse game takes us next.

Thanks for reading my review of the 2010 sequel “Predators” … and continue to enjoy the movies you Love!