Not pictured: Dude from That 70's Show
10/04/10
Predators (2010)
Hard to believe that the last (first) official sequel to 1987’s Predator came out twenty (20) years ago. 20 YEARS! I was in high school, dammit..
Anyway, Predators opens with a bunch of strangers falling from the sky and landing in a lush jungle environment. They all appear to be soldiers or mercenaries, except one dude, who is a doctor (Topher Grace). Adrien Brody appoints himself leader and they traipse off to find a way out of the jungle. This is not a simple task, as they are soon pursued by some alien-dogs and, eventually, the Predators, themselves.
Oh, and Lawerence Fishburne shows up as someone that has survived, somehow, on his own for an extended amount of time.
The coolest aspect of this flick is the introduction of the idea that there are different races of Predators and they are involved in a blood feud. The larger, more aggressive ones hunt the “classic” ones. It appears that the larger ones also do not abide by the code of the “classics” as they don’t seem to be after trophies or fighting honorably, but are simply in it to learn to adapt and become ultimate warriors.
The movie really shines with its’ characters and how they interact with each other. Not everything is spelled out, but through their actions and reactions you can pick up lots of details about each character.
But we’re really here to see the Predators, right? Well, ostensibly, that’s why they made the sequel, but they prove to be the least interesting aspect of the film. They tried to “flesh them out” a bit, but they almost seem like a distraction from the real story. The story of the humans. Weird, huh?
There’s some good action, the FX are pretty good, but you’ll most likely remember the story and characters when it’s all over. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Looks just like Van Damme!
One interesting thing that some may not catch is the alien that the group kills when they think they’re leading a Predator into an ambush. Technically, it really is a Predator. The first movie was originally called Hunter. The creature they kill is based on the original design that Jean-Claude Van Damme played before he quit the first flick. The creature was completely re-designed, Kevin Peter Hall was brought in to play the creature and history was made.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Nix says: It’s a good watch, but after 20 years I expected a bit more. Still, it’s miles better than either of the AvP crap-fests.
Wha?
Bad Movie Virus 