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Predators
Reviewed By: Chris J. Lawton
Let's hop in the old Delorean, and travel back to 1987, when
Arnold Schwartzenegger starred in an action/science-fiction film called
Predator. Okay, that movie was awesome. It was about these dudes, who were stuck in this Guatemalan jungle, hunted by this unknown, and alien, enemy.
Jump ahead a few years, and we're given
Predator 2. This time, the hunter has come to downtown L.A., and he's facing off against Mr. Gone Fishin' himself,
Danny Glover. Alright, all Glover jokes aside, this movie wasn't nearly as good as the first one. Still, compared to the next two films, it's freaking
Citizen Kane.
Sometime in the 2000s, we received two films which paired the Predators against the Xenomorphs, from the
Alien franchise. Now, this move should have been nothing but awesome-filled awesome, with a side of awesome. But, it wasn't. To be fair, the first
Alien Vs. Predator movie wasn't terrible. The second one? Well, the second one was just about as bad as a movie can get.
Needless to say, our latest adventures into the world of the Predators have been less than stellar. Thankfully,
Predators wipes away the remnants of the
AvP stuff to make a direct sequel to the first two movies. And let me say, right off the bat: it is excellent.
The movie begins with Royce, played by
Adrien Brody falling out of the sky, landing in a lush, green jungle. He meets up with other fallers and they form an uneasy alliance, while they try to figure out where they are, and how they got there. I say 'uneasy alliance', because, as they quickly figure out, almost every single one of them are trained, brutal killers. The only exception is a doctor, played by
Topher Grace.
As they move through the jungle, they eventually come to a clearing, where they can see the open sky. They are shocked to find three separate moons suspended in the sky, clearly showing they are not on Earth. What's more, they quickly realize they are not alone, when they are attacked by massive, four-legged beasts, who are out for blood. As they look for a way off the planet, they learn there are things in the jungle even more dangerous than that. The Predators from the title of the movie, of course.
If the story seems simple, it's because it is. And it's why the movie is so awesome. See, back in the 80's, action movies didn't need an overcomplicated plot, or detailed backstories. You could just drop a group of dudes into a jungle and sic an alien on them. It's this sort of simplicity that allows us to just sit back and enjoy the gorefest, rather than worry about each character's motivation or what makes them tick.
I don't need to know any of that to enjoy this movie. And enjoy it, I did.
See, even though it's simple, the movie is a blast. I enjoyed every minute of it, sitting in the incredibly hot theater. I even enjoyed the movie, despite the three dudes sitting next to me, talking about how “kickass” every blood splatter was.
And there was a lot of them. While I don't necessarily know that it's as gory as the first Predator, it's still pretty dang bloody. Producer
Robert Rodriguez has made a name for himself in the violence arena, with movies like
Sin City,
Desperado and
Spy Kids. And
Predators lives up to the legacy with some truly memorable deaths.
Now, it's not just the violence that makes the movie fun. It's not just the simplicity, either. Because, those two things would actually make a horrible movie, if they aren't accompanied by two additional key ingredients: good acting and directing.
Surprisingly,
Predators has both.
Brody is absolutely amazing as the mercenary, Royce. He busts out of the gate running, and never slows down in his performance as an incredibly violent man, who doesn't care about anyone but himself.
Balancing his callousness is Isabella, played by
Alice Braga, an Israeli sniper and the only one of the group that seems to show any sort of remorse for the countless amount of killing she's done in her life. While
Braga doesn't turn in quite the same level of performance as
Brody, she's still pretty good in her role. And she brings a very sympathetic edge to her character, which really adds quite a bit to the movie.
Bringing most of the comic relief is
Topher Grace, who plays the very fish-out-of-water Doctor, who seems to have nothing in common with the rest of the human monsters on the planet.
Grace's performance is light and funny, providing quite a strange dichotomy from the dark, grim tone of the rest of the movie.
Rounding out the cast are a wide-range of ethnicities, including a Yakuza assassin (
Louis Ozawa Changchien), a drug cartel enforcer (
Danny Trejo), a Sierra Leone Death Squad officer (
Mahershalalhashbaz Ali), a death row inmate (
Walter Goggins), a crazy Air Calvary Soldier (
Laurence Fishburne) and a Russian Commando (
Oleg Taktarov). All the cast members really turn in great performances, and I'm not sure there's a weak link throughout them.
Like the acting, the direction is really top-notch. This is
Antal's third American feature film, and I thought did an excellent job. There are moments when the action seems a little shaky and confusing, since he chooses to use some really close-up shots, to make the movie seem more frantic. Most of the time, it works. But, sometimes, it gets a little tough to keep track of who's fighting who, and who's winning that fight.
Truthfully, there are parts of
Predators that are goofy and silly. But, you know what? It doesn't take itself seriously, so neither should you. It's just a fun movie in the vein of the classic action movies of the 80's. If you enjoyed the first
Predator movie, you will love this film. And if you didn't, then I have nothing to say to you.
You are a wuss.
