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Predators Review (No, Adrien Brody Doesn't F*** Them)
***1/2 out of ****
Spill Rating: HIGH MATINEE!
When people ask me what my quintessential action/sci-fi film of the 80's is, my answer is Predator. The film has too many quotable lines to count, the cast is made up of huge action stars (The Governator, Carl Weathers) and some great actors as well (Bill Duke). While the film contains every cliche in the book, the pure fun of it easily overcame any weaknesses. And who could forget the Predator itself, one of the greatest creature creations of all time. Constructed by the legendary Stan Winston, the Predator was a truly unique figure. Just like the Alien, their designs made them stand out from the rest. If you haven't seen Predator, immediately get off your dumb ass and watch it.
The sequel, Predator 2, is generally neglected but I am one of the few that like it just as much as the original. While taking the Predator out of the jungle somewhat defeated the purpose of the concept in the first place, there was plenty of insane action and certain touches (Alien trophy in Predator ship) to make it a worthy sequel. Its easily one of the most underrated action movies of all time, at least in my opinion. I would talk about the two Alien Vs Predator movies but giving them anything more than a mere sentence gives the films too much credit. Just the existence of them is an atrocity of mankind. It seemed like those two films had put the Predator into a cinematic coffin but fortunately for us, Robert Rodriguez has brought the series back with Nimrod Antal at the helm.
While the sight of a man named Nimrod directing a Predator movie may send shivers down your spine, I am happy to report that Predators is the true return of one of the greatest creations in sci-fi history. Every problem that the AVP created is corrected here, making the Predator menacing and scary for the first time since the original.
Its rare that a film grabs me from the first frame, but Predators has quite the opening with American mercenary Royce (Adrien Brody) falling from the sky, having no idea where he is. Upon landing in a jungle, he meets other dangerous characters. Isabelle (Alice Braga), an Israeli military sniper; Stans (Walton Goggins), a convicted serial killer; Cuchillo (Danny Trejo), a Mexican drug cartel enforcer; Nikolai (Oleg Taktarov), a Russian special forces commando; Mombasa (Mahershalalhashbaz Ali), an African death squad member; and Hanzo (Louis Ozawa Changchien), a Yakuza enforcer. Edwin (Topher Grace), a doctor, is the only one who is out of place. They all soon realize that they're not on Earth but on an alien planet that is a game preserve that pits the predators against even bigger ones.
Along with The A-Team, Predators captures the spirit and excitement of a summer action movie. Just like Predator, a good amount of time is spent building up the characters' backstories, giving each a different personality. While there aren't as many quotable one-liners as the original, there is a impressive connection to the characters makes the danger seem all the more real. Despite Predators having the same concept and execution as Predator, the addition of the different classes of Predators and new alien creatures add enough freshness to be more than a mere re-hash.
The most surprising thing about Predators is Adrien Brody. For an actor that plays such mild-mannered characters (The Pianist, King Kong), he sure makes one hell of an action hero. He put on 20 pounds of muscle for the role and also upgraded his personality from boring to badass. At least he doesn't f*** any creatures like in Splice. Maybe he could have seduced the Predators to confuse them!?
Laurence Fishburne has a small role in the film as a man who has survived for years on the Predator game preserve. He may nail the role down as the slightly insane survivor, but his sub-plot ultimately grinds the film to a halt, seriously disrupting the flow of the film. You could have cut his character out and the film would have been better without him. He ultimately bears the same distraction as Tim Robbins in War of The Worlds.
The other members of the cast all nail their roles, even if Danny Trejo lasts for only 10 minutes. (Probably finishing Machete). Topher Grace's character is the most interesting because he is so out of place. I spent a good majority of the film trying to figure out where he fit in. There is also Justified's Walton Gobbins as a incestuous serial killer bringing some awkward comic relief to the proceedings. Finally, Alice Braga brings some heart to the gory surroundings as the Israeli sniper Isabelle.
While Predators doesn't bring many new things to the table, Robert Rodriguez and Nimrod Antal have crafted a summer action movie that brings back one of the greatest sci-fi creations of all time at full force.
Comment
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Comment by Narcoleptic Sloth on July 14, 2010 at 1:23am -
@ Cheesy.
The alien bug creature was an example of the different types of game the predators hunted. it could have been a survivor like Noland, and just recently met its demise thanks to the team of human predators. no matter what, it wasnt crucial to the plot in the sense that they had to linger on to it.
Noland essentially hid from the predators that entire time. He is not a super skillful hunter or fighter, he is just a survivor. A crazy survivor at that. Exposition is helpful to newer audiences that probably have never seen the first Predator, especially since Predators introduces a new "Alpha" Predator. but even then its a throw away character.
Edwin's twist was actually hinted at many times in the movie. it kind of cemented in the theme that they are predators hunting predators, hunting predators. And he was sabotaging the team throughout the film. He got a character killed while trying to save him, he was obnoxiously loud, and generally got in the way of the rest of the humans, almost or getting them killed. He was manipulative to the end.
you shouldnt judge a film too harshly on its trailer. chances are it will contain altered scenes or scenes that dont even take place in the film. IMO, the single laser dot is superior to the dozens, because would a predator really hunt like that? wheres the fun in hunting if you have a dozen heavily armed predators blasting away at the same target?
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Comment by Justin M on July 12, 2010 at 11:17pm -
Great review. But i did get angry at the fact that there was a lack of choppers to get to.
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Comment by CHEEZYSPAM on July 12, 2010 at 2:12pm -
also the trailer heavily implied there were dozens of predators with all the laser dots, but only one dot in the film.. I hate being duped especially when i'm anticipating a particular scene (like the Paltrows kiss in the airplane hanger in Iron Man2)
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Comment by CHEEZYSPAM on July 12, 2010 at 2:04pm
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Loved this movie and your review was exactly what I thought about it in terms of being positive. I gave it a full price in my review.
my biggest complaint with the film are the things they quickly gloss over. The alien-bug creature from the cages came out of nowhere with no explanation and was quickly killed and that was that never heard from or talked about again. I almost wonder if they put it in there as a wink to the Aliens franchise... like "see this is what could have been".
Noland survived for 10 years and then died within moments without a fight. He was used as an exposition at a time when we didn't need one. We knew they were on an alien planet being hunted... why did we need it explained to us? the 1st Predator didn't have to do any of that and we completely understood what the creature's intentions were. Noland was a waste.
Lastly, Edwin's "surprise twist" was pointless. I think the aspect of him being more than meets the eye was a great concept! but executed poorly and way too late in the film. As soon as his purpose in the movie was revealed he was dead. I'd like to have seen him sabotage and set up his "team" along the way and really show the idea that he was a enemy among friends kind of deal.
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Comment by Gang Warily on July 11, 2010 at 7:22pm -
Absolutely hilarious title :P Good review too.
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Comment by Akage on July 11, 2010 at 6:36pm -
I agree with everything stated here. Nice review man - kudos.
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Comment by Solarkhan on July 11, 2010 at 1:34pm -
I concur with your review. Fishburne's character was needed in order to explain what was going on. Then again, a scene showing these things would have worked just as well.
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Comment by El Foggy on July 11, 2010 at 4:40am -
Three and a Half out of 4, that sounds like a high full price to me, with 4 being a better than sex.
Other than that, this review is spot on, great work!
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