(Long Island, N.Y.) Well, it’s finally here…the first new stand-alone Predator film in 20 years. Directed and produced by the team of Nimród Antal and Robert Rodriguez, Predators is a direct sequel to the classic 1987 original starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, which told the tale of an elite squad of military operatives being stalked and killed in the jungle by a stealthy alien big-game hunter. Now, in the sequel, we’re told the tale of an elite squad of military operatives being…well, stalked and killed in the jungle by a stealthy alien big-game hunter. But there’s more than one hunter running around this time, and the jungle isn’t set in South America, but on another planet that serves as a “game preserve” of sorts. It turns out that the aliens (known as “Predators”) like hone their craft by kidnapping strong prey from around the galaxy, depositing them here, and hunting them down for sport.
If you’ve read my review for 2009’s heist film Armored, you’d have probably taken note of my interest in its director, Nimród Antal. At that point, he had just been announced as helming the new Predator sequel, and, as the original is quite near and dear to my heart, I watched Armored with great interest to see what Antal would bring to the table. In Armored, I found a film that was rather lamely scripted, but expertly directed in a sharp, refreshing, old-school fashion, emphasizing character and acting over mindless action (which was still in abundance, don’t worry), crazy editing, and wobbly cameras. It left me hopeful for the future, and that faith has been (for the most part) rewarded. With Predators, Antal displays the same talented film-making that he did in Armored, but now on a much grander scale, deftly blending action and horror with only a few minor hiccups along the way.
At the start of Predators, an otherwise unrelated group of assorted human combatants are dropped onto a distant planet, none of them sure how they got there: Royce (Adrien Brody), an American Mercenary; Edwin (Topher Grace), a doctor; Cuchillo (cult favorite and Rodriguez regular Danny Trejo), a Mexican drug enforcer; Nikolai (Oleg Taktarov), a Russian Spetsnaz (those guys are scary!); Mombasa (Mahershalalhashbaz Ali), a former death squad officer; Stans (Walton Goggins), a death row inmate; Isabelle (Alice Braga), an Israeli sniper; and Hanzo (Louis Ozawa Changchien), a silent Yakuza assassin. Naturally, they’re all confused, but it doesn’t take long for them to figure out what’s going on and band together to survive. Eventually, the monstrous Predators (one of whom is played by Derek Mears, who was Jason Voorhees in last year’s Friday The 13th remake), using advanced technology and guerrilla tactics, start picking the team apart, making their prospects for living long enough find a way home look dim. A few surprises and twists pop up, blood and body parts go flying, and…well, that’s all I’m saying. Go buy a ticket if you want to see how it turns out.
First of all, I’m going to discuss the chracters of Predators, since that was the driving force (and big part of the success) of the original Predator. While the new gang of warriors in this film are a good, effective lot, none of them can touch the eclectic (and dare I sat iconic) band of characters director John McTiernan gathered together in the first movie. Adrien Brody, as surprisingly solid as he is in a tough-guy action role, is no Arnold. He just doesn’t have the same presence, physicality, or charisma. And the supporting cast of the new flick doesn’t really stand up to the unbridled 80’s machismo of Jesse “The Body” Ventura or the craziness of Bill Duke after he completely flips his lid (“I’m gonna have me some fun…I’m gonna have me some fun…I’m gonna have me some fun…”).
Still, I’m not saying that this crop of new actors assembled by Nimród Antal doesn’t hold up in their own very distinct ways. Adrien Brody, as stated, does well as the lead. Thankfully, he doesn’t to compete with Arnold (really, who could?), but instead plays the role as cold, detached, and ruthless, which turns out to be very effective. Walton Goggins (who you might remember from the TV series The Shield) was fun, as was the hard-as-nails Nikolai, who carried a minigun as a (not so) little nod to the former Governor of Minnesota. But one of my personal favorites was the katana-brandishing Hanzo, who gets one of the coolest scenes in the movie. I don’t want to spoil anything, but imagine if they had actually shown Billy fight the Predator in the first film instead of just hearing him off-screen going “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!” Good news: we don’t get gypped this time.
Of course, there are weak links in this chain as well. I’m a huge fan of Laurence Fishburne, who shows up in a small role later in the movie (rumored to have originally been intended for Arnold Schwarzenegger himself at one point). However, Fishburne’s shockingly lackluster performance (and the fact that he’s supposedly been surviving in a brutal jungle for 10 years on his own but is somehow still fat) prevented me from getting into his character at all. Alice Braga’s Isabelle serves no purpose other than to be the token woman of the cast. Oh, and to fill in the gang on the events that transpired in the original film, which, as shown in 1990’s Predator 2 (which I’m not sure exists in this film’s continuity), are apparently known to the military. Oh, and Topher Grace’s doctor character is just stupid. You’ll see why.
And while the dialogue in Predators is more than serviceable, it falls short when compared to it’s 1987 forefather, which was a high-water mark for 80’s Action one-liners (second only to Arnold’s blood-drenched masterpiece, 1985’s Commando). “If it bleeds, we can kill it.” “Stick around.” “I ain’t got time ta bleed.” But while Predator was FILLED with brilliant quotes like that, you probably won’t find yourself repeating any of the lines from its sequel to your friends.
It wouldn’t be a Predator movie without Predators, now would it? The giant alien warriors are back in good form, and director Antal not only stays faithful to the famous Stan Winston designs from the first film, but expands upon them by introducing more savage-looking “Black” Predators (a rival clan challenging the “Classic” style Predators), as well as some frightening “Predator dogs” that are used to herd the humans around. Practical, physical effects are used whenever possible, which is more than welcome, and what’s CG ends up looking pretty nice (aside from the aforementioned Predator dogs, who need a little work). But visually, my one major complaint has nothing to do with the effects, but instead with fact that these people are on an alien planet that…doesn’t look like an alien planet. At all. Filming of Predators was mostly set in Hawaii (oh, that poor crew…), which ends up looking a lot like the South American jungle seen in the original flick. It’s beautiful scenery, but shouldn’t there be some…I don’t know, weird, sixty-foot tall purple man-eating plants or something? Or those dart-firing flowers from that one 1960’s Star Trek episode? Something?
But aside from some quibbles with the acting and setting, Predators delivers, breathing new life into the once-dead franchise. It’s not as good as the first, but it’s better than (the still fun) Predator 2 and certainly millions of light-years improved over the terrible Alien Vs. Predator flicks. Plus, it leaves itself wide-open for a sequel, which it deserves. If you love sci-fi and action (I do!), it’s a no-brainer. Go see it.
