PREDATORS

Last weekend was the release for the long anticipated, (at least by me), PREDATORS movie. Many thought it would suck, but this was no AvP movie, it had Robert Rodriguez backing it, which means a good time, and indeed, the movie was just that.

First off, let me tell you what a breath of fresh air this movie is. Barely any CGI was used, (yes, REAL SPECIAL EFFECTS, people!), and lots of action. Yes! The movie starts off quick and dives right in, only slowing down a few times, but only for a bit before we are thrown back into some frantic running, gunning, and fighting.

Also, in the effects realm, when we see through the Predator eyes, it looks great. The update to the infrared was awesome, as you could still see the detail of the faces of their prey. It also makes sense, as I would think they would have upgraded their tools.

Now, about the cast. Let me first address the complaints heard throughout the internet about Adrian Brody and Topher Grace being cast. WHINERS WHINE, even when they don’t really know anything about what they’re whining about. Just because the first Predator movie had gargantuan men in the cast does not mean that this one needs a completely muscle cast, (and Shane Black and Bill Duke weren’t exactly bulging). Heck, Predator 2 had Danny Glover. Think about that. Danny Glover. Freaking Murtaugh fighting a Predator. Good thing the internet wasn’t commonplace in our lives when that flick was released.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. There's still plenty of meat on that bone. Now you take this home, throw it in a pot, add some broth, a potato. Baby, you've got a stew going.

So let me say that I always thought the casting was just fine, and after seeing the movie, I definitely stand by that. Everyone, including Brody and Grace, did exceptional jobs in their roles. Brody’s gravely tough guy voice is loads better than Bale’s BATMAN voice, and he played his part quite well. I mean, he’s a good actor, so what was the problem? We never learn a lot about his character’s back story, and that suits the movie just fine. In fact, we never learn much at all about any of our cast, just bits and pieces. It’s just enough to give us what we need to know, then move on to Predator fightin’. It’s perfect.

In fact, I expected there to be flashbacks, and I was very happy that they didn’t go that route. It would have just slowed down the pacing of the movie and given us more information than we actually needed.

I must say that I really felt they would have been better served to give us a bit more on Grace’s character. Not flashbacks, but maybe more insight into him. I understand WHY they left it alone for the most part, but maybe some more dialog that revealed a bit more about him would have been alright. There is one thing that bothers me, though:

SPOILER

I keep hearing people complain about how they ‘knew he was a killer, too.’ To that I say DUH. Of course you knew! Why else was he there? Even though towards the end,  he gets hurt and Alice is wanting to wait up for him, but Brody says, “he’s only here to make you feel sympathy”, which is an attempt to trick the audience, but it doesn’t work. However, if they had used that line earlier on, it would have worked even less. Maybe some of the crew would have thought, ‘he’s right’, and left him, which would have completely crippled the intention of revealing him as a killer, too.

END SPOILER

The cast as a whole is really good. Danny Trejo, Oleg Taktarov, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, and Alice Braga do great jobs in their respective roles. Louis Ozawa Changchien was reminiscent of Billy from the first movie: a spiritual man who abides by a code of honor. Walton Goggins was also good, as he always is being such an exceptional actor. He was the Death Row Inmate and he has some pretty good scenes that showcase why he was there.

Morpheus makes a quick appearance. If you can forget the fact that he looks like he’s been eating Predators, he’s pretty good in this. It’s a small role, but a good one. He’s funny, creepy, and menacing all at once.

Braga, Goggins, Brody.

The movie is greatly paced, perfect for setting up the action set pieces. I loved the way they introduced the baddies, starting small and building up to the big boys. First, the Predator Hounds, (which weren’t that great, but not completely terrible like the Hulk Hounds), then some bizarre alien species, then the classic Predator, finally revealing to us the new Predator, (which I’m still not sure what they’re officially called…Black Predator, Super Predator, Berzerker Predator…or something else? Ultimate Predator?)

The new Predators did not disappoint. While the face on the new ones were a bit different, and still ugly, it was the helmets that commanded my attention. They were badass and added to the overall badassness of the Predators.

There are a LOT of references to the first movie in this one. If you haven’t seen the first Predator movie in a spell, I recommend you watch it before seeing PREDATORS, if only so you can catch all the references. How can that hurt? It can’t! In fact, I think there was an Alien reference in there, too. Let me know if you caught what I mean after you see it by posting in the comment section below.

The theme of ‘predator’ is certainly not lost in this movie, either. It should be kind of obvious with that extra S in the title, which not only represents more than one Predator, but is also meant to represent the human predators which have been brought to the hunting planet. All of them are predators in their own right, especially Morpheus. They discuss this amongst themselves in the movie, as well, which was a nice touch.

Overall, if you want a great time with a good action movie, (at least until The Expendables is released…I know, different type of movie), PREDATORS fits the bill. It’s not perfect, and it doesn’t have to be, but it does have to reclaim the Predator name from those awful AvP movies, and it does that with much success.

Author: Devon

A dude who likes movies. Well, most of them.

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