Director: Nimród Antal
Screenplay: Alex Litvak and Michael Finch
Cast: Adrien Brody, Alice Braga, Topher Grace, Walton Goggins, Danny Trejo, Laurence Fishburne
Rated: R
Just like the main characters in this film, Predators drops the audience right into the story.
Okay, so “drop” may be a bad pun, but that’s exactly what happens as the film opens with pianist-turned-mercenary Adrien Brody in freefall. With the aid of a parachute, he lands and then finds the others, each with the same memory of a bright light before their abductions. It quickly becomes clear that the title of this film not only refers to its alien antagonists, but also the protagonists themselves, each one seemingly chosen for their background as a killer.
I’ll say there is some clear fan service to the 1987 Predator film, and the beginning of this incarnation slowly builds the tension as the original did. Further fan service comes in scenes and quotes that either allude to the original or outright steal from it. Fortunately, these are few enough to give you a feel-good laugh and not roll your eyes at the sheer cheese.
The killers spend about as much time wandering in the jungle as Ah-nold’s team did, and then the real action starts and continues until the end of the film. A positive note for the trailer is that it doesn’t give away several important plot twists that help keep the film from being too predictable.
The one real complaint I found was with one particular special effect that made me feel like they were running out of money at that scene. The rest of the film was a definite treat and, during one particular battle with a Predator, even had the whole theater applauding with the sheer amount of win in the take-down.
It was suspenseful, action-packed, and everything I could have wanted in a Predator film. The only thing I have left to say is “Get to the choppah!”
Rating: 4.5 / 5 Stars
About the Author
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has this to say about John Rabon:
John got started on the path to geekdom thanks to his brother's collection of comic books and Star Wars toys but was cemented into the geek class forever when LeVar Burton took Reading Rainbow viewers on a backstage tour of Star Trek: The Next Generation. A love of Monty Python soon followed, and it wasn't long before he was starting to collect his own comics. The rest, as they say, is history. But really, who are they to say something?
Since discovering the BBC some years ago, John has become an obsessive Anglophile. In fact, he even likes the food they serve over there! As such, some of his favourite programmes include: Doctor Who, Primeval, Coupling, QI, The Mighty Boosh, The IT Crowd, and Shaun the Sheep.
Upon choosing a university, John enrolled in the University of South Carolina, which was nice enough to give him a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and a Master's in Teaching. Feeling that he hadn't been put through enough academic torment with student teaching, John decided to enroll in law school at Campbell University.
Hobbies, when he can find time for them, include: writing, video games, reading, and wasting time in the pub.