Predators

• Directed by Nimród Antal
• July 7, 2010 (International) / July 9, 2010 (US)

A group of individuals find that they have been abducted and placed on a planet which acts as a game reserve for extraterrestrial killers and must look for a way to return to Earth.

It had been a long time between Predator 2 and this film so when Predators came out I was superhyped for it. After experiencing those two Alien vs Predator films I was hoping that the Predator returning to a solo project would get the concept back to the viscerally enjoyable entertainment of the first film.

Is Predators a trainwreck? No. Is it great? No. At least in comparison to the original. That film set a standard for the rest of the films that I only think Predator 2 came close to achieving. This tries to re-create the magic of the first film by simply moving events to another planet to get all the characters in a very similar environment.

Adrien Brody as Royce isn’t too bad but then again Brody is a very good actor. Whatever happened to him I do not now. He had been on an upward trajectory and then his career just kind of faded away. This film was an attempt to refashion him as an action star and it didn’t quite get there.

I bring that up because at the time Predator came out Schwarzenegger had an image of being nearly superhuman. He was built like a brickhouse and in his films he was the biggest and most musclebound person on screen. Part of the effectiveness of the first film was that here came this creature that was bigger and more powerful than Schwarzenegger was. It forced him into a part where his character had to step up and go beyond what he was. He was not the best of the best there. He was not the most powerful of the powerful there.  Physically he was second banana. 

It’s hard to believe that someone with a build of Adrian Brody could step up and take on a killer from another planet. He’s not out of shape but he’s certainly not jacked enough to look like he could be a comparable physical opponent to anyone in those rubber suits. 

Truth be told I would buy Danny Trejo going up against these aliens more than Adrien Brody. He’s also in this film as Los Zetas enforcer Cuchillo who looks like more of a threat to a Predator than Adrien Brody. He always looks like a badass but I still wouldn’t see him as lasting very long. In fact none of these people no matter how big their guns were I think could have lasted very long against a physically superior threat with advanced technology. 

The Predators are sport hunters. They seek a challenge which makes Topher Grace’s character of Edwin mystifying. He may be a lethal killer but he certainly no challenge for a sport hunter. I knew what his whole deal was within a few moments of his introduction. I think his character would’ve made more sense if he was a doctor straight up rather than a murderous doctor. And what was a deal with him begging that Predator at the end when he was saying he’s a monster too and he was one of them? It was idiotic. 

Laurence Fishburne shows up as Noland, an individual who is a little crazy as he has been on that planet for an undetermined amount of time. An interesting cast and character addition that ultimately went nowhere.

And what was with the character of Isabelle (Alice Braga) other than to let the group in on the reality that we have been visited before by Predators? She had no defining characteristics and was just tough. In the film crowded with tough characters she did not stand out.

This film’s saving grace is not only the action which is fantastic but the creativity of the Predators in this film. While they did not choose victims that scream sport hunting, they act like sport hunters and that sets up some great moments of action. They are intelligent and creative and brutal.

The story is weak. It came off as a rehash rather than a repackage. It seems they reworked the original script rather than come up with something new-ish. Part of the thrill is the story taking place on Earth. Remove that element and it falls into the realm of other science fiction survival films-some of which are rip-offs of Predator.

Predators is not a bad film but is not great and is a mediocre imitation of the first film. It is enjoyable enough and you will enjoy yourself but ultimately this is an if you want.