Predators (+ Digital Copy) (2010)

"Predators" is back to basics return for the "Predator" franchise, they have juggled the elements that made the first film successful but couldn't seem to get right for the sequel or the "Alien vs. Predator" movies. "Predators" starts with the original premise of the first movie. Eight people of different ethnicities (if not occupations) are thrown into a living green hell of a jungle except they all don't know how they got there or where they are. The only thing they're sure of is that they were involved in some war, they saw a light and the next thing they remember is waking up as they fell into the jungle.

As the eight get to know each and their surroundings, "Predators" relies on the camaraderie of the individuals and the stress of the situation for each character to reveal themselves to each other and the audience, and they discover every one may not be what they seem. There's also a nice bit of gallows humor to lighten the moments and was one of the things that gave the original "Predator" some of it's charm.

The predators have some new toys including the spiky dogs, and we learn there are two different kinds of predators, the standard one we're used to seeing is the smaller of the species and are hunted by the larger super-predator when no other game is available.

One bit of casting I was worried about was Topher Grace, the geeky Eric Forman of "That 70's Show," he seemed miscast or ill fitted for Eddie Brock in "Spiderman 3," and here he's the one element that doesn't fit, but he isn't supposed to, and he looks right for the part and delivers a role that at first looks like a straightforward but has some twists. Laurence Fishburne does a near-cameo as Noland, a soldier marooned on the planet and who may be from the Vietnam era, I think he hums a bit of Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" used to such great effect in Apocalypse Now.

I at first thought "Predators" was directed by Robert Rodriquez and that was one of the reasons I was looking forward to seeing the movie. I was a little disappointed that Rodriquez only produces, but this movie does incorporate some of the feel of a movie directed by Rodriquez but that may be because "Predators" is based on a screenplay Rodriguez wrote sixteen years ago . Directing is Nimrod Antal and he moves the movie tautly along never veering off course or too far off course, and he does add some visual artistry that hasn't been seen in any of the previous movies but gives us a sense of the alieness of the world the characters find themselves trapped on.

"Predators" is conscious of the events of the first "Predator" movie and the climatic battle is a tweaked version that is an homage to Arnold's battling of the predator while building on some of the inferred weaknesses of the predators. "Predators" is a good telling of a "Predator" story, using bits of the original and adding its own devices to the "Predator" mythology.

It has taken a string of awful sequels for someone such as Nimrod Antal to step up and take the Predator franchise back to its roots of gore, suspense and plain fear, but does it do these things well? "Predators" sets it story deep within the nostalgia of fans with a jungle setting similar to the original. We are introduced to an unconscious Royce, a hardened, ex-military mercenary played by Adrien Brody, free-falling from the sky over the jungle. After a warm welcome from fellow drop ins, the newly formed team of eight begin to make sense of their surroundings.

"Predators" builds the tension between the characters similarly to that of the original with fear and uncertainty clouding their minds. The eerie-ness and unfamiliarity of the environment and it's contents are also set just as in the first film. The building of this tension plays out smoothly and doesn't rush itself to get to it's point (the whole alien planet/we are being hunted/"If it bleeds, it can be killed" deal) Not until the end of the film does it feel rushed and out of balance with the beginning and midpoint. The chemistry between the characters doesn't bore at all, even with their backgrounds as "the most dangerous killers on Earth" the flow of dialect and development with each character is enough to hold the viewer's interest and move the story along realistic grounds. A very interesting note is how the characters explain their backgrounds and solidify their characters through the traps set within the film (theirs and others.) There are also many specific pieces paying homage to the original, such as the explanation of the Hunters and a few of the battle sequences.

Speaking very shortly about the gore, it plays its part in solidifying the harsh settings the characters are placed in and the brutality of the creatures they are faced against, (Most notably the campsite of the Predators and what every fan wanted to see, the taking of the "trophies.") unlike the past two sequels (*shudders*) where the first was devoid of nearly any gore and the second making it seem laughable and rendering it useless.

I have only two gripes about the film, one being the pacing near the end, (as mentioned earlier) after meeting with another survivor named Nolan (Laurence Fishburne) and the events leading to another encounter with the Predator creatures, the remaining survivors start to die off quite fast. Even though the plan made before the set chase is clear, I felt that the suspense kind of died after that leaving only one minor twist afterwards. Oh and Topher Grace (I think you will see him mentioned in many reviews to come for the movie) Didn't leave a strong enough impression. Without giving too much away about him, I believe that his character's motives could have been fleshed out a little better than the film made them.

Bottom line, "Predators" plants its feet in the ground and exclaims with confidence that "this is more than a sequel, it's a return to form." and a return very well needed. Even with it's numerous similarities, "Predators" is able to stand on it's own with a strong cast and a smooth mix of violence, gore, charisma and chemistry and screams possibilities of sequels to come.

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I don't get out to the theater much, so when my 9 and 11 year olds suggested we go to the movies on a hot and rainy Sunday, I thought it would be a nice way to spend the day with the kids. "So what'll it be boys? Toy Story 3? Despicable Me?" Their reply in unison: "PREDATORS!!!" Actually I wasn't at all surprised since lately they've been spending most of their video game time online with Aliens vs Predator. Truthfully I couldn't have been happier with their choice because that's really what I wanted to see most too.

In the end no one was disappointed. Predators is a great action movie that not only pays homage to the original, but brings the Predator franchise back to the brutal violence and fast moving story telling that made the first one a classic. Kudos to Director Nimród Antal and Producer Robert Rodriguez for not making any of the plethora of mistakes that were made with the sub-par Predator 2 or any of the AvP movies.

All the action looked real. All of the Predators (and other monsters) looked real. All of the acting is really good. Although I must say that I had a hard time swallowing Adrian Brody as the lead tough guy. Brody comes across as more of a softy to me. If I had to seek out a complaint it might be that Brody was a bit miscast, but not so much so that it took away from the thoroughly entertaining experience that I had with Predators.

The story is very similar to the first one. A group of mostly soldiers (or soldier types) are in a mysterious jungle and soon realize that there's a role reversal going on: they are no longer hunters, mercenaries or whatever; they are the hunted. And they are going to need a lot of firepower and strategy in order to walk away alive from the situation that they are in.

I guess if I had to "unEarth" another negative it would be that the storyline is quite familiar. But Antal and Rodriguez introduce enough new concepts and twists to keep this sequel pretty fresh looking and not as predictable as you may think. If you were a big fan of the 1987 cult classic like I was, I believe that you'll find that this 2010 reintroduction to the Predators will be a welcome one...like it was for me.

A few words of caution to anyone that saw my comment about bringing the kids to this movie: it is not a family film. It earns its R rating. I'm just a little more liberal when it comes to what I think will warp the little minds of today's youth. So use your discretion.

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I can only imagine someone liking this film if they've never seen the original, because it breaks no new ground in the franchise. It works double-time to copy the original's high points, right down to Adrien Brody and Alice Braga slavishly aping Arnold Schwarzenegger and Elpidia Carillo. I struggle to grasp so many creative people approaching such a popular franchise and producing such an uninspired product.

Eight people, mostly men, wake up in freefall over a bizarre jungle, strapped into chutes and packing heat, but with no idea how they got there. They are conscientiously multi-racial and multi-national, but they all speak English. Perhaps their captors checked their résumés. When strange critters with dozens of tusks attack, the humans realize they're trapped in an alien game preserve, and they're the designated prey.

First, the underrated Danny Trejo deserves better than this film gives him. Laurence Fishburne is wasted in Gary Busey's Predator 2 role. This movie offers a checklist of Unlikely Heroes Being Chased stereotypes. Adrien Brody makes a particularly unconvincing action figure. We scarcely see the shimmery effect that was so creepy in the first film. And since when does the Predator's battle cry sound like Chewbacca?

This movie does nothing to build tension. It never convinces me that these human characters deserve to live. The action scenes appear unmotivated, and the dialog sounds like it was written by a computer that ate the original script and spat back something passably similar. Robert Rodriguez is better than this, as is this cast. After interminable sequels, I wish they'd stopped after the first one.

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It's been twenty years since "Predator 2" showcased the monstrous hunter in a solo capacity. Finally, after all that time 20th Century Fox brings the hunters back to theaters with the recently released sci-fi action film, "Predators".

"Predators" follows a group of Earth's deadliest killers, led by a mysterious mercenary (Adrien Brody), who find themselves trapped on a strange world. As the group tries to find a way off the planet, they soon discover that they have been placed on this world for a reason...to be hunted. Now, they are locked in a deadly fight for survival with beings far deadlier than anything they've ever encountered.

You know, there's something about this series that's bothered me for quite some time now. It's nothing regarding the previous two films in the franchise, both of which were quite good in my opinion. No, what bothers me is why would 20th Century Fox, who owns the rights to the character, leave the series effectively dead for so long?

Sure the character appeared in the hit "versus" movie, "Alien Vs Predator" and its extremely disappointing sequel "Aliens Vs Predator: Requiem". But as a stand alone property the character proved successful, and the movies were extremely entertaining and profitable to boot. So, it's beyond me why the decision was made to shelve the property for such an extended period. Especially when so many countless sub-par horror franchises are allowed to exist long past their welcome. Anyways, I digress...

In charge of crafting a story that would serve as a hard-hitting return to the big screen for the character worthy of the original is screenwriter/director/producer Robert Rodriguez ("Sin City"). Robert's story brings the action back to a jungle atmosphere (albeit on another planet) harkening back to the first film, but ups the ante in every respect. The story is chock full of incredibly entertaining action set pieces, with a break-neck pacing to keep the momentum running full steam ahead from start to finish; however, if you're coming to this movie looking for in-depth character study, look somewhere else.

Now, that shouldn't come as any surprise to fans of the series, this franchise has never been about character development or engaging drama. It's always been about the hunt, and those who are unfortunate enough to become the hunted. I'm sure that some people (mostly critics that look down their noses at these types of movies) will view the lack of character driven drama as a weakness; if you ask me, the reason these movies work is because they never try to over complicate the situation. It's a monster movie plain and simple, and what the audience wants is to see great visual effects, incredible action, and some entertaining chase and/or fight sequences between the hunter and the hunted. In this, "Predators" absolutely nails it, and hopefully brings the series back into popularity.

On an interesting side note, Robert Rodriguez actually wrote the original script for this film prior to finishing up work on his first breakthrough hit "Desperado" in 1995. However, upon completion 20th Century Fox opted not to move forward with another sequel and shelved the project. I don't know if any of you out there really cared to know that tidbit of information, but I just wanted to throw it out there anyway. Moving on.

Assisting Robert in reinvigorating the franchise was the film's director Nimrod Antal. I wasn't sure how Nimrod would be as director for this long-awaited follow-up. I mean his previous directorial effort "Armored" was a decent enough action flick. Yet, it never really felt like it was anything great compared to any number of action movies I could find from Direct-to-DVD releases featuring the action heroes of yesteryear.

However, after seeing how Nimrod Antal handled "Predators" I have to say that he was undoubtedly the right man for the job. After all, he delivered a pulse-pounding thrill ride that blew his previous film out of the water with considerable ease. Not to mention, the previews didn't ruin every single plot point for this film, a problem that plagued "Armored" and probably led to my less than thrilled perception of the movie.

Leading the ensemble cast, and is probably the most surprising bit of casting I have seen for a movie in quite some time, is Academy Award® winner Adrien Brody ("King Kong"). When his casting was first announced, I was a little leery, as I'm sure many fans were, because Adrien didn't exactly look the part of a man that the Predator would find a challenging prey. Yet the more I read about how the idea was to distance this entry in some respects from what's come before by not going with a muscle-bound warrior, but instead utilize a more cerebral character, the more I became intrigued by the possibility he presented.

In the end, a somewhat bulked-up Adrien Brody created a believable adversary for the Predators. He blended together elements of Arnold's no-nonsense qualities with those of a keenly intelligent, semi-manipulative, world-weary individual that will do whatever it takes to survive.

Portraying some of the other collected prey for the titular characters are Topher Grace, Alice Braga, and Walton Goggins. As I stated earlier the story wasn't one that really challenged any member of the cast dramatically, granted that was never the intention. That being said, the cast didn't just slack off and phone in their performances either.

Topher Grace ("Spider-Man 3") played the kind of character that always seems to suit him perfectly, that of a sniveling weasel of a man, who always feels more important than he really is. Alice Braga ("Repo Men") as a tough-as-nails soldier was surprisingly believable in the role and helped to balance out the extreme machismo of Adrien Brody's character and most of the other cast members. Then there's actor Walton Goggins (TV's "Justified") as a convict that sets out as only being interested in self-preservation, but eventually becomes somewhat of a team player. As I said, none of them really had to stretch to flesh out their characters, but they all did well in the roles and sold them to the audience convincingly.

Making slightly extended cameo appearances in the film were actors Laurence Fishburne and Danny Trejo. Laurence was very entertaining for the brief time he was in the film as a soldier that has snapped with reality after being marooned on this planet for quite some time. Danny Trejo wasn't given a whole lot more to do in the movie than Laurence, and his role felt as if it had just been shoe-horned in to the film. This was a real shame, because Danny always delivers an interesting character every time he appears in a movie. This time though, his appearance was most likely due to the fact that he has acted in virtually every single movie Robert Rodriguez has worked on since "Desperado", so this one should be no exception. Thus, his character felt like an afterthought.

Well, after waiting so long for a third installment, it's nice to see that the "Predator" franchise hasn't lost its edge. Combining some of the best elements of the previous two films, taking the hunt off-world, plus some terrific action scenes and visual effects, makes "Predators" the triumphant return to cinema's that this series deserves.

"Predators" is rated R for violence and language.

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