Predators

(Antal, 2010)

Let me preface this review by saying that the original Predator is one of my most-watched films of all time. This is in part because of its kingly status atop a mountain of otherwise middling 80s action flicks, that it is one of the more reliable Arnie films before his reputation as a cartoonish dispenser of one-liners overtook him, and the simple fact that it is always on the bloody telly late at night when those of us who should know better are still up watching Sky Movies. In a time when machine-gun and muscle films dominated the cinema, Predator had a winning formula of wise-cracking heroes, big firearms and a classic, seemingly unkillable bad guy capable of taking them all on, laughing.

Predator already has a sequel, one that traded the unforgiving jungle for violence-ridden city streets. The alien was much the same, but instead of a team of crack commandos the only thing keeping our dreadlocked villain from indulging in hunting season was Danny Glover’s jaded lawman. While I don’t consider Predator 2 to be a terrible movie, it didn’t go over well with most critics. Trading in the claustrophobia and menace of the original film, this was a cruder, louder and more explicitly gruesome affair.

With the latest outing, the premise shifts marginally from a team of hardened marines to a rag-tag group of deadly criminals, government agents and ruthless mercenaries. They’ve been dropped into the jungle and will need to work together to figure out why. They soon come to realise they are a long way from home, being hunted by creatures unlike anything they have ever encountered. Maybe they haven’t been here before, but we certainly have.

Robert Rodriguez and the rest of the production team seem to have ignored everything that came after the first Predator film, especially as the events of that film are discussed explicitly in Predators, whereas nothing is mentioned of any further encounters. Given the name of this film, you might think the director wanted to do for the franchise what Aliens did for the first Alien by cranking the action and terror up to eleven. Instead we get a film that offers little we haven’t already seen, going beyond merely wearing its inspiration on its sleeve. Rather than a sly nod to its spiritual origin, what Predators gives us is an exaggerated nod and a wink a la Monty Python’s Eric Idle. Know what I mean? Eh? You remember that bit in Predator where such-and-such happened? Well, check this out!

Certain characters in this film are conspicuously similar to those in Predator, it adopts a near identical soundtrack, and there are a couple of occasions where lines from the original are repeated verbatim. I get that this isn’t meant to be an entirely serious film, but there are limits to how far this reviewer can suspend his disbelief.

As tributes go, Predators is fairly comprehensive. Beyond aping the original, however, we’re barely given anything new to appreciate. The film expands on its setting by introducing a couple of new concepts that are interesting enough, but insufficient to set Predators apart from its distant prequel. The disparate cast are given brief moments in which to discuss their past and hint at their true nature, before they are stalked and dismembered in a familiar, by-the-numbers fashion.

If you liked the first Predator, you’ll appreciate the level of fan service here. The cast do a reasonable enough job with what they’re given, and many of the action scenes are satisfyingly visceral. However, if you’re expecting a ‘proper’ sequel, you’re likely to leave disappointed.

Oh well, at least it’s better than Alien vs. Predator.

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tl;dr: Lacking tension and bloated with hero worship, this doesn’t come close to being a worthy successor to the excellent original. It offers a goodly amount of action and gore, and if it didn’t borrow so heavily from the source it might have been a good movie in its own right. As such, it’s entertaining but ultimately unremarkable.

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