Okay, initially I wasn't going to review this movie (I was basically going to leave it alone) BUT a friend asked me to and so here I go.
Directed by Nimrod Antal and written by Alex Litvak, Michael Finch, and Jim and John Thomas (Jim and John wrote the first Predator movie), Predators is like a pretty good sandwich with nasty tasting bread. Meaning the beginning makes utterly no sense and the ending was completely ludicrous but the middle of the movie wasn't all that bad. If you can get past the beginning and if you leave maybe four or five minutes before the ending AND if you liked the very first Predator movie with Arnold then you won't mind some of the images in this movie.
Now I know you're probably asking yourself "why Adrian Brody?" and honestly, I don't know. I can't defend that move because it made no sense when I first heard he was going to be in the movie and now after seeing the movie I still don't get it but whatever. He plays "Royce" and he's the first person you see on screen, free falling through the clouds and plummeting towards a planet. Just when he's about to become a human meteorite his parachute opens (where this chute comes from is NEVER explained by the way) and he lands uninjured. As does the Yakuza gangster "Hanzo" played by Louis Ozawa Changchien, the big Russian "Nikolai" played by Oleg Taktarov (who just so happens to carry the same kind of gatlin gun that Jesse Ventura carried in the first film), "Isabelle" played by Alice Bragga (who you the viewer is supposed to believe is the young woman who survived in the first Predator movie along with Arnold) and all the others that parachuted in for the fun. Yes I said parachuted, don't ask me I didn't write it.
I know, I know, you're wondering where is Laurence Fishburn in all this. His character "Noland" also parachuted in but that happened years ago. For Noland, the planet became his own little island like the kind Tom Hanks inhabited in "Cast Away". The only thing Noland was missing was his very own "Wilson" because he was definitely talking to himself (can you say cliche?). He saves the group and then completely descends into Survivor mode and completely implodes (or explodes if you know what I mean).
Royce and his band of merry killers happen to wander into the Predators camp and in another nod to the first movie, there is a classic Predator trussed up. Royce figures there must be a ship that the predators use to get off the planet and he wants that ship for himself so he frees the tied up Predator in the hopes that he wants off the planet as badly as Royce does but the lead Predator arrives and the fight that ensues between the classic and evolved Predator is almost like the first time you saw two Terminators fight, it was impressive. Now this is where I would suggest you either walk out of the theater, turn off the DVD, or if you're really smart and wait for it to hit cable, this is where you change the channel because after the fight the movie turns south in a hurry.
The music by John Debney is a throw back to the first Predator score by Alan Silvestri, there's not much difference there (which is a good thing) and even the song playing during the closing credits is "Long Tall Sally" by Little Richard which of course was in the first movie. Now you could say that's due to a lack of originality but I would much rather say it's done to pay homage to the original film (they could have done a better job of that but they didn't so don't hope for more).
Would I recommend this movie to someone? ONLY if they are truly in love with Predator and would like to rinse that sour taste out of their mouths left behind from the AVP movies. If they aren't that person I would say skip it and wait for the bootleg DVD or cable.
I'll see you at the theater people!!!!
Directed by Nimrod Antal and written by Alex Litvak, Michael Finch, and Jim and John Thomas (Jim and John wrote the first Predator movie), Predators is like a pretty good sandwich with nasty tasting bread. Meaning the beginning makes utterly no sense and the ending was completely ludicrous but the middle of the movie wasn't all that bad. If you can get past the beginning and if you leave maybe four or five minutes before the ending AND if you liked the very first Predator movie with Arnold then you won't mind some of the images in this movie.
Now I know you're probably asking yourself "why Adrian Brody?" and honestly, I don't know. I can't defend that move because it made no sense when I first heard he was going to be in the movie and now after seeing the movie I still don't get it but whatever. He plays "Royce" and he's the first person you see on screen, free falling through the clouds and plummeting towards a planet. Just when he's about to become a human meteorite his parachute opens (where this chute comes from is NEVER explained by the way) and he lands uninjured. As does the Yakuza gangster "Hanzo" played by Louis Ozawa Changchien, the big Russian "Nikolai" played by Oleg Taktarov (who just so happens to carry the same kind of gatlin gun that Jesse Ventura carried in the first film), "Isabelle" played by Alice Bragga (who you the viewer is supposed to believe is the young woman who survived in the first Predator movie along with Arnold) and all the others that parachuted in for the fun. Yes I said parachuted, don't ask me I didn't write it.
I know, I know, you're wondering where is Laurence Fishburn in all this. His character "Noland" also parachuted in but that happened years ago. For Noland, the planet became his own little island like the kind Tom Hanks inhabited in "Cast Away". The only thing Noland was missing was his very own "Wilson" because he was definitely talking to himself (can you say cliche?). He saves the group and then completely descends into Survivor mode and completely implodes (or explodes if you know what I mean).
Royce and his band of merry killers happen to wander into the Predators camp and in another nod to the first movie, there is a classic Predator trussed up. Royce figures there must be a ship that the predators use to get off the planet and he wants that ship for himself so he frees the tied up Predator in the hopes that he wants off the planet as badly as Royce does but the lead Predator arrives and the fight that ensues between the classic and evolved Predator is almost like the first time you saw two Terminators fight, it was impressive. Now this is where I would suggest you either walk out of the theater, turn off the DVD, or if you're really smart and wait for it to hit cable, this is where you change the channel because after the fight the movie turns south in a hurry.
The music by John Debney is a throw back to the first Predator score by Alan Silvestri, there's not much difference there (which is a good thing) and even the song playing during the closing credits is "Long Tall Sally" by Little Richard which of course was in the first movie. Now you could say that's due to a lack of originality but I would much rather say it's done to pay homage to the original film (they could have done a better job of that but they didn't so don't hope for more).
Would I recommend this movie to someone? ONLY if they are truly in love with Predator and would like to rinse that sour taste out of their mouths left behind from the AVP movies. If they aren't that person I would say skip it and wait for the bootleg DVD or cable.
I'll see you at the theater people!!!!
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