The trend, as it stands, seems to be that once great action movies are gradually watered down through a series of sequels and reboots until the essence of greatness is only the faintest of memories. Die Hard 4.0 was only a few yards short of actual spoof and I hear the next Terminator movie may be an animated picture featuring the voice talents of Miley Cyrus and Neil Morrisey (possible speculation on my part). When it was announced that the Robert Rodriguez produced Predators would be released with a 15 certificate I was more than a little relieved.
Predators is set indeterminately after the events of the various other movies and recently released tie in comic. As a reult, the sight of Adrian Brody free falling through the air serves as a mysterious and intriguing opening. The idea to then literally drop the supporting cast from the sky is undeniably brilliant in its bare faced simplicity. From here on in director Nimrod Antal delivers a comfortably familiar action flick. As the on screen myriad of killers attempt to figure out where the hell they are, we have fun guessing who’s next on the chopping block.
After the two piss poor AVP movies the jungle setting is immediately a more suitable arena for this latest battle. The return to more familiar surroundings also affords Antal the opportunity to replicate the tone and palette of the original movie. It is however, not just John McTiernan’s 1987 action classic that gets riffed. One sequence in particular, set aboard a downed space craft, shares more than a few notes in tune with Ridley Scott’s Alien. With the setting being ‘ex is universitas’ Rodriguez has been able to contribute some interesting additions to the Predator-verse.
Along with some rather nasty looking… nasties, like the one above, one of Rodriguez’s most interesting additions is the idea that there are two Predator races who are embroiled in some kind of ancient blood feud. Although this seems to me like a premise substantial enough to form an entirely separate movie it is unfortunately skated over all too briefly, this time leaving a you with a slight feeling that this may have been a missed opportunity.
Another thing that seems to be missing are the brutally imaginative kills. With the exception of one spine ripping I was a little underwhelmed by the more standard cullings. Of course maybe I’ve just become desensitized since the last time I watched Predator 2… last month.
Overall the cast do their best walking a well trodden path. With the exception of Brodie’s ‘Royce’ and Alice Braga’s ‘Isabelle’ it’s pretty clear that the other players are little more than Predator fodder. As a result, the likes of Topher Grace, Walton Goggins and long time Rodriguez muse Danny Trejo struggle to bring anything new to a script that contains very few surprises. That having been said the film’s faithful tone proves a welcome return to a simpler time of gun’s, jungle warfare, and rippling mud covered muscles. Franchise fans should be appeased and newbie’s will probably be pleasantly surprised so you could argue that Rodriguez has managed to tick both boxes.
Predators is out now!
