Predators, born from a Robert Rodriguez concept conceived and subsequently shelved in 1994 until last year, is an embodiment of the 1985 original as much as the sequel Fox could never seem to get right after three previous attempts. The hunt and ensuing suspense are what the franchise and its fans have been clamoring for going on close to a quarter century, marred only by running out of steam and ideas as the film winds down.
Suspense wastes no time making its presence felt in the film’s first frames with Adrien Brody unconscious and in a free fall from thousands of feet above the ground. After a rough landing he’ll soon discover he’s not the only one abducted and tossed out of a plane into a strange jungle, and learn the harsh reality that the reason he’s there is a one-way ticket to a skinning.
Predator featured an exemplary who’s who of walking clichés under Dutch’s command which lent itself to the film’s charm and magnetism. Likewise, Predators features a similar though less memorable collection of fleshy fodder for the intergalactic hunters to track down and pick off. There’s Robert Rodriquez favorite Danny Trejo playing a mirror image of himself; Adrien Brody as surly tough guy loner who channels Christian Bale’s Batman voice and his beefed up body; Walter Goggins as a motor mouth serial killer coward; Lawrence Fishburne as the guy with a trippy sanity; Oleg Taktarov as the mild-mannered big gun; Louis Changchien as the silent assassin; Alice Braga as the Latino macho warrior; Mahershalalhashbaz Ali as the clueless guy most likely to die quickly; and Topher Grace as the sniveling dweeb with questionable loyalties.
These characters work as clichés because Rodriquez and director Nimrod Antal understand that Predator fans want to see them in the precarious situation of being hunted for sport. The duality of killers hunting killers is the heart of the franchise until it was partially lost in Predators 2 and wiped off the board in the Alien vs. Predator films. In Predators that conflict finally returns and it’s nothing short of thrilling and engrossing watching these clichéd outcasts of human civilization try to outsmart alien versions of themselves while familiar notes from John Debney’s score hang overhead.
Predators builds up so much finger-clenching tension after facing off against horned alien dogs and other chase sequences that coming up with the perfect finale unfortunately proved too difficult to pull off. “Adrien Brody is no Arnold Schwarzenneger” comes to mind when the credits role, an unnecessary comparison had Predators avoided trying so hard to pay homage to and one-up its inspiration in the same breath. Here’s a hint: you’ve basically seen some of it already.
The opportunity to take the franchise in a bold new direction with something unique and inspiring was there for the taking. Instead, ideas like shoehorning in a Yakuza vs. Predator blade fight scene designed for fans wondering how Billy versus the Predator might have played out are forced in. While this fight is geek heaven to witness, it makes no sense given the immediacy of Predator kills up until that point. That’s one of several forced déjà vu moments that mingle with an unnecessary twist for the sake of twists and a series of gross lapses in logic within the closing minutes.
One of the more intriguing concepts Predators touches upon but never fully explores is the idea that humans are not the only species being rounded up and hunted for sport. Now that Predators has successfully reincarnated the human versus Predator conflict, it would be amazing to see humans try to form an alliance with other species to topple their captors. That would be taking the franchise in a bold new direction.
The purpose of Predators was simple: to return the franchise to its roots and provide a new launching board for future installments. The only way that was going to happen is if a true fan of the original who understood why it worked took control and fed off those successes rather than discard them. Considering Predators was whipped up from a dusty old script in a year’s time from its announcement until now, I’d say Robert Rodriguez and company did a bang-up job making glowing green blood cool again and deserve a shot at another hunting season.
– Dan Bradley
