Predators

Summary: A random assortment of soldiers are teleported to an unknown planet where they are hunted by alien creatures known as Predators.

Plot (B): The plotline for Predators is very straightforward with no plot holes. This installment was definitely better then the two Alien vs. Predator films and Predator 2. Is it better then the original? No. However, it is a worthy sequel. With each new passing Predator film we come to find out a little bit more about these aliens. Although, we still don’t know where they come from there are new small bits of new information revealed about them. We discover that things aren't peachy keen among the Predators themselves and there seems to be a hierarchy within their species. Like I said, the plotline is straightforward so it’s pointless to discuss in detail. Overall, I enjoyed the film very much.

Action (B+): It’s not a Predator movie unless someone is losing a limb or dying in the most painful and unorthodox way possible. All the things that stood out in the first movie are in this film such as: the chain gun, the red-beam laser guns, the extended forearm blades, the infrared heat vision, all of it. Since this movie has various soldiers from different parts of Earth it was cool to see the different fighting styles and approaches each character took. For example, there was a Japanese Yakuza member who ended up having a sword fight with one of the Predators. I thought that was awesome because this franchise has traditional been dominated by guns. As always, a Predator is not someone you would ever wanna fuck with.

Acting & Dialogue (B-): Some of the dialogue was a bit cheesy but that’s expected with this franchise. There was also some funny dialogue between the characters, which was a nice incorporation but at the same time it wasn’t overly used. As for the actors within the film they did a pretty good job. It’s hard for me to see Adrian Brody in an action movie, especially a Predator film. His character was super serious and seemed to know what to do when everyone else didn’t. I would definitely say Brody was a bit out of his element with this role but he managed to pull it off. The only other two actors of notable success were Laurence Fishburne and Topher Grace. Fishburne, who is so fat and bloated these days, plays a guy who has been trapped on the planet for several years. (The Predators seasonally teleport people to this planet in order to hunt them therefore this isn’t the first instance.) Fishburne played his character a bit like Tom Hanks did in Cast Away. He was constantly talking to an imaginary person and was extremely disconnected to other people. With that said, he and Grace did pretty well.

Sex Appeal: N/A

Director (B): Nimrod Antal (I’d be pissed if my first name was Nimrod, wouldn’t you?) took the reigns of this operation. Under the guidance of producer Robert Rodriguez (From Dusk Till Dawn, Desperado) Antal did a fine job. As I mentioned earlier, this film referenced the original and paid homage to it in more than one way. He didn’t allow a Predator and a human to run side by side like in that piece of shit AVP. He kept the Predators separate from the humans allowing them only to make contact during fight scenes. By doing so, the Predators would remain a superior and mysterious species. Moreover, Antal stayed true by not having a happy ending. I don’t want to say too much but I felt the ending was very appropriate for a Predator film.

Overall: B