Predators started extremely rapidly. Beginning with a mercenary Royce (Adrien Brody), the audience is rapidly brought up to speed with the meeting of very diverse group of people and their very strange surroundings. Before long more details are revealed about their backgrounds, the reasons why they have been picked and ultimately the purpose for why they are there.
Cue the Predators… This is where the movie returns to its roots. Humans being humans, Predators being Predators and an ensuing battle of wits, skill and tactics. Along the journey a few surprises appear, but at the heart of this film is a battle between the hunters and the hunted. As each character brings their own style of combat to the screen, we are treated to a see-saw battle as each side is reduced in number.
This is, ladies and gentlemen, the Predators of old.
I love Predators. I love their rubber dreads, I love their removable face masks, their elephant sampled roar. Their tribal prize collecting styles. I love the fact that they are so awesome at climbing even though, they are so huge. I love the way they shoot and stab people…. The Predators movie did indeed have these Predators. In fact they introduced a new branch In the Predator species, a little more plastic in appearance, but just as, if not more. Nasty.
It is a good solid movie. A movie which does not test the proven waters of the Predators franchise. It rewards those who have preset expectations on this franchise. It doesn’t do anything weird and just delivers. I realise for alot of fans there will be a sigh of relief, and as you watch the movie you can almost see signs of future story lines to be explored.
As I have said I love a good Predator, and the first Predator movie is one of the main reasons I love going to the movies, and I think those who made this movie ‘Predators’ agree. Right from the beginning it feels like they’re trying to recapture that magic. If you’re a fan of the original you will think they audio sampled every scrap of audio from it. In the Arnie version the fantastic score is fitted, designed, perfectly with the on screen action. In predators the audio says, ‘hey remember the first one? …well this is just like..the same…’
The characters in the first Jungle alien adventure are amazing… All of them…In Predators they are all different yes, but if they say lame things then they become lame things. There is even the first lame movie MiniGun. One of the most interesting of the group of Hume-ees says nothing… A whole bag of cult classic quotes from the first, I cant remember any, well I can remember maybe one from ..Predators.
Yet.. i wished it did take on those story lines a little bit further. While the characters were great, and yes Brody does deliver very well, they often seemed to live very short lives. I wont go into too much detail, but i felt one character in particular could have remained around for alot more scenes than they did. The story could also have taken on much more of a wider dimension, but i guess thats been the problem with past Predator outings.. The wider dimensions.. Which is probably why the team decided to return to the classic plot lines.
The debut ugly mother movie, had the advantage now I can see, of being before the days of CGI…… Just all beautifully hand crafted real material, the old school CGI was kept to a minimum, with Predator vision and sound something fresh and new. In predators they kept allot real and the real looked good, the De-cloaking was sweet. But some CGI was just av, please people digital fire never. Looks as awesome as real fire, seriously!
I watched and wanted the first and there were… moments. Which makes this movie worth $15. Now how you judge my judgment is worth pondering, because of my shoulder mounted rose coloured glasses. Heck I’m going to see it again!
If your a Predators fan, go see this movie. If you are new to the franchise definitely go have a look.
Just for the record.. Movieslayer is one of those Predator Fanboys giving this 7/10.. where Urbankiwi just loves movies and gave it more a 5-6/10..
FILM GUIDE rating:
Reviewed by: Urbankiwi
Fanboy!…. Why I orta.. De-Cloak and.. NetGun screw u to the wall…and then hang you from the celling. and then punch the bathroom wall crunch some of the tiles into my alien bunsen burner, add monster medicine and smear on my gunshot wounds….yer
Brody is amazing! Really like the sequences of this film..