After re-watching this movie for a third time in 4k and 10 years later, I think this is better than I thought the first and second time.
The story is quite simple and enjoyable and most of the characters are true Badass. Action is pretty well done and filming locations are similar to original Predator. Last, I just noticed Oscar winner Mahershala Ali is in the cast! Probably one of his first roles. So, overall a great re-watch in 4k and great movie for franchise fans.
484 Reviews
A step in the right direction for Predator movies at last.
Smacki9 December 2010
Before I took a chance on this film there was really only one question I wanted answered...
'Is this film going to be another steaming pile of disappointment like the AVP films?'
And the answer, happily, is 'No', though after having to sift through all the unhelpful and uninformative 1 rater reviews here, I never would have guessed. I almost gave this film a miss, but I'm glad I didn't. It was actually quite good, and I'll tell you why (no spoilers I promise).
I think it is important to go into this film with the right expectations. This film returns to the original Predator format, and borrows heavily from the first 1987 Predator film. There are scenes and characters (and even weapons) which are so reminiscent of the first film that they would not be out of place in a remake. I like to view this as very deliberate homage to the original rather than shameless plagiarism, and I enjoyed the film more and feel much happier because of it. Of course this is not a remake. It is a sequel with some major differences from the 1987 film, and enough originality to make it interesting and unique in its own right.
The story is not overly ambitious, they play it straight and the focus is given more to building tension, which it manages to do very well. Because it is a Predator film you kind of know what is going to happen, but it still manages to be suspenseful from the start, and there are quite a few surprises and twists along the way to keep you guessing. The unnerving way the truth of their situation unfolds for the characters is quite enthralling, and reminded me strongly of shows like 'The Outer Limits'.
The characters are interesting and all of them are well portrayed. Some are a little cliché, but the main character played by Adrien Brody is actually more human and teeters on the edge of being a full blown anti- hero.
My only major gripe with this film is that there is little character development. The characters are (as I said) interesting, but there just doesn't seem to be enough time to explore them very deeply. The most you really get is a shallow glimpse of who they might be, which left question marks over some of their motivations. This does make the film slightly forgettable, as you never really end up feeling or caring too much for them, and sometime it feels like they do things just to drive the plot/action forward, rather than because it is something their character might do.
Overall I would give the film a 7 out of 10, it was above average for and action flick and screamed quality, despite a retentively low budget, and I definitely wouldn't mind going to see it again. An entertaining action thriller at worst, and a nice edition to the Predator franchise.
'Is this film going to be another steaming pile of disappointment like the AVP films?'
And the answer, happily, is 'No', though after having to sift through all the unhelpful and uninformative 1 rater reviews here, I never would have guessed. I almost gave this film a miss, but I'm glad I didn't. It was actually quite good, and I'll tell you why (no spoilers I promise).
I think it is important to go into this film with the right expectations. This film returns to the original Predator format, and borrows heavily from the first 1987 Predator film. There are scenes and characters (and even weapons) which are so reminiscent of the first film that they would not be out of place in a remake. I like to view this as very deliberate homage to the original rather than shameless plagiarism, and I enjoyed the film more and feel much happier because of it. Of course this is not a remake. It is a sequel with some major differences from the 1987 film, and enough originality to make it interesting and unique in its own right.
The story is not overly ambitious, they play it straight and the focus is given more to building tension, which it manages to do very well. Because it is a Predator film you kind of know what is going to happen, but it still manages to be suspenseful from the start, and there are quite a few surprises and twists along the way to keep you guessing. The unnerving way the truth of their situation unfolds for the characters is quite enthralling, and reminded me strongly of shows like 'The Outer Limits'.
The characters are interesting and all of them are well portrayed. Some are a little cliché, but the main character played by Adrien Brody is actually more human and teeters on the edge of being a full blown anti- hero.
My only major gripe with this film is that there is little character development. The characters are (as I said) interesting, but there just doesn't seem to be enough time to explore them very deeply. The most you really get is a shallow glimpse of who they might be, which left question marks over some of their motivations. This does make the film slightly forgettable, as you never really end up feeling or caring too much for them, and sometime it feels like they do things just to drive the plot/action forward, rather than because it is something their character might do.
Overall I would give the film a 7 out of 10, it was above average for and action flick and screamed quality, despite a retentively low budget, and I definitely wouldn't mind going to see it again. An entertaining action thriller at worst, and a nice edition to the Predator franchise.
Worthy sequel to 87 original
SnoopyStyle6 October 2013
This is a strip down predator movie. A group of disparate tough people are parachuted off into an alien world. There isn't much of a setup. They find themselves being hunted by predators.
This one stars Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Walton Goggins, Danny Trejo, and Laurence Fishburne. Fishburne's character is a bit of a missed opportunity. There are other actors who could play crazy better.
Even though Robert Rodriguez didn't direct this, it's got many of his touches. And it's a worthy sequel to '87 original. It's definitely better than all the Predator versus Alien movies. It's even better than the 1990 sequel.
This one stars Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Walton Goggins, Danny Trejo, and Laurence Fishburne. Fishburne's character is a bit of a missed opportunity. There are other actors who could play crazy better.
Even though Robert Rodriguez didn't direct this, it's got many of his touches. And it's a worthy sequel to '87 original. It's definitely better than all the Predator versus Alien movies. It's even better than the 1990 sequel.
A pedal to the medal action thriller
jackcwelch2322 October 2017
Inevitably this movie couldn't come close to the original in terms of sheer impact. It is, however, such an improvement over the other dreadful sequels that it deserves merit simply for that. Adrien Brody is solid in an against type role, and carries himself well. Every other character had the potential to be interesting but was not explored enough, especially Laurence Fishburne. The action was seriously well done, with flashes of the visceral energy that this series desperately needed. Should have been about half an hour longer to flesh out the characters and maybe have a few more plot twists but as a straightforward, entertaining and visually appealing sci-fi actioner it works. Will not go down as a classic but will always be worth watching when in the mood for an adrenaline rush.
Predator vs. Predator
jzappa24 October 2011
Predators, an entertaining film with genuine surprises, may be the first movie I've seen to start with a deus ex machina. Yes, the whole plot and all the humans plummet into the movie from the heavens, dropping toward the alien soil, shrieking, groping for ripcords on the parachutes that they didn't realize they had. The last thing they recall is a blinding blaze of light. The first to land, with a powerful thud, is Royce. The others then crash all around him.
These people are bitter specialized murderers from all over: a mercenary, a yakuza (who uses a Hanzo sword; probably QT buddy Rodriguez's idea), an Israeli markswoman, a serial killer, an African warlord, etc. How did they find themselves in this dense jungle, and why? They determine they're on another planet: a flawlessly terra-formed one, it would appear. The gravity lets them walk as usual, and they can breathe and hydrate. Royce observes something bizarre: The sun never moves. They see there are three or four moons in the sky, which are either colossal or very near.
Even more bizarre, it never becomes molten lava yanked around by enormous tidal waves. But as you always have to say when Rodriguez is involved, "Whatever." After the characters are assaulted by massive eponymous monsters, Royce nails it: They're in a game reservation. He solves a lot of questions in the movie, which might've been more interesting if he hadn't. But it's all still much more intriguing that just pitting two franchise monsters against each other. Instead, this movie is smart enough to again pit predators against humans, who are predators with the weakness of being human. It's the sense of compassion or empathy for our fellow human that makes us vulnerable to predators.
But who oversees this game preserve, and why? If you remember the first Predator, Schwarzenegger and other mercs were in the Amazon pitted against an invisible predatory extraterrestrial. Has that alien race snatched humans into its galaxy for a rematch? Is it a sensible consumption of assets to transfer numerous people countless light years merely so you can kill them purposelessly? No time to ponder. Here come some extremely ferocious four-legged creatures whose horns and fangs continue too far in front of their mouths for them to be able to eat their prey. They don't even look like they can lie on their backs and scoop the quarry in with their feet owing to all the spikes on their backs.
This is a Rodriguez production: Making sense is not an issue. The movie is generally about our malevolent protagonists being mauled by frightening mandible-jawed creatures. who use active camouflage and energy weapons, reposition as swiftly as panthers, can see in a variety of spectrums, and are equally as self-aware as humans, sans compassion of course. Nimrod Antal gave Vacancy a masterful sense of what to show and when to reveal it, and so is a proficient enough director to keep these villains intriguing throughout unintelligible jumbles of bullet-paced visual effects. The eponymous indigents see all in infrared POV shots via what seems like a closed-circuit monitor. Or sinister videotape on a motel TV set perhaps? There are invariably a handful of characters who get slaughtered in manhunt films like this. What puzzles me is why they all don't get slaughtered? Consider if that spiky warthog tackled you to the ground at 20 mph and all you could do was stick it with your knife, would you imagine you'd be making facetious comments on it later on? Still, a charming moment where Apocalypse Now alum Laurence Fishburne hums Ride of the Valkyrie nonetheless pulls us out of the claustrophobia by being meta-referential. On the other hand, lines like "Say goodbye to your little friend" work as momentary relief from the claustrophobia.
These people are bitter specialized murderers from all over: a mercenary, a yakuza (who uses a Hanzo sword; probably QT buddy Rodriguez's idea), an Israeli markswoman, a serial killer, an African warlord, etc. How did they find themselves in this dense jungle, and why? They determine they're on another planet: a flawlessly terra-formed one, it would appear. The gravity lets them walk as usual, and they can breathe and hydrate. Royce observes something bizarre: The sun never moves. They see there are three or four moons in the sky, which are either colossal or very near.
Even more bizarre, it never becomes molten lava yanked around by enormous tidal waves. But as you always have to say when Rodriguez is involved, "Whatever." After the characters are assaulted by massive eponymous monsters, Royce nails it: They're in a game reservation. He solves a lot of questions in the movie, which might've been more interesting if he hadn't. But it's all still much more intriguing that just pitting two franchise monsters against each other. Instead, this movie is smart enough to again pit predators against humans, who are predators with the weakness of being human. It's the sense of compassion or empathy for our fellow human that makes us vulnerable to predators.
But who oversees this game preserve, and why? If you remember the first Predator, Schwarzenegger and other mercs were in the Amazon pitted against an invisible predatory extraterrestrial. Has that alien race snatched humans into its galaxy for a rematch? Is it a sensible consumption of assets to transfer numerous people countless light years merely so you can kill them purposelessly? No time to ponder. Here come some extremely ferocious four-legged creatures whose horns and fangs continue too far in front of their mouths for them to be able to eat their prey. They don't even look like they can lie on their backs and scoop the quarry in with their feet owing to all the spikes on their backs.
This is a Rodriguez production: Making sense is not an issue. The movie is generally about our malevolent protagonists being mauled by frightening mandible-jawed creatures. who use active camouflage and energy weapons, reposition as swiftly as panthers, can see in a variety of spectrums, and are equally as self-aware as humans, sans compassion of course. Nimrod Antal gave Vacancy a masterful sense of what to show and when to reveal it, and so is a proficient enough director to keep these villains intriguing throughout unintelligible jumbles of bullet-paced visual effects. The eponymous indigents see all in infrared POV shots via what seems like a closed-circuit monitor. Or sinister videotape on a motel TV set perhaps? There are invariably a handful of characters who get slaughtered in manhunt films like this. What puzzles me is why they all don't get slaughtered? Consider if that spiky warthog tackled you to the ground at 20 mph and all you could do was stick it with your knife, would you imagine you'd be making facetious comments on it later on? Still, a charming moment where Apocalypse Now alum Laurence Fishburne hums Ride of the Valkyrie nonetheless pulls us out of the claustrophobia by being meta-referential. On the other hand, lines like "Say goodbye to your little friend" work as momentary relief from the claustrophobia.
To Catch a Predator
Minus_The_Beer24 October 2010
By the release of 2007's dismal "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem," the "Predator" franchise was all but left for dead. Then, a miracle happened as Robert Rodriguez ("Planet Terror," "Desperado") got his hands on the property. Drawing from a script he had originally penned in the mid-90's, Rodriguez teamed up with director Nimród Antal ("Vacancy") in an effort to restore the series to its roots. "Predators," the latest saga concerning the jungle-dwelling hunters, is an action-packed roller-coaster ride that successfully ignores the maligned "Alien vs. Predator" franchise and plays as more of a direct sequel to the 1987 original.
Although there's no Arnold Schwarzenegger or even a "CHOPPAH!" to be found, "Predators" succeeds in delivering the same high-octane thrills as the original film. Although admittedly not as fueled by testosterone as its predecessor, "Predators" gets by with a solid cast that includes Adrien Brody as the unlikely hero of the story, as well as Alice Braga, Danny Trejo and Topher Grace. Dumped on an alien planet against their will, this group of unsavory characters finds themselves being hunted by a gaggle of bizarre and deadly creatures, the least of which being the titular character(s). Brody has big shoes to fill – essentially replacing Arnie as Dutch – and wouldn't you know it, the Oscar winning actor pulls it off. Laurence Fishburne also appears, making the best of a brief appearance. Fishburne chews up the screen and steals just about every scene in perhaps his juiciest role since "The Matrix."
The film certainly has the Rodriguez touch, but Antal definitely puts on a good show on his own. Not only does the film look good (taking advantage of its Hawaiian location), but it is every bit as fast-paced and fun as it should be, too. The only real flaw at hand would be that the central characters aren't fleshed out enough for us to truly connect with them. While the actors themselves turn in fine performances, it's the fault of the script for not giving us enough to care about when the group starts getting picked off one by one. In the end, though, it doesn't serve to tear down the good times at hand. "Predators" is a more than worthy trip back to the jungle and aims to please its core audience. Possibly the most faithful sequel in recent memory, it's worth watching to be reminded of a time when sci-fi and action were at their peak and goofy looking creatures from across the universe rocked our collective world.
Although there's no Arnold Schwarzenegger or even a "CHOPPAH!" to be found, "Predators" succeeds in delivering the same high-octane thrills as the original film. Although admittedly not as fueled by testosterone as its predecessor, "Predators" gets by with a solid cast that includes Adrien Brody as the unlikely hero of the story, as well as Alice Braga, Danny Trejo and Topher Grace. Dumped on an alien planet against their will, this group of unsavory characters finds themselves being hunted by a gaggle of bizarre and deadly creatures, the least of which being the titular character(s). Brody has big shoes to fill – essentially replacing Arnie as Dutch – and wouldn't you know it, the Oscar winning actor pulls it off. Laurence Fishburne also appears, making the best of a brief appearance. Fishburne chews up the screen and steals just about every scene in perhaps his juiciest role since "The Matrix."
The film certainly has the Rodriguez touch, but Antal definitely puts on a good show on his own. Not only does the film look good (taking advantage of its Hawaiian location), but it is every bit as fast-paced and fun as it should be, too. The only real flaw at hand would be that the central characters aren't fleshed out enough for us to truly connect with them. While the actors themselves turn in fine performances, it's the fault of the script for not giving us enough to care about when the group starts getting picked off one by one. In the end, though, it doesn't serve to tear down the good times at hand. "Predators" is a more than worthy trip back to the jungle and aims to please its core audience. Possibly the most faithful sequel in recent memory, it's worth watching to be reminded of a time when sci-fi and action were at their peak and goofy looking creatures from across the universe rocked our collective world.
Big fan of this film
antant-1383810 February 2019
First off I'm a huge predator fan. I love this film. It gives a great take on the predator hunted theme which is basically the same story every generation, and also a smart remake. Great cast every performance hits the write mark and the script does everything it should without any fluff. The ever evolving Predator works perfectly with some great updates. It's a shame Rodriguez didn't follow this on cause that I would have wanted to see. I can see why some fans weren't happy, especially with the Fishburn character but for me it's all very good.
Not quite the original, but still good.
cilersrealm24 July 2010
In a season of remakes, re-imagining's and sequels, Predators certainly lives up to what's expected of it. It's a re-imagining of the classic 80's action movie which had Arnie take the reigns as the leader of a super band of commando's being hunted by an extra terrestrial in the middle of the (jungle), and ended up spawning quite a franchise, consisting of a sequel, and 2 movie mash ups, the Alien vs. Predator films. Fans of the original and followers of the franchise can be forgiven for being weary of this remake (after all, I was), but believe me, Predators is the best in the series since the original.
Predators, as the name suggests, features more than 1, which alone makes you wonder how true to the original this will be. Well, the movie approaches this question in a strange way. First, it takes the original premise of a band of elite warriors being hunted by an unstoppable alien menace, and gives quite a unique and refreshing twist, delivering another band of elite warriors, but this time being hunted by 3 Predators, and on THEIR planet, rather than Earth. Then on top of this, Predators takes much of what made the original great; the cheesy dialogue, the big guns, the crude humour, and even some of the same great moments, and adds them in to give Predators its own unique style, while still paying a worthy homage to the classic. There are some direct references to please the original fans, but it's not spoiled by filling it with references that only the die-hard fans would understand like many other movies are. Most of the action scene's deliver and the fire fights are well done. The scenery of the planet is beautiful (though it's actually only Hawaii), and the movie generally has a good pace, despite some times where this falters. And I have to award bonus points for the movie's opening: it was a unique way of introducing us to the situation, and without giving too much away, it sucks you in, even if it is a little far-fetched.
But don't get too excited, the movie definitely has its problems. Some of the dialogue, especially of one character is just bad, and I'm still not sure whether or not it tried to do it purposely and just failed, or if the writers just scribbled down anything they could think of at the last minute. Then there's also some back-story and deeper meaning to the entire Predator universe and their scenario, which is nice, but at times it really drags on and takes the rest of the movie down with it. There's also one specific scene, which includes a homage to the original, but is ridiculous, and apart from the reference, it's almost laughable. One of the biggest things that got me though, and it may not annoy others, is the amount of Predator screeches and screams. It seemed as though every 5 minutes, another Predator was screaming for some unknown reason. Maybe he didn't hit what he was aiming for, maybe he trod on a sharp rock, or maybe his Predator wife left him and he's not taking too well, but any way I don't care what's happened, so please stop screaming at me! The casting is strange to say the least. Adrien Brody, trying to channel the essence of Schwarzenegger, and who would have been my last pick as an action hero, pulls off the role surprising well. Most of the actors perform satisfyingly, and the brief appearances by Laurence Fishburne and Danny Trejo are a nice touch. My only queries with the casting are that of Topher Grace. He spends the entire movie seeming out of place, not quite fitting in to the situation, and at no point is he even slightly convincing as the character he is meant to portray.
Predators was released with some big shoes that it knew it had to fill, and so instead of trying to outdo the original or be new and fresh, it uses what made the original great to its advantage. I must say kudos to Nimrod Antal for directing, and kudos to the make-up department, because they definitely outdid themselves with this project. Predators is a refreshing shot in the arm to a nearly dead franchise, and stands out in the ocean of movie remakes and sequels that Hollywood is churning out. For what it's designed to be, an action blockbuster popcorn flick, it definitely delivers.
Predators, as the name suggests, features more than 1, which alone makes you wonder how true to the original this will be. Well, the movie approaches this question in a strange way. First, it takes the original premise of a band of elite warriors being hunted by an unstoppable alien menace, and gives quite a unique and refreshing twist, delivering another band of elite warriors, but this time being hunted by 3 Predators, and on THEIR planet, rather than Earth. Then on top of this, Predators takes much of what made the original great; the cheesy dialogue, the big guns, the crude humour, and even some of the same great moments, and adds them in to give Predators its own unique style, while still paying a worthy homage to the classic. There are some direct references to please the original fans, but it's not spoiled by filling it with references that only the die-hard fans would understand like many other movies are. Most of the action scene's deliver and the fire fights are well done. The scenery of the planet is beautiful (though it's actually only Hawaii), and the movie generally has a good pace, despite some times where this falters. And I have to award bonus points for the movie's opening: it was a unique way of introducing us to the situation, and without giving too much away, it sucks you in, even if it is a little far-fetched.
But don't get too excited, the movie definitely has its problems. Some of the dialogue, especially of one character is just bad, and I'm still not sure whether or not it tried to do it purposely and just failed, or if the writers just scribbled down anything they could think of at the last minute. Then there's also some back-story and deeper meaning to the entire Predator universe and their scenario, which is nice, but at times it really drags on and takes the rest of the movie down with it. There's also one specific scene, which includes a homage to the original, but is ridiculous, and apart from the reference, it's almost laughable. One of the biggest things that got me though, and it may not annoy others, is the amount of Predator screeches and screams. It seemed as though every 5 minutes, another Predator was screaming for some unknown reason. Maybe he didn't hit what he was aiming for, maybe he trod on a sharp rock, or maybe his Predator wife left him and he's not taking too well, but any way I don't care what's happened, so please stop screaming at me! The casting is strange to say the least. Adrien Brody, trying to channel the essence of Schwarzenegger, and who would have been my last pick as an action hero, pulls off the role surprising well. Most of the actors perform satisfyingly, and the brief appearances by Laurence Fishburne and Danny Trejo are a nice touch. My only queries with the casting are that of Topher Grace. He spends the entire movie seeming out of place, not quite fitting in to the situation, and at no point is he even slightly convincing as the character he is meant to portray.
Predators was released with some big shoes that it knew it had to fill, and so instead of trying to outdo the original or be new and fresh, it uses what made the original great to its advantage. I must say kudos to Nimrod Antal for directing, and kudos to the make-up department, because they definitely outdid themselves with this project. Predators is a refreshing shot in the arm to a nearly dead franchise, and stands out in the ocean of movie remakes and sequels that Hollywood is churning out. For what it's designed to be, an action blockbuster popcorn flick, it definitely delivers.
Finally a worthy sequel to a great original
nicolasmarinus18 December 2010
It's clear they had a real long look at the original film and decided to keep the best pieces (the tension, the focus on group interaction, the music) but also try new things with it to attain the same feel of mystery the original was so good at.
The visuals are gorgeous, the acting solid, the writing exciting. And what I really love is the fact that there is very little use of CGI. What little there is, is convincing or subtle. Laurence Fishburn's appearance was a complete surprise to me and I loved his character. Though it reminded me a bit of Pandorum.
Like Sade said: "Never as good as the first time," but still a very well-crafted film.
The visuals are gorgeous, the acting solid, the writing exciting. And what I really love is the fact that there is very little use of CGI. What little there is, is convincing or subtle. Laurence Fishburn's appearance was a complete surprise to me and I loved his character. Though it reminded me a bit of Pandorum.
Like Sade said: "Never as good as the first time," but still a very well-crafted film.
They can hear you. Smell you. They see you.
hitchcockthelegend15 July 2010
Predators is directed by Nimród Antal and stars Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Laurence Fishburne, Oleg Taktarov & Danny Trejo. It's co-produced out of 20th Century Fox by Robert Rodriguez, John Davis & Elizabeth Avellan, with writing credits going to Michael Finch, Alex Litvak and Jim & John Thomas. It's shot on location in the Hawaiian jungle with Gyula Pados on cinematography, while John Debney reworks Alan Silvestri's score from the 1987 film Predator.
The plot sees eight former members of Earth - mercenaries, soldiers, criminals and a doctor, who are literally dropped into a jungle on an alien planet. Why or how they got there is not known, but pretty soon it is apparent they must work together for they are being hunted by an unseen enemy. Hunted, it seems, for sport.
In 1987 John McTierrnan gave the movie world Predator, a ballsy Vietnam allegory that pitted Arnold Schwarzenegger and a host of other considerably sized beefcakes against one bad ass mandible wearing alien hunter. Since then the franchise has steadily got worse (though the Danny Glover led sequel is far from a disaster), reaching a crushingly bad nadir with Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem in 2007. Enter Robert Rodriguez who in the mid 90s had done a treatment for a Predator sequel - with Schwarzenegger in mind to return. However, it didn't happen and it's only now, with the franchise at rock bottom, that his script has been reworked and funded to give us Predators, the sequel to McTiernan's 87 ball buster.
The set up is a little different but in truth the formula is exactly the same as the original movie. Macho guys and a girl in the jungle are being hunted by something very bad. Alpha male, though, is not going to take it lying down, cue deaths, explosions and much macho posturing. Here in is the main problem with Antal' s movie, it's ticking the same boxes whilst homaging for all it's worth, which is fine since it's hugely entertaining in that Saturday night popcorn way. But there's little to no braveness in the writing. Sure there's some bonuses in the form of alien pets, a predator feud arc and a bonkers midsection with the introduction of another character. Yet as the carnage unfolds, the plot doesn't go anywhere other than where we expect it to go, while there's a huge character misstep in the final third that is more laughable than being the twister it's obviously meant to be.
However, if taken purely as a piece of salted popcorn, the film delivers enough thrills and excitement to warrant the viewing because the action comes thick and fast. From the breathtaking opening as we are literally dropped into the jungle with Adrien Brody, to the inevitable face off for the finale, we have been treated to stabs, chops, thrusts, dismemberment's, beheadings and everyones personal fave - spine ripping! All this and there's barely any blood spilt, lest the green kind counts of course? While the new look predators are awesome, more meaner in tone, with new armour and devoid of the pointless characterisation that others in the franchise have tried to give them, these are unremitting killers, lets leave them like that please! And while it lacks the dark humour of McTiernan's movie, it does have a wry sense of knowing, normally with the portrayal of Royce by Brody.
Brody is just fine, it's a performance that shows that should he ever want to make the easy money available in action/adventure type movies? Then he will have no problem getting work. He's buffed up, given himself a gruffer voice and more than shows a capable hand at punching, firing and sticking the tongue firmly in cheek. The others, unsurprisingly, are walking clichés, with some obviously only there to be deathly slotted more quickly than the others. The fun here is in waiting to see who gets it first/next and etc. It has to be said, though, that Topher Grace is not only annoying, he's also very miscast, but in fairness he's not exactly helped by the writing of his character either.
Not great but hugely enjoyable popcorn fodder. A sequel would be welcome, but with Rodriguez directing and a new face on the writing panel. 7/10
The plot sees eight former members of Earth - mercenaries, soldiers, criminals and a doctor, who are literally dropped into a jungle on an alien planet. Why or how they got there is not known, but pretty soon it is apparent they must work together for they are being hunted by an unseen enemy. Hunted, it seems, for sport.
In 1987 John McTierrnan gave the movie world Predator, a ballsy Vietnam allegory that pitted Arnold Schwarzenegger and a host of other considerably sized beefcakes against one bad ass mandible wearing alien hunter. Since then the franchise has steadily got worse (though the Danny Glover led sequel is far from a disaster), reaching a crushingly bad nadir with Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem in 2007. Enter Robert Rodriguez who in the mid 90s had done a treatment for a Predator sequel - with Schwarzenegger in mind to return. However, it didn't happen and it's only now, with the franchise at rock bottom, that his script has been reworked and funded to give us Predators, the sequel to McTiernan's 87 ball buster.
The set up is a little different but in truth the formula is exactly the same as the original movie. Macho guys and a girl in the jungle are being hunted by something very bad. Alpha male, though, is not going to take it lying down, cue deaths, explosions and much macho posturing. Here in is the main problem with Antal' s movie, it's ticking the same boxes whilst homaging for all it's worth, which is fine since it's hugely entertaining in that Saturday night popcorn way. But there's little to no braveness in the writing. Sure there's some bonuses in the form of alien pets, a predator feud arc and a bonkers midsection with the introduction of another character. Yet as the carnage unfolds, the plot doesn't go anywhere other than where we expect it to go, while there's a huge character misstep in the final third that is more laughable than being the twister it's obviously meant to be.
However, if taken purely as a piece of salted popcorn, the film delivers enough thrills and excitement to warrant the viewing because the action comes thick and fast. From the breathtaking opening as we are literally dropped into the jungle with Adrien Brody, to the inevitable face off for the finale, we have been treated to stabs, chops, thrusts, dismemberment's, beheadings and everyones personal fave - spine ripping! All this and there's barely any blood spilt, lest the green kind counts of course? While the new look predators are awesome, more meaner in tone, with new armour and devoid of the pointless characterisation that others in the franchise have tried to give them, these are unremitting killers, lets leave them like that please! And while it lacks the dark humour of McTiernan's movie, it does have a wry sense of knowing, normally with the portrayal of Royce by Brody.
Brody is just fine, it's a performance that shows that should he ever want to make the easy money available in action/adventure type movies? Then he will have no problem getting work. He's buffed up, given himself a gruffer voice and more than shows a capable hand at punching, firing and sticking the tongue firmly in cheek. The others, unsurprisingly, are walking clichés, with some obviously only there to be deathly slotted more quickly than the others. The fun here is in waiting to see who gets it first/next and etc. It has to be said, though, that Topher Grace is not only annoying, he's also very miscast, but in fairness he's not exactly helped by the writing of his character either.
Not great but hugely enjoyable popcorn fodder. A sequel would be welcome, but with Rodriguez directing and a new face on the writing panel. 7/10
Enjoyable
forthemovies12 September 2022
Predators was a very entertaining, enjoyable film to watch. The action in the film was great as well as the effects throughout the film. The cast did a wonderful job with their roles. The chemistry between the cast enhanched the engagment for the film. A simple plot, but executed perfectly. The setting for the film was great and the descision to have more than one predator hunting for prey makes the film even more entertaining and intense. Predators was quite suspensful throughout the film. Predators is a great addition to the francise and a must watch exciting, suspenseful sci-fi thriller. A well made film that fans can appreciate.
Clichéd and silly, with underdeveloped characters and plot devices in a very entertaining film.
TOMNEL10 July 2010
Going into this movie, you know this is going to be a sequel of Predator, so there isn't too much depth to expect from this, and it delivers the lack of depth I expected. In addition it also delivered it's fair share of clichés, corny lines, "ten little indians" plot set-up, and an hour and forty minutes of pure entertainment, with some pretty exciting action scenes and a lot of violence.
A random assortment of confused people wake up mid-air to find that they are falling into a jungle with parachutes on their back. They all land confused and angry and ready to kill each other, but soon find that they have been abducted and taken to an alien gaming preserve where these tricky Predator creatures are playing games with an hunting down these humans. Each one of these humans were selected for who they are (mostly military men and people good with weapons), and these competent killers and tough guys strive to survive in this foreign jungle.
If you have a hard time sitting through a feature length film, this might be the movie for you. By an hour in it feels like you've only been in the theater 30 minutes. Because this movie starts off right away in the middle of action, it never has any down time and this movie zooms right by at an hour and forty, and feels more like an hour long. The briskness in this case is a good thing, because the action scenes are quite close together and exciting, with moments in the middle to stop briefly to hear amusing dialogue and learn about our characters personalities.
Adrien Brody doesn't seem much like an action hero normally, but here he is a pretty believable action star. He's a bit more beefed up than normal, and he's doing a Christian Bale Batman gravel voice like he's been smoking too much, and it's believable as are all the performances. Despite some occasional not great dialogue to deal with, the actors all play their characters well, including Laurence Fishbourne who plays a crazy character in what amounts to a lengthy cameo.
The dialogue in this movie isn't great, and it's got a lot of clichéd lines in the style of "If you want to kill me (long pause), then kill me." or "You think you're so tough (long pause), you're not!" Neither of these lines are in the movie from my remembrance, but lots of half sentences, then pauses, then clichéd ends to the statements. In addition to that for some reason everyone listens to Adrien Brody and only talks when on cue to give a short line (very clichéd of one dimensional action flicks). Clichéd shots go by where we go past several Predators and as the camera passes each one they take their invisibility shield off, for some reason on cue with the camera movement. These clichéd lines and moments don't ruin the movie, but do add a few eye roll moments.
Overall, this is a pretty effective Predator sequel. It has some cool action scenes, snappy characters and good special effects. The dialogue may be a bit contrived, and some weird camera direction used just to build hollow aesthetic pleasure, but this is still a very good sequel, and an entertaining action film that won't disappoint!
My rating: *** out of ****. 107 mins. R for violence and language.
A random assortment of confused people wake up mid-air to find that they are falling into a jungle with parachutes on their back. They all land confused and angry and ready to kill each other, but soon find that they have been abducted and taken to an alien gaming preserve where these tricky Predator creatures are playing games with an hunting down these humans. Each one of these humans were selected for who they are (mostly military men and people good with weapons), and these competent killers and tough guys strive to survive in this foreign jungle.
If you have a hard time sitting through a feature length film, this might be the movie for you. By an hour in it feels like you've only been in the theater 30 minutes. Because this movie starts off right away in the middle of action, it never has any down time and this movie zooms right by at an hour and forty, and feels more like an hour long. The briskness in this case is a good thing, because the action scenes are quite close together and exciting, with moments in the middle to stop briefly to hear amusing dialogue and learn about our characters personalities.
Adrien Brody doesn't seem much like an action hero normally, but here he is a pretty believable action star. He's a bit more beefed up than normal, and he's doing a Christian Bale Batman gravel voice like he's been smoking too much, and it's believable as are all the performances. Despite some occasional not great dialogue to deal with, the actors all play their characters well, including Laurence Fishbourne who plays a crazy character in what amounts to a lengthy cameo.
The dialogue in this movie isn't great, and it's got a lot of clichéd lines in the style of "If you want to kill me (long pause), then kill me." or "You think you're so tough (long pause), you're not!" Neither of these lines are in the movie from my remembrance, but lots of half sentences, then pauses, then clichéd ends to the statements. In addition to that for some reason everyone listens to Adrien Brody and only talks when on cue to give a short line (very clichéd of one dimensional action flicks). Clichéd shots go by where we go past several Predators and as the camera passes each one they take their invisibility shield off, for some reason on cue with the camera movement. These clichéd lines and moments don't ruin the movie, but do add a few eye roll moments.
Overall, this is a pretty effective Predator sequel. It has some cool action scenes, snappy characters and good special effects. The dialogue may be a bit contrived, and some weird camera direction used just to build hollow aesthetic pleasure, but this is still a very good sequel, and an entertaining action film that won't disappoint!
My rating: *** out of ****. 107 mins. R for violence and language.
Almost all the early predator fans will like this movie. If your one of them go check it out
priyantha-bandara24 October 2010
Being a huge fan of the 1987 original Predator I have never missed a single installment which came later on with the brutal 'casting' of the mean & Huge Mr. Predator! Equipped with high tech gadgets and technology that can identify pray in pitch darkness and hearing even their heartbeat from a distance, predators are one of kind hunters from an alien planet.
The new movie 'Predators' (2010) has a slightly different plot than from the original but the rest of it remains mostly the same. A group of highly skilled individuals get hunt down by an alien hunter (Predator) and this time there are more than one which make it 'Predators'. And for a change it happens on a planet other than earth. Well there is a little twist their but from the whole stories perspective even it really happened on earth there won't be any critical difference after all.
And we have lost the muscular key character (Arnold is busy getting old and running for the next potential president of US) and he's replaced by somewhat skinny Adrian Broody. But he does the best for the character by not letting down his guard and ultimately becoming one of the two people who still stands after all the drama. Acting is overall good. And so do the cinematography. The action sequences are good teamed up with the stunning new score (Old one is one of my most favored scored of all time).
I think almost all the early predator fans will like this movie. If your one of them go check it out.
The new movie 'Predators' (2010) has a slightly different plot than from the original but the rest of it remains mostly the same. A group of highly skilled individuals get hunt down by an alien hunter (Predator) and this time there are more than one which make it 'Predators'. And for a change it happens on a planet other than earth. Well there is a little twist their but from the whole stories perspective even it really happened on earth there won't be any critical difference after all.
And we have lost the muscular key character (Arnold is busy getting old and running for the next potential president of US) and he's replaced by somewhat skinny Adrian Broody. But he does the best for the character by not letting down his guard and ultimately becoming one of the two people who still stands after all the drama. Acting is overall good. And so do the cinematography. The action sequences are good teamed up with the stunning new score (Old one is one of my most favored scored of all time).
I think almost all the early predator fans will like this movie. If your one of them go check it out.
Not a radical departure from expectations but a solid sci-fi actioner
movedout6 July 2010
It is important to note that despite it's perspicuous title, Nimrod Antal's "Predators" is no reboot of its establishing material. It's a honest-to-goodness sequel to the first two Predators films; a long awaited one at that after a couple of detours into the realm of crossovers into the "Alien" universe. It does however represent a stylistic update and intriguing expansion of the franchise's filmic mythology that also spans Dark Horse Comics' graphic novels and its video games.
However, if there ever were to be a more convincing statement of intent in relaunching this franchise, it would have been putting its marquee producer Robert Rodriguez to work in a film so suited to his aesthetics and stylistic idiosyncrasies. But Rodriquez's pick to helm this film almost proves to be reason enough to watch this given that Nimrod Antal is one of the most exciting directors around these days. Antal's direction has always coincided with his a strong sense of atmosphere and character development. With his fascinating debut, "Kontroll" and his cleverly constructed meta-slasher, "Vacancy" as well as with last year's taut action spectacle "Armored", Antal has shown himself to be an effective genre director in that he's both comfortable in affirming a particular genre as he is deconstructing it. And in "Predators", he infuses it with not just a showcase of tried and tested sci-fi ideals but also a discernible impression of a robust horror film.
Antal keeps things moving along at an exhilarating pace by introducing a rag-tag team of mercenaries and criminals getting air-dropped into a highly tropical and vegetative alien planet tailored by the ruthless and single-minded Predator race as a game reserve for the insufficiently armed humans and other prey. Its mise-en-scene immediately hearkens back to the jungle warfare of the first "Predator". As the movie gods demand, the herd gets thinned as the race of alien hunters reveal themselves to be superior in both their technology and understanding of game theory. Kept alive by de facto leader, the preternaturally perspicacious Royce (Adrien Brody), the band of humans begin to formulate their plan of survival against the truly fearsome Predators and their formidable weaponry.
Brody's presence seems almost folly at first – a gruff vocal inflection worthy of Christian Bale's in "The Dark Knight" underscores a predictably rote tough guy but to his credit, a good actor always manages to sell his act despite himself. Like his character, who sees no virtue in human connection but instead adopts a ranger-like approach to survival, Brody doesn't seem to create much chemistry with his cast mates in his relatively new role as action hero. The rest of its main supporting cast are split of into archetypes – Alice Braga is Isabelle, an Israeli soldier and its burgeoning conscience, Topher Grace plays Dr. Edwin, the geeky comic relief and notably, the talented Walter Goggins of TV's "The Shield" and "Justified" is the smarmy knife-wielding death-row convict, Stans. Also, rounding of the surviving humans is the reticent Yakuza gangster, Hanzo (Louis Ozawa Changchien) and the relatively noble Chechnyan soldier, Nikolai (Oleg Taktarov).
Antal manages this character list well enough. As the chase progresses, you get a distinct feel of each human before they start to fall victim to their raison d'être. Besides a late flurry of actual and conspicuous violence, "Predators" actually fares better in its early scenes where the humans explore their predicament and the film plays the suspense card remarkably well. There's an actual interest in finding out the psyches of these mysterious humans who are hunters and monsters on Earth but scurrying mice on the Predator's turf.
If anything else, the script provides little genuine surprises in it storytelling. Given its inherent similarities, the film bares a stunning amount of resemblance to last year's terrific "Pandorum" – where a space crew wakes up with no memory onboard a vessel designed as a Noah's Ark of sorts to vicious creatures hunting them. There's a scene with Laurence Fishburne as the planet's loony veteran survivor that cribs more than just mood but actual dialogue from the superior film.
"Predators" doesn't change the game too much but as far as delivering a solid and experience to its fanbase, it releases itself from the shackles of relying on crossovers and re-establishes the Predator as one of Hollywood's most fertile sources of sci-fi villains.
However, if there ever were to be a more convincing statement of intent in relaunching this franchise, it would have been putting its marquee producer Robert Rodriguez to work in a film so suited to his aesthetics and stylistic idiosyncrasies. But Rodriquez's pick to helm this film almost proves to be reason enough to watch this given that Nimrod Antal is one of the most exciting directors around these days. Antal's direction has always coincided with his a strong sense of atmosphere and character development. With his fascinating debut, "Kontroll" and his cleverly constructed meta-slasher, "Vacancy" as well as with last year's taut action spectacle "Armored", Antal has shown himself to be an effective genre director in that he's both comfortable in affirming a particular genre as he is deconstructing it. And in "Predators", he infuses it with not just a showcase of tried and tested sci-fi ideals but also a discernible impression of a robust horror film.
Antal keeps things moving along at an exhilarating pace by introducing a rag-tag team of mercenaries and criminals getting air-dropped into a highly tropical and vegetative alien planet tailored by the ruthless and single-minded Predator race as a game reserve for the insufficiently armed humans and other prey. Its mise-en-scene immediately hearkens back to the jungle warfare of the first "Predator". As the movie gods demand, the herd gets thinned as the race of alien hunters reveal themselves to be superior in both their technology and understanding of game theory. Kept alive by de facto leader, the preternaturally perspicacious Royce (Adrien Brody), the band of humans begin to formulate their plan of survival against the truly fearsome Predators and their formidable weaponry.
Brody's presence seems almost folly at first – a gruff vocal inflection worthy of Christian Bale's in "The Dark Knight" underscores a predictably rote tough guy but to his credit, a good actor always manages to sell his act despite himself. Like his character, who sees no virtue in human connection but instead adopts a ranger-like approach to survival, Brody doesn't seem to create much chemistry with his cast mates in his relatively new role as action hero. The rest of its main supporting cast are split of into archetypes – Alice Braga is Isabelle, an Israeli soldier and its burgeoning conscience, Topher Grace plays Dr. Edwin, the geeky comic relief and notably, the talented Walter Goggins of TV's "The Shield" and "Justified" is the smarmy knife-wielding death-row convict, Stans. Also, rounding of the surviving humans is the reticent Yakuza gangster, Hanzo (Louis Ozawa Changchien) and the relatively noble Chechnyan soldier, Nikolai (Oleg Taktarov).
Antal manages this character list well enough. As the chase progresses, you get a distinct feel of each human before they start to fall victim to their raison d'être. Besides a late flurry of actual and conspicuous violence, "Predators" actually fares better in its early scenes where the humans explore their predicament and the film plays the suspense card remarkably well. There's an actual interest in finding out the psyches of these mysterious humans who are hunters and monsters on Earth but scurrying mice on the Predator's turf.
If anything else, the script provides little genuine surprises in it storytelling. Given its inherent similarities, the film bares a stunning amount of resemblance to last year's terrific "Pandorum" – where a space crew wakes up with no memory onboard a vessel designed as a Noah's Ark of sorts to vicious creatures hunting them. There's a scene with Laurence Fishburne as the planet's loony veteran survivor that cribs more than just mood but actual dialogue from the superior film.
"Predators" doesn't change the game too much but as far as delivering a solid and experience to its fanbase, it releases itself from the shackles of relying on crossovers and re-establishes the Predator as one of Hollywood's most fertile sources of sci-fi villains.
Exciting and thrilling motion picture in which a varied group must fight evil aliens in a dangerous jungle
ma-cortes30 July 2013
Moving Sci-Fi film with plenty of action , chills , thrills and resulting to be pretty entertaining ; including some resemblances to original film . It deals with a group of elite warriors are hunted by members of a merciless alien race known as Predators . They are Royce (Adrien Brody , Nimród Antal specifically chose him for the main protagonist); the Israeli soldier Isabelle (Alice Braga , she is the third brunette actress who appears in the "Predator" series, following Elpidia Carrillo and Maria Conchita Alonso) ; the Chechenian soldier Nikolai (Oleg Taktarov , who hit his face on a Steadicam camera and started bleeding , he insisted that filming continued to add effect to the scene); the San Quentin criminal Stans (Walton Goggins who along with other actors did their own stunts in the cliff fall scene); the Serra Leoa militia Mombasa (Mahershalalhashbaz Ali); the drug lord Cuchillo (Danny Trejo , Robert Rodriguez's usual); the Yakuza Hanzo (Louis Ozawa Changchien); and the Doctor Edwin (Topher Grace) awake and they encounter an alien force that begin to attack one by one . The group has to confront nearly invisible aliens , even over an eight-foot-tall with an armoury of sophisticated weapons that tear apart . As aliens dispatch comrades before the impressive final showdown .
This nail-biting picture contains action-packed from start to finish , gory scenes aplenty , thrills , emotion and entertainment . Action movie told in terms of jungle warfare in which a misfit bunch formed by strange roles battle malicious extraterrestrials . This is a brutal , violent and exciting sci-fi thriller that scales new heights of savagery even by the standards of previous Predator films . The result is a throughly violent but undeniably thrilling action movie with a strong cast giving sweatily good value to their abrasive characters . The ending part is particularly exciting stuff though it makes no great sense . Excellent makeup by professional experts , Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger , and magnificent FX , especially the semi-invisibility which is very well realized . Thrilling and suspenseful musical score by John Debney (Sin City) ; Debney was quoted as saying that his score will be influenced by Silvestri's original score for the 1987 film . In fact , the final credit is heard the classical soundtrack by Alan Silvestri from Predator I . Colorful cinematography but sometimes dark , although all the main locations were filmed in Hawaii, 60% of the movie was shot in Texas in order to be eligible for a tax benefit . The motion picture shot in 53 days was well directed by Nimrod Antal though Neil Marshall, Michael J. Bassett, Bill Duke, Marcus Nispel, Peter Berg and Darren Lynn Bousman were considered to direct the film. In the end, Nimród Antal was hired because Robert Rodriguez enjoyed Antal's earlier films ¨Kontroll¨ and ¨Vacancy¨ .
Other film about Predator series are the following : The original and the best ¨Predator¨ (1987) in which Arnold leads a team of CIA-hired mercenaries into the Central American jungles , being filmed by John McTiernan with Arnold Schwarzanegger , Jesse Ventura , Bill Duke , R.G. Armstrong , Carl Weathers ; ¨Predator 2¨(1990) in which the alien has inexplicably returned to L.A , being directed by Stephen Hopkins with Danny Glover , Bill Paxton , Ruben Blades , Maria Conchita Alonso and Gary Busey . Furthermore, ¨Alien vs. Predator¨ (2004) by Paul Anderson with Sanaa Lathan , Raoul Bova , Lance Henriksen , Colin Salmon , Tommy Flannagan and ¨Aliens vs. Predator 2¨ (2007) by Strause Brothers with Steven Pasquale , Reiko Aylesworth , John Ortiz , Johnny Lewis and Robert Joy .
This nail-biting picture contains action-packed from start to finish , gory scenes aplenty , thrills , emotion and entertainment . Action movie told in terms of jungle warfare in which a misfit bunch formed by strange roles battle malicious extraterrestrials . This is a brutal , violent and exciting sci-fi thriller that scales new heights of savagery even by the standards of previous Predator films . The result is a throughly violent but undeniably thrilling action movie with a strong cast giving sweatily good value to their abrasive characters . The ending part is particularly exciting stuff though it makes no great sense . Excellent makeup by professional experts , Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger , and magnificent FX , especially the semi-invisibility which is very well realized . Thrilling and suspenseful musical score by John Debney (Sin City) ; Debney was quoted as saying that his score will be influenced by Silvestri's original score for the 1987 film . In fact , the final credit is heard the classical soundtrack by Alan Silvestri from Predator I . Colorful cinematography but sometimes dark , although all the main locations were filmed in Hawaii, 60% of the movie was shot in Texas in order to be eligible for a tax benefit . The motion picture shot in 53 days was well directed by Nimrod Antal though Neil Marshall, Michael J. Bassett, Bill Duke, Marcus Nispel, Peter Berg and Darren Lynn Bousman were considered to direct the film. In the end, Nimród Antal was hired because Robert Rodriguez enjoyed Antal's earlier films ¨Kontroll¨ and ¨Vacancy¨ .
Other film about Predator series are the following : The original and the best ¨Predator¨ (1987) in which Arnold leads a team of CIA-hired mercenaries into the Central American jungles , being filmed by John McTiernan with Arnold Schwarzanegger , Jesse Ventura , Bill Duke , R.G. Armstrong , Carl Weathers ; ¨Predator 2¨(1990) in which the alien has inexplicably returned to L.A , being directed by Stephen Hopkins with Danny Glover , Bill Paxton , Ruben Blades , Maria Conchita Alonso and Gary Busey . Furthermore, ¨Alien vs. Predator¨ (2004) by Paul Anderson with Sanaa Lathan , Raoul Bova , Lance Henriksen , Colin Salmon , Tommy Flannagan and ¨Aliens vs. Predator 2¨ (2007) by Strause Brothers with Steven Pasquale , Reiko Aylesworth , John Ortiz , Johnny Lewis and Robert Joy .
Natural Born ... Hunters
kosmasp23 October 2010
The movies Robert Rodriguez did, that were aimed for an adult audience always worked, so even though it wasn't him making the picture, but "only" being the producer, you'd expect this to be really good. And as far as the action goes, it is pretty good. Although the whole setting does render the first Predator almost obsolete (or makes the first group of humans look like wimps, considering them only having one foe) ... but that's only if you think too much about it.
And think about it, you shouldn't. Especially not about a scene (cameo?) of an actor with the initials L.F. His appearance is completely out of nowhere and feels more than weird. And while that was intended it still is not in sync with the rest of the (tone of the) movie. But maybe I'm thinking too much again. Not that there is too much to think about, or a big story behind it all. It's action, so try to enjoy it (it's better shot than those Alien vs. Predator movies for one ...), if you can! :o)
And think about it, you shouldn't. Especially not about a scene (cameo?) of an actor with the initials L.F. His appearance is completely out of nowhere and feels more than weird. And while that was intended it still is not in sync with the rest of the (tone of the) movie. But maybe I'm thinking too much again. Not that there is too much to think about, or a big story behind it all. It's action, so try to enjoy it (it's better shot than those Alien vs. Predator movies for one ...), if you can! :o)
Back to Basics
bowmanblue16 May 2014
The original Predator movie was a classic, largely because of its simplistic plot, but naturally helped along by the presence of Mr Schwarzenegger up against a cool alien.
Then came Predator 2 - the same cool alien, but no Austrian counterpart. Then came those Aliens vs Predator movies and the less said about them the better. Unfortunately, these three misfires left the Predator franchise a bit dead in the water.
Hooray for 'Predators.' Okay, so it'll never outdo the original. In fact, sometimes it gets so close to the original that you could be mistaken for thinking it's a bit of a remake. But it's not. Don't worry about it. Although technically more of a sequel to Predator 2 than the first movie, Predators keeps everything that is good about the original and just sort of shakes them all around a bit.
Predators gives us another jungle, albeit on an alien planet instead of South America, a bunch of hunted humans, this time all sorts of mercenaries instead of one platoon of Americans and three hunting aliens instead of just the loner.
If you can get over having (the only slightly skinnier) Adrian Brody in place of Conan the Terminator and were a fan of the original, you'll probably like this. There are plenty of nods to the first film and it shows us a little more of what those dastardly head-hunting aliens get up to. They even bring their 'dogs' along for the ride.
If you like your action bloodthirsty and non-stop, this ones for you (even if Arnie couldn't make the cameo that was originally written for him).
http://thewrongtreemoviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/
Then came Predator 2 - the same cool alien, but no Austrian counterpart. Then came those Aliens vs Predator movies and the less said about them the better. Unfortunately, these three misfires left the Predator franchise a bit dead in the water.
Hooray for 'Predators.' Okay, so it'll never outdo the original. In fact, sometimes it gets so close to the original that you could be mistaken for thinking it's a bit of a remake. But it's not. Don't worry about it. Although technically more of a sequel to Predator 2 than the first movie, Predators keeps everything that is good about the original and just sort of shakes them all around a bit.
Predators gives us another jungle, albeit on an alien planet instead of South America, a bunch of hunted humans, this time all sorts of mercenaries instead of one platoon of Americans and three hunting aliens instead of just the loner.
If you can get over having (the only slightly skinnier) Adrian Brody in place of Conan the Terminator and were a fan of the original, you'll probably like this. There are plenty of nods to the first film and it shows us a little more of what those dastardly head-hunting aliens get up to. They even bring their 'dogs' along for the ride.
If you like your action bloodthirsty and non-stop, this ones for you (even if Arnie couldn't make the cameo that was originally written for him).
http://thewrongtreemoviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/
A great return to the series!
lekgolah4 November 2010
I had high expectations for Predators since I knew that producer, Robert Rodrigeuz was aware of how much fans despised the the AVP films and that he wanted to make the "real" sequel to Predator. Predator is a great action film, so how could the sequel live up to the original? They make the sequel its own; the film takes place on the predator's planet, the lead actor is not the macho hero of the 80s but instead rather reluctant and they create interesting characters.
Adrien Brody may at first seemed like an unusual choice for the lead character but he is interesting to watch and brings something new to the film. After all, he is an Oscar winning actor and his journey into a new role is fun to watch. While the script is not Oscar worthy, it keeps the viewer in suspense and never takes the audience out of the film.
The supporting cast are interesting and come with their own stories. They include a Russian soldier, a Yakuza member, a convict and a Black Ops sniper. While some have more screen time than others, they play off each other well and are interesting to watch.
Being the sequel to Predator (and that other film, which I won't mention) action is expected and the film delivers. One of the first action scenes involves predator beasts charging at the characters and it is exciting to watch. This is the same for the rest of the action scenes that keep the audience entertained.
While the first Predator film asked the what they were been hunted by, this time they are asking where are they, who is responsible and how are they going to get back home? In some ways I felt that this film was leading up to a sequel that will be bigger and better in every way, but unlike some of the slower episodes of Lost, you go with it because it is the journey that is important as the film is not treading water. Without spoiling anything, something happens halfway through the film, which reveals more but asks new questions as well.
Predators is not perfect but it is enjoyable to watch and will keep you interested in seeing what happens next. The film delivers on what it promises and fans should not be disappointed.
Adrien Brody may at first seemed like an unusual choice for the lead character but he is interesting to watch and brings something new to the film. After all, he is an Oscar winning actor and his journey into a new role is fun to watch. While the script is not Oscar worthy, it keeps the viewer in suspense and never takes the audience out of the film.
The supporting cast are interesting and come with their own stories. They include a Russian soldier, a Yakuza member, a convict and a Black Ops sniper. While some have more screen time than others, they play off each other well and are interesting to watch.
Being the sequel to Predator (and that other film, which I won't mention) action is expected and the film delivers. One of the first action scenes involves predator beasts charging at the characters and it is exciting to watch. This is the same for the rest of the action scenes that keep the audience entertained.
While the first Predator film asked the what they were been hunted by, this time they are asking where are they, who is responsible and how are they going to get back home? In some ways I felt that this film was leading up to a sequel that will be bigger and better in every way, but unlike some of the slower episodes of Lost, you go with it because it is the journey that is important as the film is not treading water. Without spoiling anything, something happens halfway through the film, which reveals more but asks new questions as well.
Predators is not perfect but it is enjoyable to watch and will keep you interested in seeing what happens next. The film delivers on what it promises and fans should not be disappointed.
Great mix of old and new.
formicidae18 July 2010
I'm surprised at the polarized opinions of Predators here on IMDb. From fans of the original movie (like me), I would have expected a degree of respect for this latest iteration; it seems to honor its predecessors while still offering new twists and depth. Without presenting spoilers, I would simply say that there were developments in Predators that present some exciting opportunities for future films. I also always appreciated Predator for its "gravitas", and Predators continues that somber and grim tradition with arguably better acting.
For new viewers, I don't see what more could have been expected. It's an old concept (The Most Dangerous Game, with hunted humans), but Predators does a good job with it. The acting is great, the lines are not successive groan-worthy quips, the cinematography is delicious, and the soundtrack is fantastic (segments of the original with new score!). Again, the overall plot isn't new, but at least it's not stupid. The characters behave in a realistic manner, and I wasn't plagued by the "why-didn't-they-just-do_____?" question for the entire movie.
Frankly, if you read a review from someone with a rating lower than five, they're just not being fair. Predators AT LEAST deserved to be watched and appreciated for what it offers.
For new viewers, I don't see what more could have been expected. It's an old concept (The Most Dangerous Game, with hunted humans), but Predators does a good job with it. The acting is great, the lines are not successive groan-worthy quips, the cinematography is delicious, and the soundtrack is fantastic (segments of the original with new score!). Again, the overall plot isn't new, but at least it's not stupid. The characters behave in a realistic manner, and I wasn't plagued by the "why-didn't-they-just-do_____?" question for the entire movie.
Frankly, if you read a review from someone with a rating lower than five, they're just not being fair. Predators AT LEAST deserved to be watched and appreciated for what it offers.
Back to straightforward action for the franchise.
vithiet2 January 2023
This is a great spiritual sequel to the original Predator movie from 1987. While the Predator franchise has been quite uneven, this entry is doing what it set out to do very well. It's your basic action movie plot but the pacing, acting, and overall tone of story are perfect and help elevate the whole movie. The Predators are true to what was established in the original movie. The action and the suspense are just enough without ever going overboard, which keeps us engaged with the movie from beginning to end. Now if they could only manage to make a similar Alien vs. Predator movie instead of the two turds they've produced that would be swell!
Predators Almost Hits The Mark
JoshuaParis13 July 2010
Predators Review
In A Nutshell...
Eight of Earth's most dangerous Soldiers and Criminals awaken falling into an unknown jungle – on an alien world. As they try to work together to stay alive, an invisible enemy hunts them for sport.
Review
In 1987 John McTiernan directed a testosterone filled action flick, which pitted Arnold Schwarzenegger against a bad-ass alien, it did well with its worldwide audience and is still considered a solid action film today. But after a poor sequel, which replaced The Terminator himself with Danny Glover (bad idea) and two laughable spin-offs, it seemed the predator franchise was all but dead and buried.
Twenty-three Years later producer Robert Rodriguez (Sin City) and director Nimród Antal (Vacancy – but don't be put off just yet) have come together with an unproduced 1994 script by Rodriguez – who has been eager to get the picture made for quite some time. The film does well with the original formula, a jungle, a group of mercenaries with big guns, a strong leader — who in this case is Oscar winner Adrian Brody (The pianist, King Kong) who has bulked up for the role of Royce, but is merely a shadow of Schwarzenegger's Dutch in size. But what Brody lacks in statue, he makes up for in pure acting talent, and brings a well needed central performance, to a film that ultimately lacks in dialogue.
The supporting cast unlike other movies of this genre, don't just play the part of a large body count, but have a likable mentality (well some do) similar to James Cameron's Aliens – but don't get me wrong, none of them are by any means Bill Paxton's Hudson. An honourable mention goes to the Katana wielding yakuza Hanzo (Louis Ozawa Changchien) whose sword skills are somewhat deadly. Unfortunately one of the biggest disappointments of the film is how the predator is handled, with the introduction of the new berserker Predator, which hunts the humans and Predators alike. You would think they would be ten times the hunter that the first was – But actually they are a lot sloppier in comparison to the 1987 original.
Final Thoughts
The first half is a brilliantly paced action movie which lives up to expectations, in many ways surpasses them. Unfortunately due to a few minor hick-ups and a dull climax it suffers in the third and final act. But overall a well earned three star effort, which should grant Nimród Antal another bash at the recovering franchise.
3/5 Stars www.CrazyAboutFilm.com
In A Nutshell...
Eight of Earth's most dangerous Soldiers and Criminals awaken falling into an unknown jungle – on an alien world. As they try to work together to stay alive, an invisible enemy hunts them for sport.
Review
In 1987 John McTiernan directed a testosterone filled action flick, which pitted Arnold Schwarzenegger against a bad-ass alien, it did well with its worldwide audience and is still considered a solid action film today. But after a poor sequel, which replaced The Terminator himself with Danny Glover (bad idea) and two laughable spin-offs, it seemed the predator franchise was all but dead and buried.
Twenty-three Years later producer Robert Rodriguez (Sin City) and director Nimród Antal (Vacancy – but don't be put off just yet) have come together with an unproduced 1994 script by Rodriguez – who has been eager to get the picture made for quite some time. The film does well with the original formula, a jungle, a group of mercenaries with big guns, a strong leader — who in this case is Oscar winner Adrian Brody (The pianist, King Kong) who has bulked up for the role of Royce, but is merely a shadow of Schwarzenegger's Dutch in size. But what Brody lacks in statue, he makes up for in pure acting talent, and brings a well needed central performance, to a film that ultimately lacks in dialogue.
The supporting cast unlike other movies of this genre, don't just play the part of a large body count, but have a likable mentality (well some do) similar to James Cameron's Aliens – but don't get me wrong, none of them are by any means Bill Paxton's Hudson. An honourable mention goes to the Katana wielding yakuza Hanzo (Louis Ozawa Changchien) whose sword skills are somewhat deadly. Unfortunately one of the biggest disappointments of the film is how the predator is handled, with the introduction of the new berserker Predator, which hunts the humans and Predators alike. You would think they would be ten times the hunter that the first was – But actually they are a lot sloppier in comparison to the 1987 original.
Final Thoughts
The first half is a brilliantly paced action movie which lives up to expectations, in many ways surpasses them. Unfortunately due to a few minor hick-ups and a dull climax it suffers in the third and final act. But overall a well earned three star effort, which should grant Nimród Antal another bash at the recovering franchise.
3/5 Stars www.CrazyAboutFilm.com
Rewatch after a Long Time
mikeveeskys5 August 2022
Compared to last release this is a 9. I lowkey miss this movie now that another predator is coming out today. Characters in this movie were badass, I love that the predators were hunting them as sport, and actually offered a decent amount of legit storyline. I'd take this movie over AvP 1 and 2, and the last one. Looking forward to watching Prey.
boy's toys but a'lot of kicks
stale-17 July 2010
Lets get it straight from the outset, this is a boy's film, and boy's love it when a production hires good character actors, gives them some big ass guns and has them picked off one by one, starting with the worst actor to the best. There is enough in this film to keep the fan boys at bay, and a great deal of homage to John Mc Tiernan's original to prop the film up high. Kudos's goes to the writing team for understanding that drab exposition can kill an actioner like this, and it is delivered in a way that keeps the pace going and allows another well known character actor to have a piece of cameo pie. There are obvious tokens in the film, that smells a little of studios fear that a wide release film must be politically correct on all matters gender and ethnicity, but it works well in the story and adds some multi cultural flavour as the characters battle their camouflaged foe. The effects are great and mostly practical, leaving the carton style CGI found in most medium budget monster movies in the dust. All in all the film is a hoot, it loses a couple of stars for overall innovation but fits nicely in the originals universe (or some other universe ;-) very well.
PREDATORS Rocks!!!!
Megatron12346 November 2010
This movie was sweet. Both a nice retelling and sequel of the first Predator movie. Some people don't like this movie because there's not a lot of action. I hate that. There's more to an action movie than the action. There's suspense and build-up. This movie had those. They brought back the music from the first one and kind of modernized it and had scenes and lines similar to the first to try and please the Predator fan. Worked for me. While making this movie, the writers and staff were told to only use the first Predator as a reference which is why it was so similar. I loved the way they brought back Long Tall Sally by Little Richard at the credits. Nice homage to the helicopter scene from the first one. The acting was good and so were the lines, but it could've done without the 30+ F-words. The ending to me was a disappointment, though. So, all in all, really good movie if you're not picky about redone scenes from the original and redone music. 10/10 stars forever and ever!
Predictable but Entertaining Sequel
claudio_carvalho9 October 2010
The mercenary Royce (Adrien Brody); the military Isabelle (Alice Braga); the Russian soldier Nikolai (Oleg Taktarov); the San Quentin criminal Stans (Walton Goggins); the Serra Leoa militia Mombasa (Mahershalalhashbaz Ali); the drug lord Cuchillo (Danny Trejo); the Yakuza Hanzo (Louis Ozawa Changchien); and the Doctor Edwin (Topher Grace) awake in free fall but they succeed to open their parachutes landing in a jungle. Sooner they discover that they are in another planet and they are preys of aliens in a deadly hunting game, and they need to join forces to destroy their predators and survive.
"Predators" is a predictable but entertaining sequel of the 1987 film. The plot is not original and the story begins like in "Cube" (1997) with a group of skilled strangers trapped in a jungle without knowledge about where they are and what is happening. Adrien Brody is full of steroids performing a mercenary, but this role of action hero (or anti-hero) does not fit well to his profile. The Brazilian Alice Braga surprises in the role of a military and the rest of the cast have good performances. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "Predadores" ("Predators")
"Predators" is a predictable but entertaining sequel of the 1987 film. The plot is not original and the story begins like in "Cube" (1997) with a group of skilled strangers trapped in a jungle without knowledge about where they are and what is happening. Adrien Brody is full of steroids performing a mercenary, but this role of action hero (or anti-hero) does not fit well to his profile. The Brazilian Alice Braga surprises in the role of a military and the rest of the cast have good performances. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "Predadores" ("Predators")
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