After a slew of downright dodgy sequels that followed the hugely popular eighties action movie Predator, finally a worthy successor appears in the form of Predators.
After being abducted and dropped while unconscious from the sky into an undetermined jungle, a group of eight mismatched people (made up of soldiers, vicious criminals, and a doctor ) are forced to work together to survive and find out how they got there. But as they move through the jungle, they are being stalked by unseen hunters...
Originally conceived in 1994, the film was written by Robert Rodriguez, the man behind Once Upon a Time In Mexico and Sin City. Rodriguez wanted to bring the franchise back to basics after the disappointing Predator 2, which saw Danny Glover as a cop who takes on the predator in the concrete jungle. The script had been shelved for years and in that time two Alien V Predator films were released which further distorted the franchise. Director Nimrod Antal dusted off the script and went about restoring the good name of the Predator series.
Just like James Cameron’s Aliens which arguably improved on the original Alien film, Predators reinvigorates its own series. This film follows a similar formula to the original: a bunch of tough guys (and a tough girl ) are left in a jungle only to discover they’ve got an extraterrestrial hunter on their case. But like any good sequel, its scope is bigger and it’s more ambitious. For one thing, there are more predators!
The film also benefits greatly from an ensemble cast. Whereas Predator had the muscular Arnold Schwarzenegger as its lead, Predators boasts Oscar-winner Adrien Brody. It’s an unusual role for Brody (who seriously bulked up for the film ) but he proves himself to be an able action hero. Predators also has a Schwarzenegger type (Taktarov ), a Mexican drug enforcer (Trejo ), and a wise-cracking doctor (Grace ). The whole affair is hugely boosted by the presence of these diverse characters, many of whom are pretty likeable. Don’t get too attached though, they mightn’t be around for long.
Of course the real stars of the movie have to be the predators themselves. The much-loved design of the slimy predator with its hair in dreadlocks and mandibles on its ugly face returns here. There is also a new take on the old predator to look forward to, you’ll be waiting for it to take off that mask for the big reveal.
Smart and snappily paced, Predators is a well written film. Yet at the same time it has no pretentions above its station, it is an old-fashioned action movie at heart with bursts of humour and pleasing visuals.
Predators is an all around entertaining film that does exactly what it should, you won’t have to overexert your brain to enjoy this.
Rating: 4/5
