Predators OR Wait, Adrien Brody didn't ruin it?!

So I finally got around to seeing Predators, a movie that I had great reservations for. I thought it was going to be some weird reboot that would completely shit on the original, I am glad to be wrong this time.

This movie really takes minimalism to heart. There aren't any ridiculously long opening credits, you get a couple of names, the title and then BAM you see Adrien Brody in free fall, plumetting down to the ground and getting his shoot deployed at the last minute. I love cold openings and this one was freezing.

I am not a fan of Adrien Brody, his resume is less than spectacular and he just seems like a weird actor, EVERYONE thought he was wrong for this movie and if you look at his career you can see why. For this role he got fucking ripped (no homo). He doesn't say much, and his character is just an ex spec-ops turned merc that does what he needs to survive. He gives an aura of badassery that automatically makes him the de facto leader of the group.

Speaking of the group, it's an odd mix. First you are introduced to Danny "Machete" Trejo:



Then some other people show up, a russian soldier taken from combat in Chechnya, the token strong female soldier, a member of a Sierra Leon death squad, a death row rapist, and an 8 fingered Yakuza. All killers of their own species for their own reasons. Oh and Topher Grace....

The best thing about this movie is the lack of character development. You don't need to know who they are, just they were hunters and now they are being hunted. Their past is irrelevant and the team behind this movie knew it. Hell most of them you only hear their name once and never again.

So what about the Predators we have all come to know and be scared shitless of? Well, they are still scary mother fuckers. Weird clicking, nightmare vagina mandibles and invisibility makes them formidable hunters and damn near invincible enemies. You do learn that there are 2 classes of Predators. The small ones we know of that hunt humans, and then larger ones that hunt people AND the smaller ones.

Just how do we learn this? This guy:


Fucking Morpheus all up in Predator's shit!


He plays Noland, a human who has managed to survive over 3 years, hiding and salvaging what he can from the other victims in the game preserve. He has been alone and running for his life and it really shows.


The action scenes are well done, there isn't any shake cam. In fact the cinematography is pretty damn good in this movie. The pacing doesn't seem rushed and nothing really stands out as taking unnecessarily long, except for one transition shot where it takes forever to fade, you'll know it when you see it.

Oh and there is a sword wielding Yakuza vs blade gauntlet wielding Predator fight. Fuckin' awesome. And Topher Grace really shines in the last 20 minutes, showing exactly how he fits in.


My only gripe has to do with flashlights in this movie. The interior shots are very dark, almost black and the BAM q-beam in the face! It actually stings your eyes after a while, but that's pretty minor. Well there is also a continuity question when it comes to a plant. If it's an earth plant how the fuck did it get there, if it alien how the hell was it identified?

The movie doesn't seek to replace any of the other Predator movies, it even references the original movie from 1987. Though no mention is made of AvP, probably because it sucked Xenomorph balls. The dialog is minimal and doesn't break up the action. The action is steady but not so repetitive that you get bored.

This is not a thinking mans movie, you go and see shit get blowd up and people get speared. On that level is delivers in truck loads. I recommend you go see it.