REVIEW: ‘Predators’

PREDATORS
Directed by NIMROD ANTAL, Written by ALEX LITVAK & MICHAEL FINCH, Produced by ROBERT RODRIGUEZ

PREDATORS, a bold new chapter in the Predator universe, shot under the creative auspices of Robert Rodriguez, stars Adrien Brody as Royce, a mercenary who reluctantly leads a group of elite warriors who come to realize they’ve been brought together on an alien planet… as prey. With the notable exception of a disgraced physician, they are all cold-blooded killers – mercenaries, Yakuza, convicts, death squad members – human “predators” that are now being systemically hunted and eliminated by a new breed of alien Predators.

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It’s no exaggeration to say that Predators is to the Predator franchise what Aliens is to the Alien franchise. OK, that may admittedly be a convoluted way to say that Predators is a pretty awesome film, but I think it’s an important distinction to make. Oftentimes sequels are either unnecessary or simply rehash what has gone before in a ham-fisted, unimaginative way. By contrast, Predators is a great film in its own right while at the same time manages to push the franchise forward and add new depth to it.

I was actually surprised to find out that Robert Rodriguez only produced this as I was pretty positive I remembered him being listed as director. “Only produced” is probably a misnomer as his touches can be seen here and there (hello, Danny Trejo) and his previously talked about love of the first Predator film is very evident. (As a quick side note, I am a big fan of Predator 2 and while there are no direct references to the second film there is also nothing that invalidates it either. Just thought that was worth mentioning.) There is a conversation that directly talks about the adventure gone wrong of the task force in 1987 and Adrien Brody’s Royce employs a key technique used by Dutch in this film’s climatic battle, plus check out one of the characters’ big ass weapon. These little homage’s could have been mistakes, but are deftly handled by Nimrod Antal and, I suspect, Rodriguez. Antal also does a terrific job of perfectly pacing the character developments along with the right amount of suspense to the lead-up on the alien Predator reveal. For those who haven’t seen the previous films, this an engaging build-up and for those who know what’s coming it makes for a very satisfying moment.

The characters are well thought out and refreshingly not inept or horror-film-stupid. Despite some of them being really bad people, they quickly understand they can only survive by banding and working together and quickly put aside egos and attitudes in order to do so. Not to say that small conflicts don’t arise, these are all killers of of one form or another after all, but they don’t make themselves stereotypical targets either. Once the characters started getting picked off, I feared that this would devolve into a connect the dots horror film, but thanks to some clever surprises and character revelations, Predators remains very enjoyable. We also get some unique insights into the Predator society that are begging to be expanded upon. The story nicely bookends in a open-ended manor and by that point you’ll be hoping for a sequel to this sequel.

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If you are a fan of the franchise begun with Predator (let’s be clear, this completely ignores the horrid Alien vs. Predator film series, thankfully) you will be rewarded with an enriching and broadening of that universe. If you’ve never seen a Predator film you will be rewarded with a tense, action-packed sci-fi horror film that will entertain the hell out of you. A win-win situation and a definite winner of a film. Plan on seeing this one sooner rather than later.