Predators
Not only a worthy successor, but a superior stand-alone, thrill-a-minute action flick.
With John McTiernan's macho 1987 sci-fi film Predator a genre favourite thanks to Arnold Schwarzenegger's classic lines and some imaginative aliens, there, alas, followed one disappointing sequel and the univerally loathed Alien Vs Predator disaster.
So hopes weren't high when another sequel was planned, but for the last year, producer Robert Rodriguez's unbridled passion for the project has been infectious, and it looked like Armored director Nimrod Antal may have delivered the goods. And delivered he has, for Predators is not only a worthy successor, but a superior stand-alone, thrill-a-minute action flick.
Adrien Brody may not be a conventional choice for an action hero, but at no point does his reluctant mercenary leader Royce feel uncomfortable as he realises he and the unlikely team are the prey for the vicious predators. The Oscar-winner is required to be intense, intellectual, quick-witted loner, but when he gets handy with a gun - and his fists - it's never ridiculous, but to be honest, it's not a role he could ever make iconic.
Predators opens with an exhilirating sequence, where a confused and panicky Brody hurtles to the ground. He encounters other hostile and disoriented mean guys, all of whom woke up mid-air with a self-opening parachute. The first part of the film, where these strangers scope each other and the mysterious jungle out, is fascinating. Unfortunately, this premise - being plucked from your everyday existence and plunged into a real-life purgatory - is never fully explored. It's not enough now to tell a complete story in one film - they act more like extended trailers for a franchise. So don't go expecting a full-blown story, as, like the original, it's just a romp in the fierce jungle, with John Debney's dramatic score evoking Shutter Island's bombast at times.
Alice Braga is perfectly cast following her misfire in Repo Men; subtle, strong and completely believable as an Israeli Defense Force sniper. Her empathy sets her apart from her brutish comrades - Danny Trejo is exactly what you'd expect. Walton Goggins struggles with his death row inmate Stans, who comes across as the irritating big mouth you desperately try to ignore in the pub, and he poses no real threat throughout - other than offensiveness. One character that keeps you intrigued is Topher Grace's nerdy and vulnerable out-of-place doctor, playing his cards close to his chest. The touted appearance of Laurence Fishburne is merely a cameo, and he doesn't impress with a terribly-written part.
Antal's pace and handling of action is a success, bar from the murkiness he films in. The daylight hours enthrall, but a dramatic showdown between Louis Ozawa Changchien's Yazuka and a predator is wasted in the darkness. The one exception is a fabulous moment for gorehounds, when one of the gang is despatched in a shockingly over-the-top manner towards the end - it's fantastic.
KNB must be lauded for their stunning use of physical effects and make-up for the predators themselves, eschewing CGI. While I've found Stan Winston's original creation unappealing - compared, for example, to the horrific beauty of H. R. Giger's Alien - there is a grotesque fascination with the jaws of the original predator, displayed in glorious close-ups quite frequently. This time round we are dealing mainly with a new, technologically-evolved predator (armoured and resembling Lord Of The Rings Uruk-hai), but these aliens remain too anthropomorphic and testosterone-loaded for my tastes.
Brainless fun, but with a great concept wasted, it delivers everything a Predator film should - lovingly paying tribute to the first and laying on the blood with panache.
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