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USA 2010
Directed by
Nimrod Antal
106 minutes
Rated MA

Reviewed by
Andrew Lee
3.5 stars

Predators

Synopsis: A mercenary (Adrian Brody) wakes up to discover himself freefalling through the air. An automated parachute opens just before he hits the ground. Then he discovers he’s not alone, seven others have had the exact same experience. Very quickly they realise why they’ve been chosen. They’re on another planet, and they’re being hunted…

I’m conflicted. I enjoyed Predators a lot, but I’m not really prepared to say it’s a good film. And as a sequel of sorts to the 1987 John McTiernan/Arnold Schwarzenegger cult classic, it’s actually pretty disappointing. There’s a fine line between homage and pastiche, and when you’re making a sequel to an icon over twenty years old, it pays to be suspicious of, to put it bluntly, fanwank. Unfortunately, this is what Predators slyly delivers: a covert re-working of the original.

The basic story beats of the original are all here - a group of trained killers, seven guys and one girl, gather. There’s a raid on a base that turns out to be a double-cross of sorts. They set up an ambush that doesn’t go to plan. And there’s a final confrontation involving tricking the senses of the Predator. They even get to fall off a cliff and land in a lake by a waterfall. The script is littered with elements of the original. But on the upside, Predators takes these elements and twists things around so it’s not a straight rehash of the original, but a mildly fresh take on the material. There are a few twists and turns that aren’t entirely expected, and the pacing is well handled so your attention never flags. That’s not to say that whilst it’s not totally predictable anything here will surprise you, There’s no great revelations about the Predator culture, no new alien creatures to surprise you or characters crafted beyond the basic typology of the badass cannon fodder with snappy one-liners. There’s at least one surprise to be had about midway through the film. But still, I found myself wondering if this was really the best that the filmmakers could come up with. Taking the original, mixing it up with a pioneering work of the genre, the 1932 adventure/horror, The Most Dangerous Game (made by the same people who  would go on to make the original King Kong) and following the hunted’s attempt to become the hunters isn’t exactly innovative for a film with such a solid headstart.

But story and character aren’t the point of the film, they are there to give some structure to the action. Action is really what Predators is about, and it delivers in spades. There’s some excellent set-pieces, a few nicely handled tense moments, and a fairly decent climactic fight. Though sadly there’s nothing to equal the Arnie vs the Predator battle that rounds out the last half hour or so of the original.

Whilst it doesn’t innovate the way Alien did with regard to its progenitor, Predatos is not a cheap knockoff but it’s also unlikely to achieve the cult status of the original or even that film's not-so-good sequel, Predator 2, playing things far too safe and being saddled with too many knowing in-jokes and direct quotations to ever be likely to stand on its own. As a sci-fi actioner it’s definitely above average, but as an addition to the Predator franchise it’s fun but not revolutionary. Fans of the original can trainspot references to their hearts' delight, even through into the end credits music. And your views on that fact will, I suspect, determine how much you enjoy Predators.

 

 

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