Predators

The opening of Predators may be my favorite part. Thrust into the middle of action, free falling through the sky, disoriented... like Adrian Brody's character, we have no idea what is happening. And that disorientation, that confusion, lasts the running time of the film. That's not to say that Predators is confusing, or even all that complicated, but the story itself leaves so much open to interpretation (or presents potential future franchise entries plot lines) that you, the audience, kind of have to roll with the punches and accept what you are being shown.

So much of Predators draws from the original Arnie starring Predator, but I never felt like it was ever too much. Sure, Brody slathering himself in mud was stretching homage a bit far, though it did show that he could pull of badass without seeming all too silly. Predators is as basic as your monster movies get, with a random assortment of strangers getting picked off one by one, which is exactly what Predator did and to much acclaim, at least from genre fans. Neither film really draws their characters all that well, so we are left with fairly basic people, some of whom deserve far more backstory and explanation than we will ever receive. It's hard to get to know these people, but they aren't unlikable assholes for supposedly being unlikable, hardcore assholes. Personally, I wanted more on the Japanese Yakuza character, but his mystery certainly works enough for the purposes of this film.

There is plenty of violence and action and blood to satisfy, and the familiar beats may satisfy fans who might have been ready to write this off after a lacking sequel and two atrocious (or so I hear) AVP films. Nimrod Antal does a good job visually, directing a fine B-movie that can at least stand proud next to the original inspiration. Predators is a fun, fast sci-fi actioner that showcases some serious predator mayhem. This is what Avatar might have been like if the alien species there weren't a bunch of tall, blue-skinned, environmental pussies (I kid! Really).

Genre - Action (3)

Screenplay (3)
Acting (3)
Production (3)
Directing (3)