Today
was supposed to be the day where I covered everything else – the
comics, video games, and those two AvP
movies. And then I remembered there was this whole other Predator
movie. That I saw in the theater. And own on Blu Ray. Oops.
Robert
Rodriguez had been wanting to do a Predator movie for a while. This
sounded like an excellent idea to me (though not as excellent as him
doing Barbarella;
but much more excellent than him doing Barbarella
with Rose McGowan as Barbarella) and I couldn’t wait for it to
happen. I don’t remember how many years we were hearing about it
before it actually did
happen, but it was a while.
Rodriguez
didn’t end up directing Predators
– some guy with an even more Latin-sounding name did – but he was
heavily involved in the production.
I
wrote a review of Predators
after I saw it in the theater. I really need to get a couple more
posts in the bag. I’m behind right now. And I feel obligated to
cover Predators
during Predator Week. So here’s my review again:
Okay,
not really; but I am definitely a Rodriguez fan. The one thing I
should have really kept in mind while getting so pumped up about
Predators
was that Rodriguez did not actually direct it. I’m not saying
that’s good or bad; I just would have approached the movie a bit
differently if I had given that fact more thought. The movie was
directed by Nimrod Antal, who directed Vacancy
and Armored.
I really liked the former and completely forgot about the latter
until right now.
Minor
spoilers may follow:
The
movie opens in epic fashion: Adrien Brody – many people’s
sticking point about why this movie wasn’t going to work – is
free-falling through the sky. We don’t know where he came from or
where he’s going, and neither does he. He tries desperately and
without success to activate what appears to be a parachute release
mechanism. Finally a timer or altimeter activates, the chute deploys,
we get a harrowing journey through some treetops, Brody hits the
ground and BAM!:
PREDATORS
Awesome
fucking opening that hooks you immediately.
We
spend the next segment getting to meet all of the fine folks that
will be along for our little adventure and wondering about the who’s,
what’s and why’s of the whole situation. And then shit gets
hectic, real quick.
Predators
features a collection of characters who are at the top of their
respective fields of killing, except for a doctor played by Topher
Grace. Alice Braga is a sniper who may or may not know a little
sumpin’ sumpin’ about what’s going on, Danny Trejo plays a drug
cartel enforcer and Walter Goggins (Shane from The
Shield) portrays a scumbag
(surprise!) inmate who was on death row in San Quentin until his
mysterious arrival in the Predators’ planet’s lower atmosphere.
They are joined by a Russian Spetnaz, a Sierra Leone death squad
commander and a Yakuza lieutenant. I would watch a movie about the
Russian guy and the Japanese guy anytime.
And
you also have Adrien Brody in the lead role.
Ever
since 1989 when Michael Keaton schooled me on pre-judging who is
right for what role I have kept an open mind about actors. I had no
problem with Brody leading the cast of this movie. Somehow the only
movie I had seen him in before Predators
was King Kong,
and I really liked him in that. I could accept him as a badass action
guy. I might have even been predisposed to it. Having said all that,
I just had a lot of trouble buying him for most of the movie. His
character is basically Riddick from Pitch
Black, but somehow Diesel
sells it better. Don’t get me wrong – Brody pulled off all the
action and murder like a champ. He just seemed to be trying too hard
to be… hard. By the end of the movie it really doesn’t matter
though. He’s kicked so much ass that you love the guy.
Getting
back to the hectic. Once everybody decides that yes, indeed they do
need to work together; that’s when the real stars of the movie
start to make their presence known. And that’s about as far as I’m
going into the plot. The story is basically the same as the original
Predator,
but on a planet that isn’t Earth. That’s okay, because it’s
just different enough to seem more referential than ripoff. I’m not
spoiling anything by telling you that we are introduced to some new
species in the movie, including an alien that seems like a direct
homage to Stan Winston’s Pumpkinhead creature.
The
effects are super-great. There isn’t one moment in the whole movie
that seems artificial and that is one hell of an accomplishment for a
current movie. I understand that practical effects were used whenever
possible and it really shows. Hollywood has yet to produce entirely
believable CGI.
The
scoring is either directly from or intentionally similar to that used
in the first movie. The only time it differs is during fights with
the new species of Predator we are introduced to. Even though these
new compositions are still based on the original score I didn’t
care for them. They sounded like somebody had added some James A.
Johnston guitar work over the old music. You don’t update something
just by adding crunchy guitar riffs.
There
were a few points where Predators
kind of dragged. I think these were attempts to build tension in the
same way the original did, and they may well have been effective but
for one thing: I was in a Rodriguez state of mind. All of his movies
are fast-paced and frenetic with huge doses of over-the-top action.
Predators
is not. It is a thoughtful and well-paced thriller that boils to an
awesome climax.
And
that climax is the shit. It is arrived at naturally and in a way that
you can almost taste what’s coming. Granted, one portion of it is
so expected that I was actually surprised it turned out how I thought
it would. It just seemed too obvious. But the rest – real
edge-of-your-seat stuff. It leaves you craving a sequel, particularly
the last line of dialogue. I’m not going to spoil it, but it is
fucking great.
Honestly,
the more I think about it, the more I like this movie.
Overall,
Predators
was a pretty rocking good time. I think it could use a bit of
trimming in some places to up the pace, but I might be wrong. I’ll
need another viewing to decide that and this movie will definitely
get one down the road.
3
out of 5 Invisible Friends
(That
rating has a dual meaning for this movie – boy, am I clever!)
So
there’s that. I do like this movie more after having watched it a
couple more times. I give it a solid “4” now and definitely enjoy
it more than Predator
2.
There’s just too much of the original present to not appreciate. I
still don’t much care for Laurence Fishburne’s performance or
excessive girth. I can’t recall right now how long he had been
stranded on the planet, but the brother should have lost that spare
tire after spending enough time running from the baddest
motherfuckers in the universe.
I
also appreciate Topher Grace’s performance even more, despite the
fact that his character’s story arc was so transparent. Dude did a
really good job. Adrien Brody absolutely kicks ass for the last
twenty minutes of the flick, but comes off like he’s impersonating
Christian Bale impersonating Batman. Everybody else is great, as
you’re left wanting more of each character. Plus, the Yakuza guy –
this movie’s stand-in for Billy – actually gets to have a fight
scene when he takes a stand.
At
the end of the day, Predators
is an owner. Don’t pay thirty bucks for it or anything, but it’s
one you want to have on your shelf.
-Phantom
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