After a couple of decades, why not go after a sequel to one of Arnold’s most iconic films, Predator? It’s not like every attempt to use the interstellar hunters of the film have gotten much good press from the other three films to feature them – and as long as you’re going to do a Predator sequel, why not go against the grain in casting a couple of key roles?
Thus the Robert Rodriguez production of Nimrod Antal’s Predators, one of the more [or, rather, few] enjoyable action films of the summer.
This time, we don’t get much set up at all, but are flung right into an extremely odd situation as we find Adrien Brody falling from the sky, pounding on the alien-looking ripcord mechanism of a parachute. It opens just in time to prevent him from becoming a red stain on the floor of a jungle. Shortly thereafter, he is joined by a number of other unique individuals.
We don’t get a lot of names right off, but the group is composed of an ex- black ops guy turned mercenary [Brody], an Israeli sniper [Alice Braga], a Mexican drug cartel enforcer [Danny Trejo], a convicted murder/rapist two days from being executed [Walton Goggins], a Sierra Leone death squad member [Mahershalalhashbaz Ali], a yakuza member [Louis Ozawa Changchien], a Russian special forces soldier [Oleg Taktarov] and a bewildered doctor [Topher Grace].
The first half of the film builds suspense by putting the group through a number of classic hunting situations – from the perspective of the prey – being flushed out by dogs [though these alien “dogs” have all kinds of horns, spine razors and bad attitudes]; a booby-trapped companion; wandering into deadfalls, and the like. Each time, losing someone to the vicissitudes of the hunt.
Finally, after discovering that they’re on a different planet [though one onto which Terran plants have been transferred], in what seems to be a bit of a good break, they encounter a wily human hermit [Laurence Fishburne] who has somehow survived for some time.
The second half of the film is pretty much pure action as the remaining members of the group try to evade their hunters and, at the same time, take the hunt to them.
The first thing to note about Predators is that it really isn’t taking things too seriously. There’s no real set up and so, no need for much exposition beyond the characters’ backgrounds and names [which come to light early on – except for Brody’s guy, the sniper and the doctor]. Also a tip off – the comic relief is the homicidal maniac! Yet another clue lies in the fact that the doctor recognizes a particularly nasty plant from home, and the attack “dogs” are designed in such a way that they couldn’t possibly get food into their mouths – and oh yeah, the sun doesn’t move!
Given that the film isn’t taking itself seriously, we don’t have to, either. We can sit back and enjoy the ride. Antal builds suspense over the first half of the film by using the hunting ploys to which the group is subjected. We don’t see our first Predator until almost the halfway point. From then on, there’s a lot of action – and a lot of blood and viscera.
There are some cool twists and it’s fun to try to figure out who’s going to die next – though that’s harder than you might expect, as the first of the group to go is not the usual suspect. The effects are extremely good, and thanks to effects legends Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger, they are largely practical. When required, the use of CG has the necessary weight fit seamlessly with the rest.
What really helps the film is that, while we get a number of characters who are cast in expected ways [Trejo as the cartel enforcer, Taktarov as the big Russian, Goggins as the convict], we get unusual choices in other roles – choices that give us actors who can make us believe in their characters by actually acting the part and not just looking it.
Still, there’s no pretension to art here – just a rockin’ and rollin’ ode to fightin’ and shootin’ and blowin’ $#!+ up. These things it does well enough to while away a couple of hours in the summertime.
Final Grade: B