Predators

OK, so, the reboot has landed. Written and produced (but, crucially, not
directed) by Robert Rodriguez, this is essentially a sequel to Predator,
parallel to Predator 2 (in that nothing in either, essentially contradicts or
relies on the other), and basically ignores the whole AvP thread.

The basic concept of this film is that Predators kidnap a bunch of extremely
badass humans, drop them in a game reserve on another planet, armed with their
usual weapons, and then hunt them down one by one. The rollcall of badasses is
your typical run of Blackops Merc, Jungle Sniper, Yakuza Assassin, Gangster
Enforcer, Russian Spetznaz, etc... They all get together, broadly recognise the
need to work together, and set themselves the task of tracking down whoever
kidnapped them, and (once it becomes obvious that we're not in Kansas anymore)
nicking their spaceship. Later on we run across Larry Fishburne, who's been
stuck here for about ten years, and has gone pretty loopy.

Overall, the odds are nine humans vs three predators, and it's basically quite
even. The plot basically comes as no surprise; both sides are hunting the
other, in a jungle. Midway through the movie, Larry Fishburne lays some
exposition on us which clues us a little more in to Predator culture, but only
inasmuch as what he's been able to glean by being hunted by them.

So. Both sides are slowly winnowed down, until there's a final faceoff between
the last Predator and the last few humans. And then it's pretty much the end of
the movie, with the suggestion that, even if there's no sequel actually coming,
it's far from over. Predators aren't going to stop doing what they do any
time soon, and we aren't going to stop objecting.

So, really there are two questions; how impressively badass are our human
badasses, and what's the film like; you already know the plot, essentially,
because you saw Predator.

The badasses are a bit of a mixed bag. First and foremost, Adrien Brody is not
badass. It was an interesting decision to cast him, and I'm still glad they
chose him over, say, Vin Diesel. But really, this is a real mismatch for him.
He's supposed to be this ruthless, been-there-seen-it-killed-it merciless
killing machine, and he's just not. If they'd gone the Predator 2 route, and
he'd been a police detective who has to find his inner badass, then maybe. But
not this. There's a general weakness, exemplified by the Russian guy. Spetsnaz
troops have the reputation of being terrifying bastards. Whereas this guy's
just kind of heavy with a big gun. There's nothing particularly awesome about
any of them really. And it'd have been a better film if *that was the point*.
Or if they'd put together a cast of genuinely terrifying bastards.

The direction is also a bit meh. Plenty of potentially cool things happen, but
the direction just isn't there, so things that ought to have been cool action
setpieces just sort of happen. It starts out well enough, builds well until the
last 20 minutes, and then, if not exactly falling flat, sort of levels out and
continues in that vein until the credits roll.

So, overall... Well, I guess it could depend on your taste, but there's some
doubt in my mind whether this gets to be the third best movie with Predators
in, never mind the second. In that, pants though it may have been, AvP at least
had some nice sets in which the mayhem happens, and there's a bit more plot
going on. The script and performances are marginally better in this one and
there's nothing in AvP as entertaining as Larry Fishburne going Apocalyse Now.

All I can really say then, is that it's not particularly good enough in any
respect to put it head and shoulders over any of the other Predator film.
Though I've not seen AvP2.