The best advice you will ever receive:
Predator set a new standard for violence in movies involving a group of guys in a jungle with a chick and an alien. It was a movie that scared the bajesus outta me but then made me appreciate the importance of mud and sticks in a fight against a foe with lasers, bombs, and a cloaking device. Flash forward 23 years and you get a new standard in men in a jungle with a chick…and this time 4 aliens!
Predators is set in present day on a distant planet. It opens with a scene of the main character (Adrien Brody) plummeting from the sky while attempting to open a parachute. Eventually he lands safely with all his guns and machetes and what not. We soon find that there are a few other guys falling all around. First they try and kill each other, but soon realize that they are being hunted. Sound familiar? Well, if you’ve seen any action movie that involves more than one guy, then probably so.
The rag-tag group is comprised of your usual assortment of fodder. You have the scraggly voice self appointed leader who never asked for the job. There’s the ever so doubtful chick. You’ve got the guy who’s not who he says he is but no one really cares until he’s met his demise. There’s the black guy, the comic relief guy, the Danny Trejo playing his usual character (after all, it is a Robert Rodriguez film) and a forgetful Laurence Fishburne. Each character is picked off one by one, alternating with one of 4 Predators up until the very end when you have the ultimate showdown (but not this kind of ultimate showdown). I won’t give away the ending, but let’s just say that the battle was just as epic as the original.
Now for a review of the movie overall. I mean, there were certain things that I was expecting. Like a good old fashion handshake, but the rest was there. From a mini gatling gun to a mud covered guy fighting an alien that’s nearly 8ft tall. I really did enjoy the film and will most likely buy it when it comes out. It was a great follow up to the original. There were several throwbacks and references mixed in that made it seem like a continuation. They completely dismissed Predator 2 as well as the AvP movies.
The flow of the movie was fairly straight forward and to the point. There were some down times between fights, but it picked right back up. I didn’t expect there to be any vast character development or extravagant plot lines. I wasn’t looking for the personalities of the characters to carry me through the scenes. I wanted blood (both green and red), Predators, yelling, s’plosions, fighting, that distinct Predator sound and more blood. I got everything I wanted out of the movie. If you go into this movie wanting more than that or wanting a Chris Nolan film, then you will be disappointed.
I did have a few favorite parts of the movie as well as a few parts I could have done with out. For starters the sword fight was epic and bad at the same time. I mean, you get to see a Yakuza guy fight an Predator with a sword. As good as this could have been, it left me wanting more. They pretty much just ‘cut’ the point and moved on to the next scene. Laurence Fishburne was a character that was a bit strange to me. He played a guy that has been on the planet for several “seasons” and has adapted many survival methods. One of them being going half retard (you never go full retard). I dunno, I just didn’t like him in that role. He started off strong, but then just kinda fizzled out. The last thing that bugged me about the movie was the trailer. Here watch it again:
The part at 1:28 where Adrien Brody has 10, count’em 10 Predator beam things on him is totally not accurate. For starters there are only 4 Predators in the movie and only 3 of them are hunters (the other is tied up as a captive because he’s not as cool as the bigger ones). Secondly, in the movie there’s only 1 beam thingy on him. Just one! Don’t be fooled into thinking that Mr. Brody is gonna pull some crazy stunt and get out of a massive explosion from 10 Predators, it’s just one people!
Ok, so that’s my rant/review. I really did like the action scenes and the music and the feel of the movie. It brought me back to the feeling of the original. I like the actors that were picked for the roles. The Predators looked great and true to the 1987 film. It was well paced and worth my money. I would highly recommend seeing it and at the very least you should GIT TO DA CHOPPA!!!