Right, so I'm a bit late with this one but because it was so fuckin' miserable last Friday I wasn't in any rush to drown outside my front door.
Anywho here's a review on the new addtion to the Rasta Alien franchise, Predators. The movie is based on a script written by Robert Rodriguez (Desperado, From Dusk Till Dawn, Sin City) back in the mid-90s and is directed by a guy called Nimròd Antal (Vacancy.........that thriller with Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale back in 2007?............no?)
So, what poor bastards are going up against the Predators this time round? The plot revolves around a group of people who each wake up falling to the earth with only a parachute on them. They're not exactly the most diverse group of people but they all share a common ground for being together; They're killers (Spec Ops, Yakuza, one big shit-house Russian soldier, Death Row inmate, etc) and Adrien Brody, who buffed up for the role, takes on the role of the reluctant leader of the pack.
It doesn't take long for them to figure out that they're not in any jungle on Earth but on another planet completely, Plan A has been thoroughly screwed, then! If that wasn't bad enough they then realise that they being followed and hunted................Brody's character is pretty much a know-it-all brooding type, he seems to figure everything out pretty damn quickly. What follows then is a race to stay alive from the Predators who have picked them to be hunted. These Predators aren't stupid, either. In fact, they're quite clever in laying traps and putting the group into situations that test them.
Plot-wise this film isn't too far off from the 1st Predator movie and if you know that film well enough then you'll notice all the dialogue and homages that point towards it. Rodriguez said this was neither a prequel or a sequel...............but the thing is it's both! It's the 1st film with some extra bits slapped on. I mean, some of the similarities are pretty damn clear in terms of what some characters do and what some say (Litteraly word-for-word dialogue from the 1st is spoken here)..............there's even a bit where they unleash all hell from their weapons into the jungle. The gattling gun also makes a welcome return!
That being said, this was actually a decent movie and technically the 1st proper Predator movie in 23 years! (Predator 2, AVP & AVP:R were a load of crap!) The acting is solid and the action is pretty tight. There's also none of that poxy "shaky-cam" or OTT CGI fuck-whackery here, in essence it is a true successor to the original film. Most of the action scenes keep the suspense going and there is one specific scene that will stand out with you afterwards. (If I tell you now, you'll think it doesn't sound like it would go well in a Predator movie but it is does, really does!) The new Predators also look pretty damn cool, as well as the original Predator costume from the 1st film making it's 1st appearance in 23 years. The original Predators are like dogs, the new ones are like wolves...............if you catch me drift!
There's also an odd "cameo" here that had the crowd in the cinema screen laughing when he first revealed his face............thinking about it, it was pretty funny though unintentional I'd say!
I enjoyed this film and I'm guessing I'm just glad it didn't piss all over the franchise even more (Terminator Salvation, Die Hard 4, anyone?) but instead wiped some of it off. Adrien Brody has actually surprised people and critics by being pretty good at playing the action hero schtick! Plus Tophar Grace (Eric Foreman from the 70's Show) provides a good side to the film, too.......................though I'd imagine he'd be shitting more of a brick had the cameo been of this guy:
Just shut up, listen, and follow me.....................or you're getting a foot in the ass!
So, yea, this is a pretty decent flick that can stand up to holding the Predator name. Doesn't feel too short of a film either and I'd reccomend you'd watch it in the cinema as there's plenty of those "GOTCHA!!" moments that'll work good with the screen's surround sound. As for the violence? It's fairly gory but not to the extreme or cartoony point, pretty level to the first film.
HOWEVER....... Highlight the text below if you wanna know what's wrong with this picture, it's nothing plot-revealing but pretty damn irritating.
I know plenty of people are gonna be disappointed with one scene that won many over in the trailer:
THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN, only ONE laser appears on him....................a sign of over-zealous marketing scumness! What was the point of even throwing it into the trailer??? To get people interested!! Shit, it was practically the only bit most people referred to: "Oh shit, did you see all the lasers on yer man? Fuuuuuuuuck!"
Bah, a gripe but don't let that turn you off an otherwise good film.
Seems Tom Hardy impressed Chris Nolan so much on Inception that he's been given a lead role in the next Batman film, more than likely a villian but nobody knows which one. People are speaking of The Riddler but Tom Hardy is a big fucker and could be possibly cast as one of the physically tougher villians but.....................who knows!
