Discuss Predators
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Underappreciated
posted by DroochSTAFFMOD on February 25, 2017 at 8:03 PM
As we drown in a sea of watered/dumbed down sequels, here is one that actually tries to honour it's predecessor while offering something new, and largely succeeds.
Its greatest strength is its central premise. The idea of human scumbags imported onto an alien planet to be hunted by savage extra terrestrial beasts is incredibly strong. If people weren't so blinded by all the comparisons to the first film, they would see that this film has plenty to offer on its own terms. If the Predators were swapped for a new, equally brilliant creature, this film would get a lot more love, and likely be a cult favourite amongst B-movie sci-fi/horror fans.
This is clearly a passion project by people who revere the original, but don't have the skill to match its excellence. Rodriguez's ambition deserves huge praise here, as does his bravery in taking a new angle. Unlike other dumbass sequels like AvP, Terminator Salvation and DHINO (Die Hard 4), this film actually has some interesting ideas at its core about the nature of monstrosity, and dares to have its 'hero' be a total cünt who happily sacrifices other people in order to survive.
Casting a real actor, Brody, instead of a megastar who can't act, Schwarzeneggar, is also commendable (that said, I love Arnie, and McTiernan actually gets a good performance from him in Predator). Having Topher Grace be our way into the group - the most normal and relatable character - and then flip this by having him turn out to be the worst monster of all, is inspired, surprising, and a clever demonstration of the films question, 'what is a monster?'
McTiernan is an arthouse director working within the action genre, which is why his films are often enduring modern classics. There was little chance that Nimrod Antal was going to match McT, and indeed he can't. Little of McTiernan's artistry is on display here, nor his excellent character work, but Antal still brings us an interesting and varied group of characters, and some memorable imagery. He's more like Renny Harlin - workmanlike but more than competent with the material, and brings it to the screen with skill.
Also unlike those hideous sequels, Predators doesn't sell out to family audiences. It retains its R rated roots with lashings of gore, tasteless jokes about rape, and a pessimistic view of human nature. No R rated franchise should ever downshift to PG-13 to boost profits, and it's encouraging to see Fox learn from their greedy, failed attempts to do so with the atrocious AvP.
There are flaws. Some people have pointed out that the odds are unfairly stacked against the humans - that for the predators this is like shooting fish in a barrel. If they wanted to immediately decimate the humans they could do in seconds, with their highly advanced tech, knowledge of the terrain, and the fact that the humans are in-fighting and killing each other. This is true, but even in the first film the alien picked off Arnie's team with absolute ease, and Arnie only survived because the Predator kept needlessly toying with him, and he got very lucky by being coated in mud by chance.
Here, the humans are assisted by Isabelle's prior knowledge of the aliens, and Lawrence Fishburne's long-time survivor (before he also turns on them) and the fact that they KNOW they're dealing with extra terrestrial forces from the beginning, whereas for Dutch and Co. it's business as usual until people start dying for no explicable reason. The point is, there are some efforts made to balance the odds.
The characters are fairly thin to begin with, stereotypes more than people, but they develop as the film progresses. Never to the level of those in Predator - where McTiernan shows men thinking, and has them react credibly to the terror (Mac's descent into madness is brilliantly rendered). The tone here is more B-movie, more throwaway, but there's enough character definition to make us empathise and surprise us when things are not what they seem.
The constant nods to the original are sometimes good - the music, and having a dead 'Dutch' character to show that the new threat is greater than before - but sometimes overblown, as in a 'classic Pred' suiting up to an almost rock version of the original score. I almost cringed when Royce started doing Arnie's 'kill me! Do it Now!' schtick, but Brody sells it well enough.
Predators is basically a very good fan film. I'd love to see a sequel. The central idea is so rich that all manner of creatures could turn up before Royce and Isabelle have a prayer of getting home. The film has created its own rich universe of possibilities within which any number of stories could be told.
Sadly, its low imdb score is a sign of continuing audience retardation. Not that the film is perfect, by any means, but a properly calibrated viewer will see that its strengths far outweigh its flaws. We need to encourage filmmakers like Rodriguez who are passionate and take risks, and have a fan's love for the original material, lest we are molested time and time again by studios who hate audiences and think they're stupid. Die Hard 4, Robocop 3, Terminator Salvation and AvP are juvenile, safe, bland, soulless cash-grabs. Predators is a valiant effort with plenty to enjoy, and should be rewarded so that studios are encouraged to give these projects to filmmakers who care.
If this wasn't a Predator sequel it would get a lot of love, as it is, people hate on it for diverting from the formula of the first and second films, never mind that it swaps that formula for something as brilliant as the original concept
Reply by A to Z
on March 1, 2017 at 5:46 AM
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Reply by Midi-chlorian_Count
on March 1, 2017 at 2:39 PM
@Drooch
Maybe just me but I find this to be the real problem with this film.
I tried giving it another go last night but I just can't get past Adrien Brody. Don't get me wrong I think he's a great actor - especially love him in The Darjeeling Limited - but I just can't take him seriously in this film.
You've got all these typical action film types and then you've got him doing this ridiculous proto-"Bane" gruffing; and not only that he somehow becomes the character they all just fall into line behind.
My mind just starts wondering into "how did he get this part?" / "what's the angle being played with this casting?" territory and the film is then totally lost to me...
Reply by DanDare
on March 1, 2017 at 3:27 PM
'Sadly, its low imdb score is a sign of continuing audience retardation'
or maybe the audience was intelligent enough not to be hoodwinked by a poor sequel.
Reply by chucknorrissinspiration
on March 1, 2017 at 11:43 PM
@Drooch you are 100% correct IMO. I absolutely love this movie and wish they'd come out with another one every couple years. I thought the mix of characters along with the idea of the movie was great. A perfect spin off if you ask me.
Reply by Drooch
on March 1, 2017 at 11:53 PM
There are many poor sequels - PG-13 trash by shitbag directors - not so here. The excellent Robert Rodriguez oversaw the project and made sure a decent director brought an original concept to life, and crucially preserved an R-rating. It's a staggering difference to the appalling Aliens vs Predator (a truly shítty sequel), and deserves much more praise.
Reply by Drooch
on March 2, 2017 at 12:07 AM
You're right, this might be one of the best spin-offs ever, and a sequel would be great, or even a TV series. It's more appealing than Prometheus I'd say.
Reply by Drooch
on March 2, 2017 at 5:50 AM
He made Nomads with Pierce Brosnan, an abstract mood piece about Satanic bikers, and if you listen to his commentaries (esp his excellent one for Die Hard) he talks about his training and theories on the psychological properties of shot construction and editing. He's a complete artist who understands the medium as well as any great director in the history of the art form.
Reply by DanDare
on March 2, 2017 at 6:29 AM
Interestingly when McTiernan tried something different with Last Action Hero, the film tanked at the box office.
Reply by chucknorrissinspiration
on March 2, 2017 at 10:51 AM
A tv series of predators would be incredible... come on starz get to work!!!
Reply by Drooch
on March 2, 2017 at 7:35 PM
No probs. Yeah it's worth watching, though be prepared for something closer to Near Dark than his usual action fare. It was cool to see him reteam with Brosnan for The Thomas Crown Affair.
Reply by Drooch
on March 2, 2017 at 7:41 PM
McTiernan has great comic instincts - Die Hard With A Vengeance is basically a buddy comedy, and Die Hard itself is well known for its humour (little touches like the Crunchy bar and the S.W.A.T guy who gets pricked by a rose).
Last Action Hero became messy because of studio interference, who kept forcing him to make a PG-13 family film. It's got some great comedy though, like Charles Dance warning Arnie and the kid as they're surrounded by Rottweilers 'leave immediately or tomorrow you shall merge from several canine recta'
Reply by Drooch
on March 4, 2017 at 12:08 AM
Yeah I seem to recall Russo wearing some striking dresses in the film, and she gets her bangers out at one point. It's a stylish and sexy film, which does the all-to-rare thing of portraying a likeable multi-millionaire.
Reply by Irina
on November 7, 2017 at 1:25 PM
Well, I really like this movie. It brough some really interesting ideas like "another planet" and "Predator's dogs". I'd love to see a direct sequel to this movie. I wanna know what happened to Royce and Isabelle
Reply by Egon1982
on July 4, 2018 at 3:13 AM
Hey Drooch, what about Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome? another hideous PG-13 dumbed down sequel to 2 adult oriented actioners