- SPOILERS ahead-

I've read some decent reviews that seek some merit, some redemption for this movie. I acknowledge that seeing it as a standalone gives it more appeal, and with that I wholly agree.

However, this is in part because it really does depart from some themes that, for me anyway, are key. And, the most important one, is honour. I cannot grasp the idea of predators killing predators.

These predator creatures are old; I mean, as a species, they go back to Prometheus (there's a great discussion out there on the interweb that demonstrates the hints and cues throughought Prometheus that indicate quite compellingly that it was Predators that hammered the Engineers). As a mature species, from Predator to through Predator 2 and, most emphatically, Alien vs. Predator, we see a singleness, a culture of unity, amongst Predators, a culture that includes ritual, a hierarchy of elders, juniors in training, bad-ass generals, etc. They mourn their dead, and they show respect when humans, in their view, command it.

I do recognize that the Predator that was held captive and released by Royce showed some honour but, even as I'm writing this comment, some dialog and a few scenes in particular have made me realize there's a whole lot more going on than I first saw.

At around 50 minutes in, they use Edwin as bait, and he's chased by some creature they shoot, and recognize as one of those things that landed in a cage. Only, Isabelle says she missed. So, clearly, the Predator hunters shot it. During the conversation that followed its death, they rationalize that it must have thought they (the people) were the ones who dropped it here...so, essentially, it is just like them, brought for sport...except, I no longer think the humans were brought to be hunted!

Soon after this scene, they're all back at Noland secret underground lair (I couldn't resist), and he explains that "there are two kinds of them"; the ones running things up there are the larger ones, and they hunt the smaller ones, and bring in "fresh meat, season after season, and I mean shit you wouldn't believe" - like the thing they saw get shot in front of them.

But, here's the thing. They found a guy who had built all kinds of booby traps, reminscent of what Dutch did, but to a much broader scale (pits with sharpened spikes, swinging logs, etc.), and his chest was burst open - the patent signature of aliens!

It appears to me that the higher purpose of the humans is to act as host for the aliens. That would explain not only why the Predators have little regard for human life, since most humans they come across are going to be sacrificed anyway; but it also explains why they can show respect to humans - they don't hate humans like they hate the aliens and if human show a sense of culture and honour that Predators respect, they can respect humans.

Well, at the very least, this movie jumps above Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (the absolute worst in the franchise, for me).

Oh, by the way, what's with all the growling from that main Predator that Royce killed?