Predators: Movie Review

Predators: Movie Review

Predators
Rating: See below
Cast: Adrien Brody, Predators, Alice Braga, Danny Trejo, Topher Grace, Laurence Fishburne
Director: Nimord Antal
Back into the jungle we go...
Adrien Brody stars in this latest film in the Predators franchise which to be honest has taken quite a knocking since the Aliens vs Predators.
Brody's one of a group of 8 who wake up in freefall and just before landing in a jungle - as they come to, suspicions and mistrust arises as they try to work out where they are, why they're there and how to get away.
But the group - which includes a yakuza Japanese warrior, the FBI's most wanted, a Mexican hardman, a Sierra Leone soldier (to name but four) - soon finds out they're not alone on this planet - but are rather part of a game preserve and are being hunted by the Predators...
Produced by Robert Rodriguez, there was a lot riding on Predators to relaunch the series and revitalise what had been mocked for a while.
And it's unfortunate to say that this won't do much to help the series - but may actually put the final nail in the coffin.
Basicall,y this film is essentially another version of the very first one with Arnie in - even down to the ending; the guys in the jungle are picked off one by one by the Predators and soon realise they've got little chance of survival.
The biggest problem with this film is that it offers nothing new to the franchise or genre (aside from the idea that the Predators are divided into clans and hunting themselves) and really doesn't give them anywhere to go for the future.
There's hardly any tension as the 8 are hunted - aside from the obligatory rising crescendo of music and there's more clichés around than originality.
However, there are some pluses in this.
Chiefly it's one human element - Adrien Brody makes a good atypical lead; more of a thinking man's action hero who's immoral and will use people to draw the creatures out; Laurence Fishburne's role is more an extended cameo which sees him playing deranged quite well.
And there's some loose morals at work here as the gang of eight do what they can to try and survive - you're never quite sure who's going to stab who in the back.

Personally I feel this film was a missed opportunity to reinvent the Predator - but having said that, the two people who accompanied me to this (who are big Predator fans and male) loved seeing them back up on the screen again and enjoyed the whole affair. Their ratings were 7/10, 6/10 and mine was 3 /10 - so overall - 5/10