Movie Review – ‘The Predator’
The Predator returns with Shane Black’s new take on the franchise!
This may sound blasphemous, but I’m not much of a Predator fan. The original film just doesn’t hold up for me, and the rest of the movies are pretty forgettable. As iconic as the Predator design may be, it doesn’t exactly have the best franchise to match. But I was excited for The Predator anyway because of Shane Black’s involvement. I adore all of Black’s directorial efforts (including Iron Man 3 – fight me). So it saddens me to say that The Predator is easily Shane Black’s worst film.
To be clear, I don’t think the movie is as bad as other critics are claiming it to be. It probably is a bad film overall, but it doesn’t necessarily seem any better or worse than the previous installments in the series. I think if you had an attachment to the original film, then you will understandably be disappointed with The Predator. But if you’re like me, and didn’t have that connection to the previous films, then you may find The Predator to be somewhat enjoyable. I know that isn’t the greatest endorsement, but it’s the truth.
This installments of the Predator franchise sees the titular aliens attacking the small-town streets of suburbia. A young boy named Rory McKenna has accidently triggered the return of the vicious hunters, and only a ragtag crew of ex-soldiers can stop the Predator before it wreaks havoc on the neighborhood. Led by Rory’s father, Quinn, the soldiers find out they’re in way over their heads when they encounter a larger, stronger, and deadlier Predator species. The new Predator is genetically upgrading itself with the DNA of other aliens in an attempt to become the universe’s most lethal hunter.
With that premise alone, it’s pretty clear that no one knows which direction to take this franchise in. The first Predator took place in the jungle, so the sequel takes place in a city, and the next one is set on an entirely different planet. But though the settings have changed, the simple narrative has remained the same; a group of people get killed by the Predator, and only our protagonist is worthy enough to survive. Although Shane Black does try to do something different with his film – aside from changing the location again – his new plot doesn’t exactly work.
The Predator feels like two movies forced into one narrative. I won’t spoil anything, but the first half is really about one Predator tracking down Rory, while the second half is all about the new Predator. Both storylines could’ve had their own individual movies, but they are instead hung together by a clunky and chaotic second act. The way the film is structured now, I’m sure most fans would have just preferred if the plot were a little repetitive. Make the entire movie be about a Predator tracking down Rory. At least this way, the audience has a reason to have an emotional connection with Quinn.
As it stands, the characters in The Predator aren’t easy to empathize with. They can act noble at times, but for the most part, they’re mostly just a bunch of immature lunatics. Black is usually much better at fleshing out his characters, but the soldiers in The Predator are barely distinguishable from one another. With the one single defining character trait they all have, they seem better suited for a Predator-based video game. Then again, this entire movie seems like it is aimed at teens that play bloody and violent games any way.
At least Boyd Holbrook does a solid job of leading the film as Quinn. Though he isn’t quite as charming as Schwarzenegger’s Dutch, he is more memorable than Adrian Brody’s Royce. However, we learn most about Quinn through expositional dialogue, and it’s a disservice to the film as a whole. Holbrook shines when in scenes with Jacob Tremblay because the connection between father and son is really the heart of this film. It’s a shame that this relationship wasn’t explored to it’s full potential. Tremblay himself may be fine in the role of Rory, but his part in the story is admittedly questionable.
I did enjoy Trevante Rhodes’ performance as Nebraska, as he was the only solider that actually stood out to me. Seeing as how most of the other characters are canon fodder anyway, I really wish Black wrote less characters into the script so that Nebraska could have been fleshed-out better. Alfie Allen and Augusto Aguilera play serviceable military men, for example, but the rest of the cast felt terribly miscast.
Olivia Munn is the worst example of this. Her character honestly does nothing more than make weird facial expressions and deliver awfully clunky exposition. Her introductory scene is also laughably bad; her life is about to change forever, and instead of saying literally anything, she just makes a bunch of odd faces. Meanwhile, Sterling K. Brown is a bit too over-the-top as the film’s human antagonist, and Keegan-Michael Key tries too hard to be the film’s comedic relief.
Speaking of which, comedy is a huge part of this movie. Some critics have likened The Predator to that of a comedy, but I don’t think that’s fair. A bloody action film can have comedic elements to it. I just don’t think audiences were ready for a humorous tone in a franchise that found its roots in slasher/horror films. Most of the comedy worked for me, but I will admit that it was tonally jarring. How well the jokes work for you will completely depend on your own sense of humor.
One thing I think most people will agree on, however, is the unnecessary addition of preda-dogs. On top of having an awful design, these creatures add nothing to film. Their very presence is baffling. But the preda-dogs are only one small part of a long list of WTF moments. The Predator is filled with tons of stupid, eye-rolling, and idiotic moments that I can’t get into because of spoilers. Basically, as the movie goes on, the plot becomes more convoluted. The more you try to think about space MacGuffins, preda-dogs, the biology of the Predator and what should or shouldn’t be physically possible, or the motivations for certain characters/beings, the more your brain will start to hurt.
The original Predator was a slow and methodical film that eventually built up to an explosive ending. The Predator, however, is chaotic from the start. It may have a solid opening sequence, but the film quickly descends into madness before reaching a head-scratching resolution. The break neck pace is quite exhausting, and it is nearly impossible to keep track of where certain characters are, what they’re doing, and whether or not they’re even still alive. Some people may enjoy all of that chaos, but others will not.
Though I don’t think The Predator is as bad as others are making it out to be, I understand why so many fans are disappointed with it. This is a movie that wants to appeal to your nostalgia – even bringing back the iconic theme music – but it changes what made the predator species so interesting in the first place. For example, what made a Predator so intimidating was the fact that it was an alien that no one could comprehend. Yet, in this new film, characters know all about the alien race, what they’re into, how to use their technology, and even how to translate their language. The only intimidating feature of the Predator that is left is its physique.
An iconic creature like the Predator deserves a better franchise than this one. The ending of this new film – which, again, is quite baffling – may set up for a potential sequel, but I’m unsure if that’ll happen any time soon. The Predator is currently receiving poor critical and fan reception, so only the box office numbers will determine the fate of this series now.
