SPOILERS

With so many disappointments this year, I came into Predators with a bit of doubt. Adrian Brody as the successor to Arnold? HA! Nimrod Antol directing? Smells like another flop. Well guys, I'm here to tell you that this is the most thouroughly satisfying film of the year. It is the Predator sequel fans have been waiting for for over 20 years now.

Lets start with Adrian Brody. He was a smart casting choice. The filmmakes wisely knew they couldn't replace Arnold, so they didn't even try. Brody's character Royce is not a retread of Arnolds character Dutch. He is a smart, brutal mercenary who will do anything to survive.

One of the main reason's why the Predator sequels and spin-offs have failed is that they didn't have the great "any of them could be a lead" characters that the first film does. Topher Grace's character is awesome and he plays him to perfection. The convict is great too. He's funny as hell, and a bit fucked up. Then there's the Yakuza assassin who "talks to much". Haha, priceless. Lawence Fishburn is great in his small role as a crazed survivor from a previous hunt. Danny Trejo's character is a bit of a waste, but his death scene is really creepy.

Robert Rodriguez has said that he wants this film to be to Predator as Aliens is to Alien, and it comes very close. It takes the basic concept of the original, adds a bit more depth, and ramps up the action to ridiculous heights. The ending in particular is pretty crazy.

So yeah, I loved it. Great summer film and one the fans can really get into. Maybe now we can forget those AVP films ever happend. As for the future off the franchise, I say leave it as is. It makes for a very satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. A must see fo fans, and for anyone who has any interest in the action, sci-fi, or horror, genres.

~Zack~

P.S.- They couldn't have picked a better song to put over the end credits. Perfect.

I was really enjoying this up until the end. There were two plot developments that were so stupid, they nearly ruined the whole movie for me. One of them was the exact same plot device that made the ending of AVP so unbearable. The other was just random, confusing and contributed nothing to the plot.

But...

Everything else about the movie was top notch. The story unfolded in a very naturalistic way and took its time to build tension. Adrian Brody held his own and didn't feel like a stand-in for Arnold at all. In fact, none of the characters felt rehashed in any way. The acting was decent all around including Topher Grace who I thought would be the weakest link. No problems there. I also felt they used references to the first film in very thoughtful ways, as a means to actually keep the plot moving and not to wink at the audience.

And of course...

The Predators look greater than ever. I really think they found the best look for them in this one. The special FX have finally been perfected, especially the camouflage, yet didn't beat you over the head by any means. I think the Predators got just enough screen time too. It's called Predators for a reason, of course, but I'm glad they held off on showing them in the beginning. It felt just like the first film. I enjoyed the new critters as well. Very cool.

The most impressive thing about the movie, to me, was the fact that despite this was a big Hollywood blockbuster, not to mention a sequel in a franchise, I never felt like I had to turn my brain off or overlook something glaring problem to enjoy it. There were a few Hollywood cliches like jump scares and characters showing pictures of their kids but they weren't overused or even used that much at all. There's a healthy dose of cheesy one-liners but they aren't stupid or cringeworthy. Most are funny and some actually pretty clever. It definitely felt like a throwback to the 80s.

Despite the ending, which was awful, I thought this was an excellent popcorn action flick that proves that a movie doesn't have to be dumb to win over a mainstream audience. People were having a blast and frankly, I was too.

BTW, the new Machete trailer looks pretty sweet too.

Sorely disappointed with this.  Even though I knew it wasn't going to be great, I still went in expecting to be pleasantly surprised, but, I'm sorry to say, this film is far worse than I could have anticipated.  It's one thing to pay homage to the original but to take it to the extent that they did is downright shameful.  Blatant rip-offs of other classic movie lines too with a; if it comes to that, I'll do us both steel from "Aliens", and one that kinda felt like a; we're gonna need a bigger boat reference.

Yes, I am a fan, but there are many problems with the actual film itself.  There's a great opening with the potential to introduce some great characters, who, with the exception of Fisbourne's cameo, all fell flat for me.  I can buy Brody as an action hero and it's always fun to see Danny Trejo, but none of the characters really gel and don't share any of the rapor that, say, Mac and Blane did in the original.

The film also suffers from a very slow start and pacing issues, which, I put down to a general lack of visually engaging set-pieces.  There's no suspense, no scares and no real violence - all crucial for a film like this.  It's a shame really because I was hoping this would be the film that would was away the sour after-taste of all those AVP movies.  But no, they just keep piling up.

One last thing, I understand this film was made from an old script Rodriguez wrote back in the nineties?  It shows too.  It's got the feel of collection of "cool" ideas that any fanboy might fantasize about putting into a Predator film, but with no real care or consideration as to how to actually make a decent film.

This was pretty cool, by far the best predator film since the original, but that ain't really sayin' much!  has some good kills and good effects.  it was kinda obvious what topher grace was, i mean everyone else is a tough soldier or a prison inmate, who topher was there is only one thing a clean cut wimpy guy could be, i even knew from the trailer.  I loved the homages to the original, especially with the yakuza guy!  It was also nice to have a non cartoon movie out, I'm gettin' bored with all these animated movies, i want some more hard R action, so this movie at least fills that void!

What a mess.

Initially I was sceptical of the Predator(s) and with good reason. The script puts itself in a box right from the off, 'cos humans are no match for one predator, let alone several. The big problem it creates, of course, is that you have to keep the two gangs apart because there simply isn't a level playing field. There was never any tension gained from this. Using the 'hunting' excuse is bollocks - plain and simple. It worked in the original 'cos there was a lone hunter and the movie had the element of surprise. I assumed they would circumvent this with a plot that would expose a weakness in the beasts, but it never came. Instead we have some half-assed attempt to pit the predators against one another, a pointless Fishburne subplot, and a few really poor homages to the original. The 'Billy' homage being the worst.

The illogical Topher Grace 'twist' was laughable. I like Adrien Brody, he was exceptional in 'The Pianist' but was totally miscast here. No idea why he had a 'Batman' voice, either. Why the odd 'Lost' flavour? Instead of arriving on an airplane, they arrive by parachute. I wished they all got a twisted hand like that unfortunate fellow at the beginning, brought up the credits and saved us all from a pretty terrible film.

Quoted Text Robert Rodriguez has said that he wants this film to be to Predator as Aliens is to Alien, and it comes very close.

Roddy needs to take a reality check if he really said that.

Predators joins Knight and Day and The Karate Kid as a summer flick that looked and sounded extremely questionable and turns out to be, well...good.

A worthy sequel -- which, for the record, Predator 2 also is, not by virtue of what it is but by virtue of what it attempted -- Predators' biggest strength is that it's fun.  It starts in your face, it never takes itself too seriously, and it has a deep and obvious respect for what has come before it in the franchise.  Is it near as good as the original?  Of course note.  But it's solid, entertaining, well-made, and never dull.

Antal is a strong director and he really gets to show off his ability working with a big ensemble cast that are all on screen, all the time.  The shooting in the film is elegant in its simplicity and highly effective in the action sequences, particularly in one cleverly designed moment early on where they spring a long-dormant trap.

A word on Adrien Brody.  He kicks ass.  He is perfectly cast.  Everyone is uniformly strong with the exception of Topher Grace, who can't be blamed for sucking as he shouldn't be in the film in the first place.  

The script is really solid.  What it lacks of the raw, animalistic tone that made the original Predator such a hit with young males like myself, it makes up for with a genuine character arc and thematic content.  It's not exactly deep, of course, but it's there, and gosh, imagine a Hollywood movie that actually takes a stab at saying something and actually shows a character change?  I hope Bruckheimer is paying attention...actually, I just hope he's hit by a bus.

There are massive flaws.  There are bad twists.  The Pred-hounds, or whatever they're called, were sorta lame.  The physical effects are top-notch, but the CG was mediocre.  The climax isn't particularly strong.  Topher Grace should've been left in that tree.  Other common complaints I don't agree with.  I see no reason why a Kendo swordsman couldn't achieve what he achieves in this film, assuming the set of circumstances in the film.  I wasn't bothered in the slightest by Laurence Fishburne...it was a strong performance and his part in the film was necessary and completely thematically relevant.

So, while Predator comes pretty close to being perfect, Predators will have to settle with being highly entertaining.  Definitely worth seeing in theatres, even if it may be a bit more of an Alien 3 to Alien than an Aliens...

Meh.

Much a do about nothing really. Not terrible by any means but definitely nothing out of the ordinary. Some decent action scenes - although few and far apart. An easily digestible "plot" (if you can call it that). Stereotypical characters. Basically all you'd expect from a half assed action flick. Mildly entertaining. Very forgetable.

I had quite a bit of problems with the pacing of the movie. Why did they wait the better part of an hour before revealing the Predators? Did they really think it was going to be a surprise? I didn't catch anyone in the theatre going: "MY GOD - IS THAT WHAT'S HUNTING THEM?" That slow kind of build worked in Jaws but c'mon - we've already had four movies involving the predator creatures - the cat's out of the bag. That was the good thing about Predator 2 - it didn't wait around forever setting up the "antagonist" - it was kinda given from the get go.

The movie itself is basically a remake of "The Most Dangerous Game" - with Predators. You would have thought they could've come up with something a little more original. I mean, everyone from Jean Claude van Damme to Ice-T has made a move with that very plot. Hell, even Michael Dudikoff made one (remember him?).

And the amount of "homages" from the first film was just...fuck you. I mean, one or two would have been tasteful - but we're talking about 7 or 8. That's retarded.

Quoted from sniper Meh.

I stopped there.  I ain't got time to read.

WOW, what a crushing disappointment!  This movie was absolutely terrible!  I hated it and I rarely say that about franchise or genre specific movies I usually love.

I am once again shocked that so many people have positive things to say here.  Not just here, here, but even Rotten Tomatoes has a 64% approval rating.  It made over 3 times its budget.  Word of mouth was pretty good.

What the Fuck happened and what is everyone missing?

This thing is jaw droppingly dull...and SLOW!!!!!  Literally 20 minutes in before anything even happens, and that's the "trap segment", which although pretty cool, doesn't come into play at all, nor does it do anything at all.  After that, we get the "dogs" scenes, which, although much better than anything else we've seen so far, aren't really very well done, IMO.

Danny Trejo's "death scene" is a complete and utter farce and waste.  The intro to the Predators themselves is weak.  Larry Fishburne's intro is cool, but after that, he is a complete waste, as are all the scenes on the ship.  The finale?  Yeah, right...thrilling...shocking...NOT!

Terrible.

I actually watched this a 2nd time because I thought I must have really missed something when I watched it Saturday night, after a few cocktails.  I thought maybe I was hammered to the point where I wasn't able to see properly.

Nope, that wasn't the case.  The movie was just awful.  Much of it was filmed so dark, it was difficult to see what was even going on.  Not as bad as AVP Requiem, but close.  FX were not impressive, IMO.  No visuals were impressive, actually.  The cast was poor, IMO.  Dialogue weak and so on the nose, I laughed many times.  Plot and action, almost non existent.  Sets were so bad, so cheap looking, so unimpressive.

Many of you know how much I was looking forward to this and how upset I was that I didn't get to see it at the theater. It actually pains me to write this, but that's how I feel.

One of the biggest misfires for a surefire hit I've ever seen.

Embarrassingly WEAK!!!!!

Knowing that the reviews were pretty bad, I just selected the Nimrod Antal & Robert Rodriguez commentary to watch it the other night.

I watch a lot of writer/director/actor commentary, only sometimes do the producers get to comment, and these two presented an attitude of college buddies that were paid to move a house of furniture and now they're done, sharing brewskis at the corner pub.

"Uh.. yeah. We made this movie."
"And we did some stuff."
"Oh, you remember when blah blah blah... ?"
"And right here was when blah blah blah."

They didn't "invest" much into it.
It was a paycheck.

I heard Nimrod's ARMORED was also pretty bad and am currently hunting down that DVD at the library.

My concern is that when everything goes to streaming this and that while DVDs et al go to the wayside that these fabulous W/D/A commentaries will cease.
Often I find them more valuable than the movies themselves.


EDIT: Just for the halibut... http://moviecultists.com/2010/01/27/download-29-screenplays-from-this-years-top-awards-contenders/
Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay
2009 (82nd) The Hurt Locker – Mark Boal (in the list)
Inglourious Basterds – Quentin Tarantino (in the list)
The Messenger – Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman (in the list, but link doesn't work)
A Serious Man – Joel & Ethan Coen (in the list)
Up – Bob Peterson, Pete Docter (screenplay and story) and Tom McCarthy (story)

Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay
2009 (82nd) - Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire' – Geoffrey Fletcher from the novel Push by Sapphire (in the list)
District 9 – Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell from the short film Alive in Joburg by Neill Blomkamp
An Education – Nick Hornby from the book by Lynn Barber (in the list)
In the Loop – Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci and Tony Roche from the television series The Thick of It
Up in the Air – Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner from the novel by Walter Kirn

I agree with you, Ray.  I love the special features and commentaries as well.  The copy I watched from Neflix didn't have anything on it, which also pissed me off.

Armored was another one I really thought looked good...it wasn't...it was really, really bad.  I think I posted a review of it somewhere on SS.

I doubt DVD will get phased out anytime soon for the very reason of special features. Maybe director commentaries are more for film buffs but non-film buffs love deleted scenes and making ofs. Not even Blu Ray's replaced DVD yet. I think they'll stick around for a while.

I'd just assume not watch commentaries by RR. I didn't care for the Sin City ones. His other special features are fun and informative but he just comes off as wishy washy talking about his films. Not sure what it is.

I was appalled to read that Rodriguez deliberately held back for the "sequel".
News flash, if this one sucks, there ain't no sequel, so you better go for it now.
I despise "origin films" that string you along trying to make a franchise.
Go for broke and entertain the heck out of us before you plan your follow up please.
They shoulda called this one "8 Jerks in a Jungle" and tacked on a laugh track.

E.D.