Celebrity Nooz: Predators

Predators (2010)

Movie Title: Predators

Year Released: 2010

Rated: R

Runtime: 1h 47min

Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Director: Nimród Antal

Writer: Alex Litvak and Michael Finch

Starring: Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Walton Goggins, Oleg Taktarov, Laurence Fishburne, Danny Trejo, Louis Ozawa Changchien, Mahershala Ali, Carey Jones, Brian Steele, Derek Mears

Review: When eight strangers parachute into an unfamiliar jungle they must band together to survive. If the terrain and fauna weren't threatening enough these world-weary warriors soon discover that they are the prey for the universe's ultimate hunter - the Predators.

What could have been a carbon copy of the original Predator (1987) is more of a "soft reboot" of the action-science fiction franchise. Predators is kind of like a big budget fan film that celebrates everything that made the Arnold Schwarzenegger epic a success both as a surprise box office hit and to legions of fans that love Stan Winston's creature design and the endlessly quotable script.

Director Nimród Antal, writers Alex Litvak and Michael Finch, and producer Robert Rodriguez use the first film as a blueprint. But instead of just going through the motions for an easy cash grab they breath new life into this series with a clever set up, suspense, a unique cast of characters, hard-hitting action, homages to the classic, and several shocking surprises that even caught me off guard.

The small cast is chock-full of talented actors including Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Laurence Fishburne, Danny Trejo, Mahershala Ali, and the man with the best hair in show business - Walton Goggins. They all have their time to shine regardless of how long they last during this dangerous hunting trip. Brody is solid as the lead. I really enjoyed his brooding intensity as he tries to figure out what is really going on.

There are only two things that bothered me during this very entertaining action flick. One, the first 30 minutes or so is deeply rooted in a suspenseful slow-burn of who or what these elite combatants are really up against. That's totally fine. I really enjoyed that. I like suspense and slow-burns, but this is the 4th "Predator" movie. Everyone that bought a ticket knows what the deal is. And second, the last act of the movie really "borrows" heavily from the climax of the original Predator movie. It's almost as if the writers ran out of steam or they re-shot the climax to serve the fan-base.

After my latest re-watch I really enjoyed the inventive twist on this over 30-year-old franchise. The monsters look cool, the action is tough and gritty, and the story and its surprises kept me engaged. It's definitely the best sequel and certainly worth hunting down.

Stars (out of 4):

Fun Fact: The "hunting dogs" are based on one of the creature skulls seen in the trophy case on-board the Predator ship, near the end of Predator 2 (1990).

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