FILM REVIEW: Predators (2010)
Predators (2010)
Directed by Nimród Antal
Written by Alex Litvak and Michael Finch
Starring: Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Walton Goggins, Laurence Fishburne
As the third film in the Predator franchise, Predators represents a kind of “return to form” for the series, taking audiences back to a physical jungle (as opposed to the metaphorical one that we got with Predator 2). The question is: what do you want from a Predator movie? And, by extension, is Predators able to tackle that question for you with a surprising answer? For better or worse (mostly worse), Predator 2 gave us something different than the 1987 original. The off-putting setting and silly characters aside, it tried to at least have a reason to exist, in that it wanted to give audiences something fresh. However, that uniqueness in and of itself is one reason Predator 2 fell so hard: it didn’t feel like Predator, and when it did, we were watching Donald Glover try to “take over” for Arnold Schwarzenegger of all people, Bill Paxton act like a mature version of his role in Aliens (come on guys, Paxton was capable of so much more than these antics), and Garey Busey come off as completely unhinged (although it took a little bit of time for his character to go completely off the rails). In other words, not only did it not work, but there was hardly anything about it that said “Predator.”
Let’s return to that question: what do you want from a Predator movie? Do we even really need a Predator film that doesn’t (capably) offer up anything different? I’ll try to answer this question for you, which is something Predators should have been able to do itself. When a movie fails to justify its own existence, the problem lies with the film, not necessarily the concept. There is plenty to like about Predators on paper, but when director Nimród Antal gives us is something mundane and, while occasionally enjoyable, feels like a missed opportunity of epic proportions.
So, let’s answer that question. I would say with confidence that most people want to see Arnold Schwarzenegger, or someone like him in the film industry, battling it out with a Predator, with enough clever writing and some relevant themes to make it stand out enough from the original so that it doesn’t feel too much like a retread. The amount of narrative maneuvering it would take to get Arnold or a different actor like him into the same position as the first film aside (of course, there could be wiggle room here so that the “jungle” setting isn’t set in stone), the Predator franchise isn’t as canonized as, say, Star Wars or Star Trek, and there are a lot of interesting places one could take the series given the right amount of creativity and craft. What we get with Predators isn’t that, but it feels somewhat like an attempt at it.
The biggest problems with Predators are the setting and the characters (much like with Predator 2 but to a far lesser extent). The setting is a welcome sight at first (at this point, anything but futuristic Los Angeles would be, right?) and it becomes even more interesting when Alex Litvak and Michael Finch’s screenplay turns the location a bit on its head. So far, so good, right? Wrong. Litvak and Finch go practically nowhere with their ideas. The concept of exactly where Predators takes place becomes as irrelevant as the color of Adrien Brody’s eyes (Brody plays the lead role in this film), and since this interesting take on the original Predator is supposed to be what makes it different from the first movie, it is incredibly disappointing that it doesn’t really go anywhere.
As for the characters, most are cliché cardboard cutouts, unfortunately, despite the talented actors playing them. The only ones worth noting are those played by Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, and Laurence Fishburne. A lot of Predator fans give this movie a bad rep merely for Grace’s character, and I can see why. There is clearly something amiss about his character from the beginning, and it won’t take audiences long to guess what the film is trying to throw at them.
Laurence Fishburne’s character isn’t in the film for nearly long enough, and Alice Braga (who isn’t even the lead) far outdoes Brody’s wholly formulaic “stoic good guy with a gun.” He’s just a boring character, and Brody offers very little performance-wise to root for. I mean, sure, you’re going to root for the good guy, but if Braga had been the star attraction, things would have been far more interesting.
Predators is no Predator 2, though. This is a film that has some entertaining set pieces and, from a technical perspective, is quite capable. It is not an excruciating experience to watch Predators by any means. The same thing cannot be said about Predator 2. At the time of writing, I have yet to see the fifth film in the series, simply titled Prey, but I have heard good things about it and am looking forward to watching it. Hopefully, it will take what Predators got right and amplify it, and stay far away from what Predator 2 and the fourth film The Predator (more on that later) got wrong.
★★½