Predators

Find out what happens when 8 vicious killers are stuck on a planet. They stop being polite and start being real. That's how Predators opens, with a rather exciting opening sequence. It begins with Royce, played by Adrien Brody, awaking to find himself free falling. At the last second, a parachute opens and he lands in a very hot, thick jungle. Shortly after landing he finds seven other people in the same position as he. Seven of the jungle's newly found guests are some of our planets most vicious killers. The eighth is a doctor, who just seems out of place, Edwin, played by Topher Grace of That 70's Show. As they explore their new surroundings they discovery two very disturbing truths. The first: they are not on Earth any more. The second: they are being hunted.

Predators sits somewhere between remake and sequel. In a summer filled with both it is refreshing to see one done this well. In watching this film you can tell that director Nimrod Antel truly respects and cares for the source material from which his film is based. The actors are very committed to the project and you can feel that watching the film. Adrien Brody is completely believable as a mercenary after his own survival. The remaining characters are all vicious killers and yet you feel for each and find yourself pulling for all of them to survive.

For this writer, the highlight of Predators is how they not only kept the underlying theme of the original in tack, but how they expanded the idea as well. The original Predator examined the dynamic between the hunter and the hunted. Dutch, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, had to get to a point of utter defeat in order to find the instincts to hunt his hunter. Predators takes this a step further. It examines what makes people into predators across all walks of life. Royce (Brody) is a mercenary. He has been a soldier for so long that he became a mercenary just to continue to hunt and kill people. Even Edwin(Grace), we discover, isn't so out of place and is a predator in his own right.

Predators is not an Oscar contender, but it's not trying to be. It's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. There is a sword fight that is totally unnecessary and part of the third act is a little thin. With that being said, it is still a rather good movie and, in my humble opinion, the only true sequel to the original Predator.

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5