It's pretty safe to say that Hollywood's run out of steam when it comes to originality. In an era of remakes, reboots, sequels, and the current gimmicky overuse of 3D technology, there really isn't much to be surprised by anymore when you go to the movies.
This can especially hold true for sci-fi and horror films. Nearly every classic horror flick's been remade into an exasperatingly inferior bastardization, and once-venerable science fiction franchises have been dragged along well past its welcome. A glaring example is that of the Predator franchise. First brought to cinematic life in 1987 by director John McTiernan, Predator was a thrilling, tense, and refreshing take on the "Most Dangerous Game" genre of action films, where trained killers and tough guys have the tables turned on them, and are themselves hunted by an advanced and particularly ruthless assassin (an extraterrestrial in this case). It was also yet another hit for Arnold Schwarzenegger, who made the film all that more memorable with his signature cheesy one-liners.
But sadly, lightning didn't strike twice, and the Arnold-less 1990 sequel with Danny Glover failed to live up to expectations. And then there were the two atrocious Alien vs. Predators crossovers in 2004 and 2007 (a concept that was better suited for video games, especially since the Alien series had already worn out its welcome as well).
Of course, Hollywood never stops beating a dead horse when they can smell big box-office bucks, so there was an inevitable reprise to those dreadlocked, mandible-faced Predators. But rather than rebooting or remaking the original film (a wise decision), director Nimrod Antal and producer/co-writer Robert Rodriguez decided to make Predators a loose sequel and continuation of McTiernan's story, and jettisoning the AvP films from its continuity. For better or for worse, Predators returns to the 1987 original's dark, brutal, and intense atmosphere, right from the very beginning.
American soldier-turned-mercenary Royce (a surprisingly buff Adrien Brody, who seems intent on going from arthouse darling to sci-fi leading man after last month's Splice) wakes up to find himself careening through the air towards the jungle. After breaking his fall with his chute, Royce discovers other killers, soldiers, and dangerous types in the same predicament: Israeli soldier Isabelle (Alice Braga); Russian commando Nikolai (Oleg Taktarov); RUF death squad member Mombasa (Mahershalalhashbaz Ali); drug cartel enforcer Cuchillo (Rodriguez favorite Danny Trejo); silent Yakuza gangster Hanzo (Louis Changchien); and serial killer Stans (Walter Goggins). Rounding out the motley crew is meek doctor Edwin (Topher Grace), who's seemingly out of place in this group of killers.
The group eventually discovers that they're not on any jungle on Earth, but rather an alien planet, and that they've been placed in a game preserve to be hunted by technologically-advanced aliens. As they learn more about these Predators and their tactics-- mostly from Air Cavalry member and survivor Noland (Laurence Fishburne)-- the human prey hope to not only find a way off the planet, but to kill as many of their hunters as they can.
Of course, thanks to our familiarity with this plotline (covered in The Running Man, The Condemned, and of course the first Predator), we all know that the protagonists are going to be picked off one by one, all in bloody and violent fashions. Though it's admittedly cool to see the Predators do their thing again, this offering is basically retreading familiar ground.
It also doesn't help that despite the large cast, there aren't any characterizations that really stick out and are mostly barely-fleshed-out targets for the Predators to sink their blades and other pointy objects into. Brody does the usual brooding anti-hero/leader bit (and adopts Christian Bale's gravelly Batman growl because, you know, he's hardcore), Braga does an okay job as the tough lone female, and the great Larry Fishburne is mostly wasted in what's essentially a kooky, Col. Kurtz-style renegade role. It makes the audience yearn for stoic, silly one-liners from Arnie and Jesse "I ain't got time to bleed" Ventura.
But despite these flaws, Predators still manages to be an adrenaline-filled and fun B-movie, well aware of its inherent silliness, and for a sequel that's clearly destined to be nowhere near as good as the first, Predators has top-notch production values, impressive special effects, great action sequences (especially in the final battle between Royce and a particularly advanced Predator), and Antal and Rodriguez have made sure to make the titular aliens as badass as they were 23 years ago.
Despite lacking a lot of the suspense and originality that the original had in droves, Predators nevertheless manages to tower above most other sci-fi/horror sequels and remakes, thanks to its gritty atmosphere, gripping action setpieces, and its refusal to take itself too seriously.
Letter Grade: "C+"
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