Was The Predator franchise welcome?

Written By: mike on September 3, 2010 No Comment

The Summer 2010 return of the Predator franchise was a welcome one. “Predators” featured a great cast of actors and was produced by popular filmmaker Robert Rodriguez. The movie features Adrien Brody, Danny Trejo, Alice Braga and a few other surprise appearances.

If you missed this movie in theaters (you might still be able to catch it at a local theater), you’ll have to wait until it’s out on DVD. In some circles, it is considered a reboot to the franchise. However, in this movie, it does make reference to events in the original “Predator” movie. So, this movie can actually be a sequel, or continuation of the original “Predator” film series.

The new movie benefits from Rodriguez and his Troublemaker Studios digital effects. That said, if you didn’t have a good script or able director (Nimrod Antal), it would have been forgotten in a couple of weeks.

It has a great opening scene that takes the viewer right into the action. There are some inconsistencies with what appears in the movie trailer for “Predators” and what you actually see in the movie. That’s a minor point though. If you want to be entertained, this movie will do that. It didn’t benefit from a marketing campaign like “The Last Exorcism”. It’s a shame because that movie’s marketing seemed to be more interesting than that movie was. “Predators” will be satisfying for any action/science fiction movie fan who has seen the original “Predator” movie that starred California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Even if you haven’t seen the original, you will still enjoy this new “Predators” movie.

This action-filled movie has a buff Adrien Brody (who might surprise you, if you’ve seen him in his other films) as a reluctant soldier. He soon realizes that he and the group that is also on this planet (controlled by the Predators) are being hunted for sport. He and the group must think like the hunters if they want to survive this deadly game.

Something that was out of left field was the closing music in this movie. One of the people in the group I watched it with, said “What is this doing in that movie?” Point well taken. I guess we have to wait to hear the director and producer’s commentary on the DVD.

If the Predator series is going to continue, this movie is a good start. The “Alien vs. Predator” films were more like a standalone series. With Rodriguez’s further participation in future Predator films (whether he produces, or directs, but he’s a very busy director at this point), another Predator movie will be highly anticipated.

There are a couple of scenes where you might get confused, as there is a noticeable departure from the Predator’s point of view. This is another minor point. If the filmmakers were planning to use this as a launching pad for a new series of Predator movies, it looks like they saved some tasty ingredients for the next one.

Sci-fi fans will just have to wait. The studio might release an unrated cut of the film on DVD, or plan on showing more of the Predators’ world in the next sequel.