THE PREDATOR – Review

Forget PREDATOR 2. Forget all that Alien Vs Predator nonsense and forget that dud with Adrian Brody a few years back– THE PREDATOR is the sequel that the beloved Arnold-powered ’80s actioner deserves. It’s been over thirty years since director John McTiernan delivered the original, and while I wouldn’t exactly say THE PREDATOR was worth the wait, it is far more enjoyable and well-made than the aforementioned sequels. Don’t go into this new update expecting much more than your average bloody, fire-powered action film and you’ll find it worth your while.

Boyd Holbrook stars in THE PREDATOR as Quinn McKenna, a specials ops sniper and the only survivor of a Mexico-set prologue where his platoon is ambushed by one of the dreadlocked title beasts. Some time later (a sense of time is not one of this film’s strong points) Quinn and his autistic son Rory (Jacob Trembly) happen upon the remains of an alien spacecraft which brings them face to face with another extraterrestrial soldier. This one is captured for study, which results in a visit from nosy government agent Traeger (Sterling K. Brown) and Dr. Casey Brackett (Olivia Munn), a “disgruntled science teacher” who arrive to analyze it. Quinn’s confined for knowing too much, but not before giving his son some alien artifacts to interact with (a scene where the boy wears a Predator face plate while out trick or treating is a highlight). Soon the kid has somehow summoned up a mega-Predator (who looks just like the other Predators but a couple of feet taller). With the help of his squad of crazy ex-soldier prisoners/mercenaries,  which include Trevante Rhodes’ volatile Nebraska, Thomas Jane’s Tourettes-addled fatalist Baxley, and Keegan-Michael Key’s unhinged Coyle, Quinn must protect Rory, dodge Traeger’s recapture efforts, save Planet Earth, and try to survive. We also discover why Predators keep coming back to our planet, why they take human trophies, and why one of them has gone rogue. Yes, it’s twenty pounds of convoluted crap stuffed into a ten-pound bag, but THE PREDATOR is still a lot of fun. It’s a big-budget B-movie that displays an un-PC comic tone, macho patriotism, and a knack for over-the-top gore – trademarks of the ‘80s-style vibe this film is going for. Director Shane Black and his cowriter Fred Dekker (the MONSTER SQUAD guy!) deliver non-stop tough-guy wisecracks and a welcome aspect of fun and irreverence. That said, the special effects are mediocre, the editing and continuity are chaotic, and too much of the running time seems to consist of characters firing high-powered weapons and chasing each other through government labs and dense forests. But THE PREDATOR is not a movie anyone will be discussing next awards season. It’s a Predator movie and a good one, or at least one that will satisfy fan’s appetite for some Predator action. An enjoyable 107 minutes and not much more, THE PREDATOR is a good time and I do recommend it.

3 of 5 Stars