Spoilers The Predator- Review and Discussion Thread
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Just came back and it's a C.. typical modern blockbuster style film making without something to say or any real lasting appeal.
Story is quite weak - Predator A crash lands on Earth, is captured and subsequently escapes while butchering the whole research facility while Predator B arrives. hunts down A and kills him because he stole something. In between a whacky assortment of unlikely heroes who run/gun/joke themselves through the movie - The End.
The motley crew that finds itself completely by chance (and has, who would have expected that!, a wide assortment of Special Force level skills) takes on Predators, completely unfazed but at least they're funny (one line even had me in stitches for a while.. it really was that funny
) but it can't hold a candle to the original Schwarzenegger crew in coolness and macho bravado.
Olivia Munn, hot as always, goes from clumsy biology scientist to Special Force badass in half an hour and an Asperger kid apparently also cracks a completely alien technology and language (something a whole bunch of grown up scientists with a billion dollar budget couldn't do) because he thought it was a video game.
Oh.. and they already set up a sequel.
People, it's ok to see this when it hits streaming services and you already pay monthly fees for it but it's not necessary to pay for it at the theatre. It can't even start to compare against the original Predator movie.
Story is quite weak - Predator A crash lands on Earth, is captured and subsequently escapes while butchering the whole research facility while Predator B arrives. hunts down A and kills him because he stole something. In between a whacky assortment of unlikely heroes who run/gun/joke themselves through the movie - The End.
The motley crew that finds itself completely by chance (and has, who would have expected that!, a wide assortment of Special Force level skills) takes on Predators, completely unfazed but at least they're funny (one line even had me in stitches for a while.. it really was that funny
) but it can't hold a candle to the original Schwarzenegger crew in coolness and macho bravado.Olivia Munn, hot as always, goes from clumsy biology scientist to Special Force badass in half an hour and an Asperger kid apparently also cracks a completely alien technology and language (something a whole bunch of grown up scientists with a billion dollar budget couldn't do) because he thought it was a video game.
Oh.. and they already set up a sequel.
People, it's ok to see this when it hits streaming services and you already pay monthly fees for it but it's not necessary to pay for it at the theatre. It can't even start to compare against the original Predator movie.
Enjoyable but forgettable film with its main appeal being its one-liners. Though amusing, they do not hold a candle to Jesse Ventura in the first one. But then, sexual tyrannosaurus is pretty difficult to top.
The most entertaining thing about this pile of garbage was the final scene which was obviously shot long after the the rest of the film. You get SyFy-level CGI, a failed attempt to hide Boyd Holbrook's hair, a piece of alien technology with Pod 3 helpfully engraved on it in English and a script that makes no sense in the context of the film as it was released. Not bad for less than two minutes!
This movie was like cotton candy. It was tasty while in your mouth but it left your stomach empty when it was all over.
What happened with Sterling K. Brown's character? I'm assuming he was killed but they never really showed him dying as far as I could tell.
How did Olivia Munn's character get to the crashed space ship so fast. It's flew for quite awhile before it was taken down. It should've took her hours to get there on foot.
The final scene looked like it should've been shown during the credits. It just seemed out of place right at the end.
What happened with Sterling K. Brown's character? I'm assuming he was killed but they never really showed him dying as far as I could tell.
How did Olivia Munn's character get to the crashed space ship so fast. It's flew for quite awhile before it was taken down. It should've took her hours to get there on foot.
The final scene looked like it should've been shown during the credits. It just seemed out of place right at the end.
More or less. It's their Star Trek Discovery.
yeah, noMore or less. It's their Star Trek Discovery.
I had low expectations going in and boy did they deliver on that. I was long iffy on this project, but still hopeful that Shane Black, due to his history with the franchise, could pull off something decent. I'm not devotee of Black's work. I did like Iron Man 3, but after watching The Predator, I might have to reconsider that movie.
The first five/ten minutes of the film were the best part, and after that, it went downhill. I didn't care for the "Loonies", didn't care for their jokes, which didn't mesh well with what was supposed to be a sci-fi horror/action film. I also didn't care for the young actor. Nothing against him personally or his acting-but I felt this story didn't need to go that route with a kid, and a trite lesson about being a better parent, it felt so Hollywood and not in a good way. But much of this film felt studio dictated, including the Loonies and how they were introduced. It felt so artificial. Also setting the film at Halloween didn't work either. But at least Black refrained from setting the film during Christmastime.
The cast was talented, but mostly wasted. I thought the additions to the Predator lore were interesting, but at the same time lead to more questions.
From what I've been reading and hearing about this film I think it got butchered in the editing process or due to all the reshooting. Now that I think about it, it feels like chunks of the film were taken out and the end result is choppy.
After watching the film I felt like The Predator could be the Terminator Genisys of this franchise.
What worked for me best was some of the action and the kills were often very gory. I also thought the production design was nice. I also liked the nods to some of the earlier films, including
The first five/ten minutes of the film were the best part, and after that, it went downhill. I didn't care for the "Loonies", didn't care for their jokes, which didn't mesh well with what was supposed to be a sci-fi horror/action film. I also didn't care for the young actor. Nothing against him personally or his acting-but I felt this story didn't need to go that route with a kid, and a trite lesson about being a better parent, it felt so Hollywood and not in a good way. But much of this film felt studio dictated, including the Loonies and how they were introduced. It felt so artificial. Also setting the film at Halloween didn't work either. But at least Black refrained from setting the film during Christmastime.
The cast was talented, but mostly wasted. I thought the additions to the Predator lore were interesting, but at the same time lead to more questions.
I did like how it was explained why the Predators rip the skulls and spinal columns out of their victims, but the whole seeking DNA from worthy prey seems odd to me when it comes to humans. Less than a handful-that we know of-have survived, and we didn't see Harrigan being harvested like this new film suggests he would have. I mean, if they are capturing these humans to process or taking from the ones they've killed, what makes them superior specimens? It seems like they would go after Dutch, Anna, Harrigan, Royce, and Isabella.
Further, if Predators have all this technology and ability to open space rifts, what exactly can human genes add to their genetic mix that they don't already have? I don't think the gene stealing idea is a bad one, but I am skeptical about it working for the Predators. Feels more like something the Engineers would do.
Granted they could explain this away-as I've read in an article-with their being various Predator factions and they aren't all doing these experiments. The internal conflicts, which we saw in Predators, are also in this film, at least between some Predators who want to help humanity and the Ultimate Predator sent to stop the rebelling Predator. We learn that late in the film, but it doesn't jibe with the 'friendly' Predator who goes on a killing spree as soon as he awakes. Certainly I can see he's pissed about being restrained and experimented on by humans, but if his mission was to bring Earth the Predator-Killer weapon, why did he go off on a rampage like that? Why not explain what he had to allay some fears or doubts?
There were other things that bothered me. Why did McKenna send the Predator tech to a P.O. Box he wasn't keeping the payments up on? I've never had a P.O. Box so I don't know how many payments you can miss before they cancel your box. Where was any emotional reaction to Rory accidentally killing another person and blowing up a house? What happened to Rory's mother? How did the Loonies steal a television news helicopter? Why did the Loonies even come along at all? I'm glad there was at least one scene where they showed resistance to helping McKenna. That made more sense to me. Nebraska's devotion to McKenna, a dude he just met, and a person's whose actions inadvertently put them all in danger, didn't make much sense at all. It was storyline dictated. We need a group of soldiers/warriors to support McKenna and they didn't care much about the how, outside of making them distinct from the casts of the previous films. Also, why did that one Predator dog have an attachment to Olivia Munn's Brackett? Was it supposed to be a gag?
Granted they could explain this away-as I've read in an article-with their being various Predator factions and they aren't all doing these experiments. The internal conflicts, which we saw in Predators, are also in this film, at least between some Predators who want to help humanity and the Ultimate Predator sent to stop the rebelling Predator. We learn that late in the film, but it doesn't jibe with the 'friendly' Predator who goes on a killing spree as soon as he awakes. Certainly I can see he's pissed about being restrained and experimented on by humans, but if his mission was to bring Earth the Predator-Killer weapon, why did he go off on a rampage like that? Why not explain what he had to allay some fears or doubts?
There were other things that bothered me. Why did McKenna send the Predator tech to a P.O. Box he wasn't keeping the payments up on? I've never had a P.O. Box so I don't know how many payments you can miss before they cancel your box. Where was any emotional reaction to Rory accidentally killing another person and blowing up a house? What happened to Rory's mother? How did the Loonies steal a television news helicopter? Why did the Loonies even come along at all? I'm glad there was at least one scene where they showed resistance to helping McKenna. That made more sense to me. Nebraska's devotion to McKenna, a dude he just met, and a person's whose actions inadvertently put them all in danger, didn't make much sense at all. It was storyline dictated. We need a group of soldiers/warriors to support McKenna and they didn't care much about the how, outside of making them distinct from the casts of the previous films. Also, why did that one Predator dog have an attachment to Olivia Munn's Brackett? Was it supposed to be a gag?
From what I've been reading and hearing about this film I think it got butchered in the editing process or due to all the reshooting. Now that I think about it, it feels like chunks of the film were taken out and the end result is choppy.
After watching the film I felt like The Predator could be the Terminator Genisys of this franchise.
While I liked Genisys, I didn't like The Predator. I feel they are similar because of their attempts to change (or add) on to what we knew before, but also to change the course of the franchise. If there is a Predator sequel it moves now to more of a humans fighting the Predators deal instead of survival horror. I also felt the end of The Predator reminded me of Independence Day: Resurgence and Pacific Rim 2, in a 'now we take the fight to them' kind of way, and that left me underwhelmed. I think it made more sense to do that in Resurgence and Pacific Rim 2 than in a Predator film.
What worked for me best was some of the action and the kills were often very gory. I also thought the production design was nice. I also liked the nods to some of the earlier films, including
the running joke about why the aliens are called "Predators". It would've been great if they had said the word "Yautja" or inserted it in somehow.
I was hoping for a reference. I read this film ignored the AVP films, but I don't know why.
I heard online that they used the Predator ship design from AVP and also included one of their spears.
Nothing in this film from what I could tell would have negatively impacted the story told by not incorporating what happened in the AVP films.
If anything it would've backed up Traeger's assertion that the Predators were speeding up their culling.
Perhaps Black didn't want to draw parallels between his film and AVP: Requiem and there were similarities. The AVP films also had a similar look as The Predator.
I was wondering the same thing about Brown's character. I thought maybe I missed something. I was listening to a You Tube review that thought he died, but I'm not sure they were sure on that.
I'm glad i'm not the only one who missed seeing Sterling K Brown's death. They reshot the end to set it at night instead of during the day but it ended up being near impossible to tell what was happening half the time.
It also screwed up the timeline since it originally took place over multiple days (and locations), which is why Brown refers back to the events of Halloween night, when in the released version that was now only a couple of hours ago.
It also screwed up the timeline since it originally took place over multiple days (and locations), which is why Brown refers back to the events of Halloween night, when in the released version that was now only a couple of hours ago.
It definitely felt like big chuncks were left on the cutting room floor... like: Where did the winnebego come me from? How did they steal a news helicopter? Stuff like that... And yeah, the main character’s hair at the end? Wtf?
B - mostly because there were some good one liners and decent battle scenes.
B - mostly because there were some good one liners and decent battle scenes.
Worst movie I have seen this year. This was a disaster! I cant believe they let this in theaters. I kept waiting for it to end. It doesn't make sense, the characters are stupid, the action sucks, nothing in the movie makes sense.
Please, everyone, DON'T spend your money on this.
I'd rather sit through the Alien Vs Predator movies another 10 times than watch this again. In fact I never want to see this stinking pile of an excuse for a film again.
I've seen some bad movies and b movies in my time but for a movie with this budget, released by a major studio, it's a joke!
Please, everyone, DON'T spend your money on this.
I'd rather sit through the Alien Vs Predator movies another 10 times than watch this again. In fact I never want to see this stinking pile of an excuse for a film again.
I've seen some bad movies and b movies in my time but for a movie with this budget, released by a major studio, it's a joke!
It's so much worse. Please excuse me while I go ring the town bell and tell everyone to save themselves.
Don't mince words, Saul, what do you really think?
Just came back and it's a C.. typical modern blockbuster style film making without something to say or any real lasting appeal.
Story is quite weak - Predator A crash lands on Earth, is captured and subsequently escapes while butchering the whole research facility while Predator B arrives. hunts down A and kills him because he stole something. In between a whacky assortment of unlikely heroes who run/gun/joke themselves through the movie - The End.
The motley crew that finds itself completely by chance (and has, who would have expected that!, a wide assortment of Special Force level skills) takes on Predators, completely unfazed but at least they're funny (one line even had me in stitches for a while.. it really was that funny
Olivia Munn, hot as always, goes from clumsy biology scientist to Special Force badass in half an hour and an Asperger kid apparently also cracks a completely alien technology and language (something a whole bunch of grown up scientists with a billion dollar budget couldn't do) because he thought it was a video game.
Oh.. and they already set up a sequel.
People, it's ok to see this when it hits streaming services and you already pay monthly fees for it but it's not necessary to pay for it at the theatre. It can't even start to compare against the original Predator movie.
Yeah...this pretty much sums up everything I thought about the movie, though I gave it a B+ (because it's the poster child for "B-movie").
A good popcorn movie. Moderately entertaining while watching it. Otherwise, not very memorable.
The original Predator is one of my favorite sci-fi films. (Sure, it's more action/survival horror than true sci-fi but that's another discussion.) Predator 2 lacked the quiet suspense of the original but still felt faithful to what was established in the first. Plus, it added to the mythos in an interesting way with its ending. Predators was a worthy sequel in the respect that introduced the concept of the Yautja having a game preserve instead of always going hunting in foreign lands.
Nothing I have seen in the trailers or read online makes me want to see this film in any way. The very concept (from the trailers) that the Predators are "improving themselves with alien DNA" doesn't jive with any of the previous films. Those are the Aliens-- not the Predators. The notion of a "Super Predator" just reeks of junior high fanfic vs. anything that we've seen in the films thus far. It comes across as the writers thinking "you know what would be kewl" vs. telling a real story.
Yeah... this movie just looks bloody awful.
Nothing I have seen in the trailers or read online makes me want to see this film in any way. The very concept (from the trailers) that the Predators are "improving themselves with alien DNA" doesn't jive with any of the previous films. Those are the Aliens-- not the Predators. The notion of a "Super Predator" just reeks of junior high fanfic vs. anything that we've seen in the films thus far. It comes across as the writers thinking "you know what would be kewl" vs. telling a real story.
Yeah... this movie just looks bloody awful.
You're right. That was too mean on the Predator.
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