Predators (2010)

Studio: 20^th Century Fox, Troublemaker Studios and Davis Entertainment
Theatrical Release: July 9, 2010
Home Release: October 19, 2010
Director: Nimrod Antal
Rated R
Genre: Action, Science-Fiction, Horror

Review by James Klein

Is it really so hard to make a good Predator film? The original film is now considered an action classic and one of Arnie's best roles (I always argue that Conan the Barbarian is still his best film). Maybe because it was directed by John McTiernan who was at his prime at the time. Since the original Predator, none of the sequels have even come close to being on the same level as the first film (although I think Predator 2 is a fun exploitation film). Predators follows in the same vein as the sequels which has me wondering if we'll ever see a Predator sequel that is on par with the original.

Right away, the movie begins rather strangely. A bunch of people fall from the sky and land in the jungle. We get to meet each character with their typical stereotypes that we have all seen in a million movies (the tough bad ass, the strong female, the tough foreign guy, the wimpy comic relief guy, the racist guy, the Asian martial artist, etc.). None of them have any idea what happened to them or why they are there. We soon find out they were chosen specifically by the Predators. These people are to be hunted for sport. Think Predator meets The Most Dangerous Game. And these people are not on Earth but on the Predators planet, which basically looks like a jungle just like in the first film. The film makers even go out of their way to remind you of the original film by re-citing lines from the first film. There is also a re-hash of the Sonny Landham scene which comes out of nowhere and makes zero sense.

Aside from the bizarre and odd plot, the characters are really annoying and hilariously bad. Adrien Brody as a bad ass mercenary is a joke. Laurence Fishburne is so over the top and his character is so pointless, it is a wonder why he even chose to be in this movie. Topher Grace spouting off one-liners was almost enough to make me stop watching. And when will the "tough female bad ass" cliché end? These characters were like nails on a chalkboard. I rooted for the Predators to just kill these idiots off.

And one can't help but root them on. The Predators look great and the make up effects were really effective and the fight scenes were very well done. It's a shame they are wasted on such a piss-poor screenplay filled with mis-cast actors. These action scenes are a lot of fun but they can't save this idiotic film. What do you expect when the director of this crap is named Nimrod?