Produced by Robert Rodriguez.
Directed by Nimrod Antal.
Written by Alex Litvak and Michael Finch.
Starring Adrien Brody, Alice Braga, Topher Grace, Laurence Fishburne, Danny Trejo and Derek Mears.
Featuring creature makeup by Howard Berger and Gregory Nicotero.
"Fear is Reborn"
Grindhouse director Robert Rodriquez produces a reboot of the Predator franchise, directed by Nimrod Antal who last directed Vacancy and Armored. Jumping off the storyline from the original, Predator (1987), Predators doesn't necessarily ignore the other films, Predator 2 (1990), Aliens vs. Predator (2004) and Aliens vs. Predator - Requiem (2007); it only picks and chooses what is needed from those films and references heavily the late eighties Arnold Schwarzenegger classic instead. The film begins with Adrien Brody's character waking up to find himself in mid-free-fall. After a rough landing, he quickly discovers that he's not alone and a small team begins to form. This small team discovers they share one thing in common; they're all military, killers or worse - regardless, they've all been responsible for ending the lives of other human beings. Soon they find they're on an alien planet and they're being hunted by some unknown being or beings. It doesn't take long for survivors of this rag-tag team to come face-to-face with the Predator species. The fight for survival is on.
The plot for Predators is simple and the action is large. For a movie like this, the script serves its source material well; in fact, when it begins to delve into deeper territory, it begins to suffer and become slow. Adrien Brody proves himself an action star to much surprise. He is certainly no Arnold, but he is a closer representative of the modern action hero - leaner, faster, smarter. Alice Braga, a sniper from the Israeli Defense Forces, is Brody's equal and is also far from your typical action star. She balances Brody's character out perfectly and they make quite the team. The rest are a mixed bag: Cuchillo is from the drug cartel wars in Baja, Stans is a mass-murderer from the FBI's Most Wanted List, Mombasa is from the Revolutionary United Front's death squad, Nikolai is from the Russian special forces and Hanzo is an Asian crime enforcer. They are an entertaining bunch, if nothing else. Then there's Edwin, a doctor, seemingly unlike all the rest but carries a sinister secret. With Brody leading the team, they strike back at the Predators and provide a challenge the Predators rarely encounter.
Howard Berger and Gregory Nicotero are the lead special effects artist handling the creature effects and more. While the classic Predator makes an appearance, the new Predators are larger, meaner and more grotesque. They have new gear, new weapons and a pack of other worldly species (much like horned and tusked canine). But they're still damned ugly. While the human crew is important, it's these Predators that sell the show and they do not disappoint. The lead is well designed and sports an effective bone accent to his head gear to make him stand out. The carnage they cause gives Berger and Nicotero and the other effect teams plenty to do for this production: decapitations, explosions, expulsions of head and spine. Predators has little trouble getting it's R rating.
Predators has a lot to enjoy and is as lean as its action star lead. The creature effects are top-notch, exciting and inventive. It is a very satisfying summer flick and should be enjoyed on the big screen. While it makes a few missteps along the way, the brief detour with the character Nolad (Laurence Fishburne) is a bit of a head-scratcher, it is a perfect addition to the Predator franchise and will sit nicely right beside the original. Recommended.
8 out of 10
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