Predators: Reviewed

Every little boy growing up in the 80s must have watched Predator. As a kid, I loved 80s action movies.

The 60s had the Beatles, the 70s had the hippies, the 80s had testosterone.

My favourite? Predator. With a motley crew of burly He-Men, simply watching the original Predator movie could cause hair to grow on your chest.

When I saw the advertisement for Predators along Dhoby Gaut MRT station, I nearly freaked out. Finally, a full-fledged sequel! But is it as good as the original?

Honestly, no.

The reason? The script. The original Predator was so entertaining because it featured a gallery of likeable rogues. Memorable one-liners few out as frequently as machine gun bullets and the action was intense and well directed.

The characters in Predators are decidedly less likeable. You have an ex-convict who is a serial rapist, a Yakuza Assassin, and a selfish mercenary played by Adrien ‘Big Nose’ Brody.

When you are forced to use a serial rapist as comic relief, you know you are in trouble.

The concept is good.In the opening sequence, Brody gains consciousness mid-freefall. His parachute opens automatically as he panics and he soon finds himself in a jungle.

Suddenly other humans fall out of the sky and your new motley crew of survivors takes form.

Soon they discover that they are on an alien planet and shortly after, things start going wrong.

Well, not really.

I felt that the 1st act of the movie was too slow in developing the plot. Keep in mind that most people who have seen the Predator movie are already 3 steps ahead of the characters.

1. We know that they are on a Alien planet.
2. We know that Predators are hunting them.
3. We know that most of the cast won’t survive.

The subsequent action sequences are serviceable, but ultimately unsatisfying. The direction for the first firefight feels lack lustre. The original Predator made it look fun to fire a gun. Here, firefights are handled in a very nonchalant manner.

Predators pays plenty of homage to the original movie. I am indifferent to its effect.

At times it seems appropriate. At times I question the wisdom of invoking your predecessor when it makes you appear inadequate in comparison.

The script takes a brilliant turn for the better in the last 20 minutes. I was genuinely surprised by the minor plot ‘twist’ at the end and the final battle. If only that same brillance had revealed itself at the start of the movie.

Should you watch Predators? Honestly, I don’t know. It’s not a bad movie by any means. The performances are executed ably and the script isn’t necessarily bad.

Fans of the original will probably find it lacking but it’s a pretty fun action movie to watch.

BTW, this was the first time Yi-Hui and I watched a movie in the cinema together. We watched it at Film Garde at Illuma. The theatre is really small. Sit close to the aisle for a centralized view.

And Yi-Hui was absolutely terrified during the entire movie. I yawned about 5 times.