The Predator (2018) 20th Century Fox/Sci-Fi-Action-Horror RT: 107 minutes Rated R (strong bloody violence, language throughout, crude sexual references) Director: Shane Black Screenplay: Fred Dekker and Shane Black Music: Henry Jackman Cinematography: Larry Fong Release date: September 14, 2018 (US) Cast: Boyd Holbrook, Trevante Rhodes, Jacob Tremblay, Keegan-Michael Key, Olivia Munn, Sterling K. Brown, Thomas Jane, Alfie Allen, Augusto Aguilera, Jake Busey, Yvonne Strahovski, Brian A. Prince.
Rating: ***
I have a guilty secret to confess. I’ve been looking forward The Predator for a while. I’m a big fan of the 1987 original in which Ah-nuld (as in Schwarzenegger), Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), The Body (wrestler Jesse Ventura), Billy Bear (Sonny Landham of 48 Hrs.) and a bunch of other macho types track a giant alien creature in the hot Central American jungle. The future-set Predator 2 came three years later only this time it was Danny Glover, Gary Busey (Lethal Weapon mini-reunion here!) and a team of cops hunting the titular otherworldly being around the greater Los Angeles area. Those, in my opinion, are the best Predator movies. I thought the first Alien vs. Predator movie was a letdown (PG-13? Really?). The second AvP is fun but hardly exceptional. 2010’s Predators is a decent Saturday matinee flick, nothing more. Now we come to The Predator which picks up about twenty years after Predator 2. I’m pleased to announce that it kicks ass in a serious way!
The Predator, both a throwback and homage to 80s action movies, is directed by Shane Black who played one of the soldiers in the first movie. He’s an action vet. He wrote the screenplays for Lethal Weapon, The Last Boy Scout and The Long Kiss Goodnight. Dare I mention he also wrote Last Action Hero? Black shares writing credit on The Predator with Fred Dekker, the man behind gems like Night of the Creeps and The Monster Squad and non-gem RoboCop 3 (PG-13? Really?). Although Henry Jackman does the score for this one, Black saw fit to include snatches of Alan Silvestri’s score from the original. As you can see, The Predator has quite the pedigree. But does the storyline measure up? Let’s see.
An abridged plot summary would go as follows: a ragtag team of unhinged soldiers (aka “The Loonies”), a hot biologist and a kid with Asperger’s take on not one but two Predators in a Georgia suburb. Yes, the Predator has landed in Spielberg territory. Although we’d still like them to go home, there’s nothing cute about these particular ETs. In fact, this time it’s worse. One of them is a Super Predator, the next stage in evolution or some such nonsense. But I’m getting ahead of myself here. No more beating around the bush, here’s a fuller version of the plot summary.
It all starts in Mexico where military sniper Quinn McKenna (Holbrook, Logan) is almost hit by a unidentified flying object while on the job (something to do with a drug cartel). It’s an escape pod that has crash-landed on Earth. From it emerges a Predator. McKenna grabs some of his alien gear and splits before government types led by Traeger (Brown, This Is Us) arrive on the scene. He manages to mail most of it to his home address (save for one thing that he swallows) before being captured, interrogated and thrown on a bus to a mental hospital for “further evaluation”. It’s a thinly veiled attempt to discredit McKenna so nobody believes him about his close encounter. On this bus are the guys that will make up his team, the guys that jump into action when the alien you-know-what hits the fan. They are Nebraska (Rhodes, Moonlight), Coyle (Key of comedy team Key & Peele), Baxley (Jane, The Punisher), Nettles (Aguilera, Chasing Life) and Lynch (Allen, John Wick).
Meanwhile, the package ends up being received by McKenna’s preteen son Rory (Tremblay, Wonder) at the home of his ex-wife Emily (Strahovski, The Handmaid’s Tale). Rory is on the autism scale which makes him a target for bullying. He attends Lawrence A. Gordon Middle School, named for one of the producers of the first movie (just one of a few nods to the original). Due to his condition, he’s able to decipher alien technology in no time. This is a big mistake as it alerts Super Predator, who followed the regular Predator to our planet to hunt him down, to Rory’s location. Speaking of R.P. (Regular Predator), he’s being held in a government facility where scientific types have him under sedation so they can examine him. They bring in science teacher/biologist Casey (Munn, X-Men: Apocalypse) because of her expertise in such matters. Naturally, R.P. escapes and heads to Rory’s location with McKenna, Casey and the guys in hot pursuit.
I can’t say why the studio released The Predator at this time. Why not summer when the first one came out? Why not closer to Halloween when the new movie takes place? It’s likely that they didn’t want it get lost among the other big hot-weather releases or face competition from the new Michael Myers movie (opening October 19). September releases generally aren’t that good. Audiences know this which explains the dip in attendance that occurs every year around this time. Thankfully, The Predator is an exception. I really enjoyed it! It’s a deft mix of sci-fi, action and horror. It retains the same basic formula as Predator only this time with a bigger dose of estrogen to balance out the high level of testosterone. What I mean is that Munn is the total package; she’s a bad ass and a babe. Does this make The Predator a date movie? I’ll put it this way; it’s not as much of a guy’s movie as the original.
Here’s the deal. With a title like The Predator, you know exactly what you’re getting into when you buy (or pre-order) your ticket. The movie knows exactly what it wants to do and does it successfully. Some will say that the addition of an ASD kid sounds exploitative. Let me assure you it s not. There is a reason for his presence. Incidentally, Tremblay does a good job in the role. Although acting isn’t even a factor in deciding to see The Predator, it’s still worth mentioning the cast does a fine job in that they deliver the kinds of performances a movie of this sort calls for. Rhodes is a natural born action star; somebody give him his own vehicle, stat! Brown should continue playing movie villains; he has a real knack for it. Holbrook makes a decent leading man but he’s still no substitute for Schwarzenegger. That line-up is classic. This one is good but hardly classic (at least not yet). What I like about it is that Black gives each member a distinct personality. It’s not just a group of random men with big guns.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot; this one has predator dogs. Yes, you read that right, Predator dogs. This is where The Predator veers into silly territory. They’re a bit too cute and playful for the movie’s own good. They’re this franchise’s version of Ewoks. There’s one other thing I’m not crazy about. The climax features Holbrook and his remaining team members jumping around atop the Predator’s spaceship while it’s in the air. It got me to thinking how far removed this new movie is from the old one. You would never see Schwarzenegger and his men doing something like this. McTiernan kept the unbelievability well within the bounds of believable.
The Predator has a lot of action and bloody violence. In fact, it’s knee-deep in blood and organs. This is a good thing. It also answers the question of why the Predators rip out their victims’ spines. It may not be an Oscar contender but who expects that from a movie called The Predator. It’s a fun B-movie with decent CGI and scary-looking alien monsters. It’s an ideal Saturday night action flick.
TRIVIA TIDBIT: Although it’s not explicitly mentioned, Jake Busey’s character is the son of his father Gary Busey’s character from Predator 2.
