I am a big fan of the Predator series, and after seeing Predators, the 2010 movie starring Adrien Brody, Alice Braga, Topher Grace, and Danny Trejo, I wanted to see more. Especially in regard to the mythology of the war between the larger predators and the smaller ones. So when I saw the previews for this movie I was in.
In some ways this movie does expand the mythology. In fact, the start of the movie opened up a golden opportunity to expand the franchise beyond just a simple action flick. Sadly it does not go far enough with diving into the mythology that I would like.
The positives about this movie is that it do dive into the mythology of the predator. At times it attempts to give us some insight into their world and the purpose of their hunts. It also try and tie in some of the earlier predator movies.
The story they established for the human characters actually worked for the film. Having a bus full of crazy x military who encounters a predator seemed lame in the previews, but worked well when presented in the movie. And there was a good mix of characters who filled their roles quite well. The lighthearted character, comic relief, serious character, they all played off of each other.
Where the movie falters is the story. It seem to struggle with whether it wants to be a sci-fi, horror, or a comedy. There is nothing wrong with having elements from each, as we have seen other films have success with that. But at the end of the day it should have a clear path. And this movie seems to play tug of war throughout. Because of that, at times it takes away from the movie.
Predator fans will feel very excited about the potential of where this franchise can go. Especially based on many of the elements shown in the film. And the opening of the movie lends to that. Unfortunately you may feel let down that they did not truly fully explore those options. And the ending was meh. Despite that this is a movie Predator fans should check out. But catch it at a matinee price or cheaper. For everyone else, wait for Netflix.
