THIS IS HOW YOU PROPERLY MAKE A PREDATOR MOVIE
by Reymundo Salao
First off, my apologies for the horrible delay in writing a review for this one because I watched this during my trip 2 weeks ago in Manila, I initialized writing it there and wasn't able to finish it. And when I got back, Inception was opening and I had to focus my attention on that one. So, now that I'm done with Inception, is the only time I get back to this review, and here it is...
These days, it seems to be a pretty rare instance when a movie positively breaks the expectations it creates from the trailers and the marketing buzz that surround it. Although there was indeed a hype that came along the coming of a new Predator movie, it was not so loud and feverish. Just like the recent movies that used the Predator character/concept, everybody assumes that this new movie PREDATORS was just another typically mediocre sci-fi horror film. Oh they were dead wrong. Because PREDATORS crushes expectations and does prove itself to be one heck of a great sci-horror-action movie.
The trailer of Predators honestly made the characters look boring and/or too conventional and predictable for a movie like this. But it is surprising how the movie and the story succeeds in a very efficient character development, so much so that each and every character becomes interesting and becomes one that audiences would root for. If we thought they were mere numbered victims for a monster movie at first, much later having gone through the story, they become important characters. Fact is, that no amount of trailer could really make these characters interesting not unless you get to watch the movie itself.
PREDATORS succeeds in hoping to consider itself as the more fitting sequel to the first movie the way it announces itself to be; just in the similar way ALIENS was a perfect sequel to ALIEN (although I do personally love Predator 2 which starred Danny Glover), and completely redeems the Predator franchise from the recent awful Alien vs Predator movies that have diminished the greatness of the Predator concept.
Everybody would have thought Nimrod Antal would be another forgotten name among directors who took on a Predator movie (the trailers never did spark much interest initially), but he has proven with this movie that he knows how to take on a rich character development in a genre movie. It could also possibly due to the fact that this movie is under the production watch of Robert Rodriguez who is one of those big name filmmakers who have a flawless understanding of sci-fi and genre movies. In addition, it was wise that he did inhibit himself from directing it himself coz his wild ideas and tendency to inject reckless elements in his movies would have ruined this one.
Even the references to the old movie, like the gattling gun and the sword scene that seem to mirror the first movie seem properly placed and never became a hindrance in building up its characters. That is the reason why the first 15 minutes of the movie seemed too slow; it was because it needed to lower its pace in order for the audience to be familiarized with the characters, the setting, and the situation.
Great story, script, direction and character development, and although it takes references to the first Predator movie, manages to deliver a remarkable uniqueness. PREDATORS clearly does bring back the glory of what a Predator movie should be like. I do hope the team who did this would be back for the next movie. PREDATORS is a Full Price, Full Thumbs Up movie.
