THE PREDATOR

Cert 15 Running time 106

Misjudged, misfiring and overbearingly macho, this sci-fi action comedy sequel is easily the worst in the fourstrong franchise.

When a hi-tech alien hunter crash-lands on Earth, a US mercenary and a scientist team up with war-damaged army veterans to fight it.

The original 1987 classic was an allegory for the Vietnam war and a blockbuster smash. It was directed with spirit by John ‘Die Hard’ McTiernan, and fortified by the commanding presence of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

There’s no one of his stature here, and writer and director Shane Black’s last film – The Nice Guys – bombed at the box office. In his typical back-slapping style, Black mixes blood-splattering violence with boring banterheavy bromance, while casually exploiting Tourette syndrome for cheap laughs.

His workaday storytelling isn’t helped by the studio cutting a scene after Black cast a friend who was a registered sex offender – and failed to inform his bosses or the unfortunate female lead Olivia Munn.