Fierce fun, but nothing fresh
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny Glover and, erm, Adrien Brody have all had a go at fending off alien threat the Predator — but here we are, 31 years after the character made its jungle-set cinematic bow, and it’s still menacing humanity.
It’s more of an ensemble this time around as a ragtag bunch of former soldiers — including Boyd Holbrook (Quinn), Keegan-Michael Key (Coyle) and Thomas Jane (Baxley) — along with Olivia Munn’s (Casey) science teacher form an unlikely unit out to put a stop to the creature.
In one of many neat callbacks to the 1987 original, Shane Black, who played the doomed Hawkins in that flick, helms this manic sequel in what is only his fourth directorial outing.
Black is renowned, though, for his scriptwriting abilities and he re-teams with his Monster Squad colleague Fred Dekker to pen the story.
The pair cram in as much material as they possibly can, including the traditional Black wisecracks and foul-mouthed putdowns, and the final result, perhaps inevitably, is more messy than my first student flat.
Perhaps most disappointingly, especially given Black’s creativity, is that The Predator works best when it riffs on the series’ previous entries rather than offering up anything truly exciting or original in its own right. That’s not to say it isn’t entertaining, however, I will always have a soft spot for the titular creature having stayed up late one night as a kid watching the original thinking it was a run-of-the-mill war film only for an awesome alien hunter to start taking people out.
And the Predator himself (this time played by debut star Brian A. Prince) remains an a**-kicking delight, while Black makes a much better job adding to the character’s mythos and lineage than inferior previous instalment Predators managed.
While the humans on his tail can’t match the brilliance of Arnie, Carl Weathers and Co from the first flick, they are the finest protagonists since the original, particularly Holbrook who follows up his turn in Logan with another charismatic performance.
Black doesn’t hold back on the violence and gore either which is a refreshing change after the muted carnage of Predators and the Alien vs Predator movies and the pace is frantic for its entire hour and 45 minutes running time.
Suburbia is the main setting on this occasion, although there are nods to the original’s jungle home, and it’s visually arresting seeing the action play out in everyday locations, although Black’s superior tight, confined shooting style is jettisoned during an overblown finale.
It all builds to an ending that suggests we still haven’t seen the last of the Predator and his species and while his latest outing can’t match the brilliance of his first, there’s enough goodwill here to leave you wanting more.