on your xmb
Nostalgic sequel fails to hit its target
The Predator There’s something out there waiting for you, and it ain’t no classic Arnie movie.
As well as being cursed with a face that looks like someone kerb-stomped a lobster, the poor Predator’s big-screen fortunes seem to have been hexed, with a succession of sub-par sequels following the insta-classic original. Now we have The Predator, but despite the presence of the definitive article in that title, the hunt is still on for a definitive Predator sequel.
Written and directed by screenwriter Shane Black with a nostalgic reverence for the larger-than-life ’87 original, it’s part-continuation, part-love letter to the series. Logan’s Boyd Holbrook stars as Quinn McKenna, the leader of oddball veterans The Loonies. When a Predator crash-lands on Earth, pursued by a hulking ‘Upgrade Predator’, Quinn and his ragtag crew become embroiled in their interplanetary civil war.
As you’d expect from the brain behind Lethal Weapon and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, The Predator is packed with zippy badinage, juvenile humour, and amusing callbacks (most satisfying – a running joke about the inaccuracy of the name ‘Predator’). It’s also pleasingly gory, with the Predator(s) ripping, tearing, and exploding squishy human bodies into clouds of crimson mist with satisfying frequency.
But it’s a film that’s clearly suffered some behind-the-scenes woes. The third act, in particular, is rendered borderline incoherent by sloppy staging, gloomy cinematography, and choppy editing. Neither is it helped by a handful of ill-judged jokes which leave a bad taste come the credits. The hunt for the perfect Predator continues. Jordan Farley