AtoMic domhnall

I have never written a formal review for a film (read: movie) before, but I am known to spout off frequently and at length about what makes a bad movie bad (or what makes a great film great). I have an inherent problem with reviews in that they tend to be terribly subjective (naturally), and often become so self-aware that they become overtly creative with their panache that I find myself saying, “We get it, you dislike this, but spare me your rants, anecdotes, tangents, and witticisms, and just tell me why, minus the attitude (I’m looking at you, Pitchfork). So anyway, this is my first review, and of all things, it is a review for… Predators…?

Predators is not 2001: A Space Odyssey. It is not Apocalypse Now. We all know that. We are all familiar with Predator, and many of us are familiar with Predator 2 as well. So this is presumably the third film in the series. We will not allow the Aliens vs. Predator movies to enter into the equation. But let us, for a moment, consider the implications of the title, Predators. With the pluralizing of the original title and exclusion of a numeral, we are instantly made to recall Aliens, James Cameron’s 1986 sequel to Ridley Scott’s 1979 film Alien. Alien3 had its high points (atmosphere, direction), but was marred by a problematic script, among other things. Alien Resurrection suffered a similar fate (beautiful images tainted with an irreparable script and story). So let’s focus on how Predators relates to the first two Alien films and the first two Predator films. Why? Fans of these films are typically interchangeable. There is an inevitable tendency to group the two properties together. The reasons are many, including the multitude of Aliens vs. Predator comics and video games, and for the fans, a shot of what appears to be an Alien skull in the Predator spacecraft at the end of Predator 2.

So we have established the connection. I think we can all agree that Alien is easily one of the greatest films in a number of genres (sci-fi, horror) and is something of a masterpiece, having set the standard for many imitators that have followed in the decades since its release. They don’t make them like they used to. Perhaps the most recent high point in its legacy is the 2008 space-horror game Dead Space. Aliens follows in a similar vein to its predecessor, but takes the approach of action movie, and in spite of this, is one of the most critically acclaimed sequels of all time, and was nominated for seven academy awards. It has been the subject of much analysis and interpretation. We can agree, for the most part, that Alien and Aliens, are “good” movies.

What about Predator? Predator is somewhat less subtle than Alien (a huge understatement) but its critical appeal has warmed with time. It currently has a 76% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. There are many reasons why it works, and I will go into those later. As for Predator 2, there is ample room for argument. Roger Ebert very succinctly describes it as “a movie whose dreams are angry and ugly.” It has some problems, but it is recalled with a certain degree of fondness from fans of the franchise, perhaps because of its insight into the mystery of the Predator and its species. Can we at least agree that Predator 2 is a superior piece of cinema to the likes of Aliens vs. Predator?

Let us assume that the makers of Predators intended for this to be the spiritual successor to Predator, just as Aliens was the sequel to Alien. The film begins with the lead character, Royce, played by Adrien Brody falling from the sky, inexplicably and unconsciously. He wakes and frantically fumbles to activate the parachute he hopes is attached to his body, which luckily activates in the nick of time. Upon landing, he soon finds himself acquainted with a number of other characters who have similarly landed into a lush, jungle environment. It is no secret they are not on Earth, though had I not known this (thanks to trailers and previews), it might have made for something of a greater impact. All of the characters are armed in some capacity, ranging anywhere from knives and pistols to automatic shotguns, sniper rifles and, in obvious homage to the original Predator, a chain/Gatling gun.

A very familiar look...

We soon ascertain that this rag-tag bunch of characters is in fact an assembly of some of the world’s deadliest individuals who are also, coincidentally, an assembly of some of the world’s deadliest clichés. We have Royce, the mercenary loner protagonist who is also the would-be leader because all of the other characters seem to trust his instincts, and thus follow him around. Indeed, he seems to know exactly what is going on at all times, in spite of the fact that he is on another planet and does not know how he managed to get there. We have the inevitable love interest, whose name is irrelevant (apparently it is Isabelle) because we never really get much opportunity to connect to (and therefore care for) any of the characters. Not surprisingly, she is tough as nails, and is a member of an elite sniper squadron. The ever-capable Danny Trejo is sadly cast in the stereotypical role of a Mexican drug cartel enforcer. We also have a Spetsnaz commando, a prison convict, a member of a Sierra Leone death squad, and a Yakuza enforcer. Let the clichés begin.

First of all, I have a major problem with this. I let it slide for the first hour or so, but then I had had enough. The logistical nightmare of assembling such an entourage for the purposes of hunting them is simply not believable. Yes, we all know why they are there, long before they figure it out. Yes, they are game for the Predators’ hunt. But the fact that we have an international, individually selected group of specimens is simply too difficult to digest. Are we to believe that the Predators went to Earth, and somehow were able to determine where the baddest of bad-asses were located, and then managed to abduct them for use in their big game hunt on some far-off distant planet? Or maybe they collected them in larger groups but decided to jettison to the planet’s surface only a few at a time, ensuring the groups remain ethnically diverse with each drop? Or maybe there is collusion with super secret government agencies on Earth in order to stave off an invasion of Earth? The mind tends to wander. But the question remains throughout – why these people? Sure, we can assume Predators go to areas of conflict to find their game. But can we really consider a death-row inmate to be in the same ballpark as a private military contract solider, i.e. a mercenary? Or for the Yakuza to be counted with the likes of African death squads? It seems utterly preposterous, and to some extent, trivializes the tragedy of conflict areas worldwide.

Can you see me in here? I am ruining your movie.

Lastly there is Topher Grace’s character, who is supposedly a doctor who seems terribly out of place with the rest of the characters. I will not go into the details of why he is there, or what his ultimate contribution is. It is suffice to say his real contribution is to be the whiny, out-of-place character he frequently has the privilege to play, and nothing else. Don’t try and look any deeper here. It is the same Topher Grace that aided in the ruination of Spiderman 3, and he almost single-handedly ruins Predators as well.

Did I mention that the characters walk for many miles through the jungle before deciding to look up? That’s right, up. As in the direction. The direction above you. It is at this moment they realize they are on another planet. Yes, we realize it was only when they reached a clearing that they realized there were multiple moons and other unusual celestial bodies in the sky. But really? Are we really expected to believe they were not able to figure this out sooner? It is unfortunate too, since it was such a lovely shot. It did have a magnificent grandeur about it, and it probably would have been better suited to being shown earlier in the movie.

And so the band of Earth’s international bad-asses goes about trying to avoid being killed by the Predators for the remainder of the film which lasts for a respectable hour and forty-seven minutes. Some of the group are more successful than others in not being killed, unsurprisingly. They are first chased by what are essentially Predator fox hounds whose anatomical design defies much of Darwin’s expectations for survival of the species. In keeping with making things look other-worldly, they are very spiky, with lots of teeth and impractically placed tusks, to the point the designers might have asked “How many spiky things can we fit onto this creature? Does this look alien yet?”

You can't tell here, but he plays a comic loon.

They meet a character played by Laurence Fishburne who has managed to survive for years on the planet by scavenging whatever he can, at the expense of his sanity. The role is one of the most surprising I have yet seen for Fishburne, who plays the character so over the top, that it loses all seriousness. There were hints of a deeply disturbing paranoia, but they were lost amidst the over-the-top shenanigans. There was potential for it to work, but the laughter of the audience was a clear indication that potential was lost. Not to mention that the sequence absolutely stops the movie dead. The movie in general has a fairly frantic, well-suited pacing, but after the “break” the characters experience in Fishburne’s secret lair, we are back to zero.

And the characters continue to be killed off one-by-one, in standard survival horror fair. There is a critical moment where the characters come across a Predator being held captive essentially as bait for any potential game for the other Predators. We learn that this captive Predator is not unlike the Predators with which we, the movie-going audience, are already acquainted, and that its captors are actually members of a superior Predator race, bigger and deadlier than the already sufficiently big and deadly Predator whom we have all come to know and love. This is yet another moment that had potential. The imagery of the captive, almost crucified Predator was stirring, and although the scene is revisited later in the film, it seems like an opportunity that was not explored to its greatest potential. Instead, we are left with the Hollywood tradition of bigger, badder, more. Not content to say “This is the Predator. This is the successful character we have created, and we do not feel at all compelled to modify his proven design” the filmmakers thought it necessary the deadlier Predator be larger, with more tusks, and a spikier design. Needs more spikes. I gotta have more spikes.

The film ends, mostly as one would expect, with some characters surviving, others not. The enemy is presumed defeated, but it is not entirely a happy ending. For the most part it was satisfactory, if predictable, though there is a moment of hopelessness, which I quite enjoyed.

So why did this movie fail where others succeeded? We could blame any number of things, from the dialogue to the casting to the clichés. The dialog was literally laughable. No, really. I found myself laughing out-loud alongside the rest of the audience at lines that were delivered with deadpan seriousness. For 107 minutes, we have to endure the characters explaining what makes them so bad-assed, and how that relates to the strange new world where they find themselves. Royce is an adept, finely-tuned survivalist, always knowing what the enemy is planning to do before he does it, yet he fails to realize he is on another planet until he at last takes the effort to look up. There was much laughter during Predators, and very little of it was due to the comedic efforts of Topher Grace. Every single line delivered by the otherwise talented Adrien Brody is delivered in his best attempt at a grizzled, hardboiled man-voice. He whipped himself into shape for this movie, and not to criticize the physique of Mr. Brody, but we are given a very fast, almost (unintentionally) comical reveal to a shirtless, mud-covered Brody, an homage of course to the great Arnold Schwarzenegger, and suffice to say, he is no Schwarzenegger – and much laughter ensued.

Boo! A bare-chested Brody...

There was humour in the original Predator, yes. It was over the top. But it was delivered with such confidence, in true McTiernan fashion, that we bought it. It did not take itself too seriously, and so when we were given moments of seriousness, we bought it. There is a scene in Predators that is a not-so-subtle homage to the scene in the original where the Native American character Billy essentially sacrifices himself to the jungle and the predator lurking therein. This time it is the Yakuza character, and yes, you guessed it, he fights the Predator with a samurai sword. Because, as some of you may know, every single Japanese person knows who to wield a samurai sword with the deadliest of skill. Such is the skill that he actually managed to give the Predator a real run for its money! Should Earth ever be invaded by Predators, we ought to enlist the aid of the Yakuza. At least we would stand a fighting chance. Alas, gone are the subtle moments of the predatory hunt from the original, and gone is the insight into the world of the Predator we had in the second film. The moment with the predator nursing his wounds in the tiled bathroom in Predator 2 comes to mind. We see the creature as something more than just a faceless antagonist. We are even able to connect to it. Predator 2 is filled with moments like this; moments that helped make a movie like The Terminator a great film. Even the over-the-top dark and grisly not-too-distant future (of a time now long-passed) of Predator 2 did not take itself too seriously, and thereby managed to squeak by the moments where we might otherwise find ourselves saying “Really?”

The only character we really connect to is the Spetsnaz character. We see he is something of a regular guy, in spite of the atrocities he has likely to have experienced, with wife and children (a cheap, but effective device). He looks out for Topher Grace’s character and does not interfere with the structure of the team. This is in contrast to the constant bickering and conflict of opinions with the other member of the group, which includes the ever popular racial tension we are fortunate enough to find existing between the Sierra Leone death squad soldier and the death-row inmate (surprise!).

Another device that was used with great success in the two earlier films was the used of POV shots by the Predator. We are able to be introduced to the antagonist and connect to him without seeing him. In fact, McTiernan brilliantly acquainted us to the Predator without letting us see him by literally cloaking him. It is here that modern technology has failed us. For the original Predator, cutting edge technology was used to achieve the cloaking effect (which looks lo-fi by today’s standards, to be sure). The POV shots used cutting edge thermal imaging video cameras that were printed to film producing a uniquely beautiful and unsettling aesthetic that had a profound effect on its audience. The same effect was taken a step further in Predator 2 when we see the Predator cycling through his various visuals including a UV light mode which at one point in the film allows him to spot his elusive prey. In Predators, the approach is to use VFX to replicate the look of the original thermal vision from Predator. As a result, we get a very polished, artificial look that really isn’t that much different than the visuals of the rest of the movie, save for a shift in colour. I don’t understand why they didn’t just use real modern thermographic cameras. They would have looked stunning on the big screen.

Going back to the Aliens comparison, Aliens was appropriately named because there many, many of the Giger beauties. Predators would presumably be named because there would be more than one, which there was. There were a few. I would hesitate to say many. Unless you count the predator-hounds, which I would prefer not to. There is no question, this franchise has a great many sci-fi/horror fans. But the fan service is severely lacking in Predators. There are no discs of death. There are no spears. There are no slicing nets. The thermal vision is faked. The design has been changed. Too much screen time is wasted on new creatures. Sure we see a Gatling gun chewing up the scenery, but our hero quickly and easily dodges the bullets and even takes cover behind a fallen tree of all things. The original scene in Predator was a spectacle. It seemed to last forever. It was a moment of fear and dreaded-wrought anitipcation. Every bullet is exhausted as tree branches crack and explode into tiny splinters until all we hear is the electric whirring of the emptied gun and we, the audience, in a moment of awe utter the words “Holy shit.”

But perhaps the biggest failing of Predators is its lack of a deeper relevance. Aliens had a giant corporation exploiting the marines in a foreign land in order to procure a biological weapon at any expense. The marines were heavily armed and battled hardened, and ready for anything that could be thrown at them. But ultimately they were overwhelmed by a hidden enemy, a deadly and determined force they did not understand. Even the dropships were designed as hybrids of Cobra attack helicopters and F-4 fighter jets, so as to subtly invoke imagery from the very familiar Vietnam War. Predator had a similar situation – the strongest, most macho of men armed with their heavy weapons and gung-ho attitudes were faced with an unseen enemy that was not fighting them for survival, but instead hunting them merely as sport. The perceived invincibility of a well-equipped army was nullified in the wake of a single unexpected enemy. Predator 2 created something of a dystopia, a would-be scenario, had the rapidly worsening gang-related violence of Los Angeles continued to spiral out of control. It called to mind matters of gun control and the notions surrounding hunting – what is considered sport? Where do we draw the lines between amusement and sadism? Predators had none of this. At no point did I feel any connection to any deeper allegory. It felt concocted and forced, and it felt like a real missed opportunity, especially given the events of the past decade. How many men find themselves confused, with a gun, in a foreign land, being hunted by an unseen force? The connection simply is not there and it is very unfortunate.

The environments are lush and interesting and seem very foreign indeed (I believe they were shot mostly in Hawaii). The pacing of the film is very fast, rightly so, until the aforementioned point at which they meet the scavenger. The edits are nice and lengthy, giving us an opportunity to soak in the lovely and unusual environments of the alien world. It is nice to have a break from the fast-shutter 20-frame edits that are used ad nauseam in just about every action movie that comes out of Hollywood these days. The effects are quite good, mostly because they are animatronics and fellows in Predator suits, which was the right thing to do. The score initially is exciting with its familiar tribal percussion that pays tribute to the original Predator, but this seems to have been merely an establishing tactic, as the score quickly descends into generic, forgettable background noise. On the whole, Brody does his best, and is obviously a capable actor, but the role simply did not suit him, and it felt too much like an attempt to emulate the Schwarzenegger character of the original film. But Predators is designed to entertain, and it manages to do that, but it does so without greatness or any degree of uniqueness.

So that is it. It is not the worst thing out there. You might watch it and enjoy it. Or you might watch it and find yourself wanting more, having hoped for something better. If you are an enthusiast of human on alien violence, and/or enjoy watching people with guns shoot things, and are not too terribly fussy about groan-inducing clichés, who knows? – this might just be for you.