Predators

Starring: Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Walton Goggins, Laurence Fishburne, Danny Trejo
Directed by: Nimrod Antal
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
2010

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A group of the deadliest killers in the world find themselves in a strange jungle, hunted by unknown creatures. They must band together and figure out where they are and why they are there, before they are killed.

Review:

Tim: I was pretty excited about this movie. I really enjoyed the original Predator, and the sequel and the two Alien v. Predator movies were at least not too horrible. This film looked like a throwback to the original, which would be a great thing. This movie delivers, and is easily the second best film in the franchise (behind only the original). It is an exciting, action packed film that gives us everything we want in a Predator movie.

The film assembles an impressive cast. Adrien Brody was an inspired, excellent choice for the lead role. I would not have pegged him as an action star, but I can't think of anyone better for the role. Brody bulked up quite a bit for the role, and brings a certain degree of intelligence to the role. He makes a terrific action hero, and was one of my favorite parts of the film. His character is incredibly cool, even if he's not the most likeable. It would have been easy to cast an Arnold Schwarzenegger lookalike for the lead role, but this film wisely differentiates itself by going with a unique protagonist.

The supporting cast is good, too. Topher Grace is another unconventional choice for a film like this. However, his presence is a welcome one, and he adds a good deal to the film. He is quite enjoyable and adds a unique, different aspect to the movie. I really enjoyed watching Grace in this film. Laurence Fishburne was a welcome addition as well, although I was less enthused by his character. He seemed a bit gimmicky and didn't add a great deal to the film. I liked seeing him, but I wish he was given something of real substance to do. Alice Braga was pretty good. I've been disappointed in her in previous films, so it was nice to see her doing something a bit better. I admit that there are some horrible moments of wooden acting by her, but mostly she gives a good performance.

The action scenes are pretty good, even though none are exceptionally memorable. The movie does a great job of balancing the action scenes out, and the story moves at a very quicky pace. It was easy to get involved in the story. I was mostly engaged throughout the film, with only a few moments here and there where my attention started to wander.

This is not to say the movie is flawless. The dialogue is occasionally quite atrocious. I actually cringed at some of the poorly written lines. The acting is on occasion pretty bad, too. It is hard to be convincing in a movie like this, and Alice Braga, Adrien Brody, and others have occasional moments of poor acting. This hurts the film. Also, there are a number of scenes that were either confusing, or didn't make a great deal of sense. I won't belabor these points, but I will give a few examples. Topher Grace panics from almost drowning in a four foot pool of water, but later, has no problem swimming after flying off a cliff. Also, I am still a bit confused about the ship at the end, and what exactly happened.

While the film does have several weaknesses, this is still a solid, respectable entry into the franchise. The Predator movies have never been really great, but this is a great step back to respectability. I really enjoyed the action scenes, and the cast was quite good. This is a good movie, and I really did enjoy it. Great job to all involved.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Predator, Predator 2, Alien v. Predator, Splice