The Predator (2018)

Review

107min

Genre:       Action, Sci-fi, Thriller

Director:    Shane Black

Cast:         Boyd Holbrook, Olivia Munn, Jacob Tremblay…and more

Writers:     Shane Black, Fred Dekker, Jim Thomas… and more

-Synopsis-

When a gifted youngster inadvertently beckons the fearsome alien hunters back to Earth, a ragtag team of damaged soldiers and a scientist join forces to unravel a galactic conspiracy and prevent an almighty bloodbath in American suburbia—in this sequel/reboot of the popular sci-fi creature series from the director of ‘The Nice Guys’ . . . and one of the stars of the 1987 original.

After decades of hunting humans and fighting Xenomorphs, the galaxy’s fiercest dreadlock-sporting, ugly motherfu**ers are back and evolved! Now in the familiar hands of ‘Hawkins’ from 1987’s ‘Predator’, as actor-turned-director Shane Black ditches his familiar crime-comedy exploits for some good ole’ fashioned gruesome creature-feature sci-fi thrills, adding plenty of humour and effectively crafting a contemporary follow-up to ‘Predator’ and ‘Predator 2’ . . . with decidedly mixed results.

Boyd Holbrook stars as US Army sniper ‘Quinn McKenna’, whose close encounter of the predator kind puts his behaviourally challenged but talented young son ‘Rory’ (Jacob Tremblay) in danger, sending him into the battle-scarred arms of a rabble of troubled soldiers, including loose cannon ‘Nebraska’ (Trevante Rhodes) and wisecracker ‘Coyle’ (Keegan-Michael Key). After they recruit evolutionary biologist ‘Dr. Bracket’ (Olivia Munn) and cross swords with shadowy government forces led by shady operator ‘Traeger’ (Sterling K. Brown), the path is set for a clash with the universe’s new and improved deadliest hunters—who have plans for an unsuspecting Earth.

Over thirty years into this franchise and its ‘Alien’ crossovers, it’s hard to introduce any real mystery or mystique into the narrative, but you can reintroduce a level of humour not really seen since the early part of the 1987 original, and that’s exactly what Black has gone for here. Taking advantage of a central thread of emotionally damaged soldiers with PTSD to create a squad of wild characters with personal quirks, ‘The Predator’ features so much witty banter and cheeky humour that it almost qualifies as a comedy, making it easily the funniest film in the franchise—and also the silliest . . . but not always in a good way.

The film starts in fun enough fashion, with bags of comedy but not sacrificing spectacle, featuring plenty of shootouts and chases, and people being dispatched in brutal fashion, but not as gruesomely as in other films in the franchise. ‘The Predator’ also pays homage to its predecessors throughout, particularly to the 80s ‘Arnie‘ classic which kicked it all off, featuring both visual and narrative references, while composer Henry Jackman  builds on the original’s score by Alan Silvestri—but Shane Black turns everything up to eleven here, in keeping with the film’s central theme of evolution, and befitting the era in which its made.

Yet by the time we get to act three, things really start to fall apart. ‘The Predator’ gets progressively broader and more ridiculous as it builds to a big over-the-top conclusion, steadily losing its humour along the way and becoming progressively duller, as it tries to infuse an ill-judged ode to the plight of the soldier and a tribute to ‘brothers in arms’. But it simply misses the mark, adding no genuine emotional weight and proving completely out of place in a predictable and all too familiar blockbuster movie conclusion, trying to hark back to the 1987 original while going big and boring, and of course setting up a sequel . . . if not yet another cinematic universe.

The result is a re-energised familiar story which delights with unexpected humour and entertains with customary thrills . . . to a point, but then squanders the charm and character it introduces. Ultimately ‘The Predator’ plays out like many other enjoyable but underwhelming Hollywood blockbusters of recent years, putting imagination and daring to the side and leaving you wishing for some genuine edge—while weaving a more elaborate plot to stretch a 30-year-old premise and resurrect a franchise.

The Bottom Line…

Shane Black injects energy and a new level of humour into a franchise he played a small part in launching, but ultimately squanders the early promise with an increasingly broad, silly and edgeless story, which plays out like a typical middle-of-the-road modern blockbuster—making for a reasonably entertaining but underwhelming start to a potentially lucrative rebooted series . . . which doesn’t exactly leave our mouths watering or pulses racing.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Predator (1987)

On a covert rescue mission deep in a central American jungle, a fearsome team of US commandos is hunted by a formidable alien intent on taking them as trophies, as their musclebound team leader struggles to keep anyone alive to “get to the choppa!”.

Directed by John McTiernan and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers and Elpidia Carrillo among others.

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