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Predators
PAUL
BRAND
Cinematically
speaking, 1987 was a very good year: Clive Barker bloodied up the
screen with Hellraiser; Alan Parker got his hoodoo on with
Angel Heart; Paul Verhoeven bludgeoned our senses with
Robocop; and Sam Raimi revisited the dark bowers of man’s
domain with Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn. That same year, wedged
between his Pierce Brosnan vampire vehicle, Nomads (1986), and
his big-budget, career-launching juggernaut, Die Hard (1988),
director John McTiernan offered up a low-budget, indie sci-fi flick
called Predator. Little did he realise at the time that,
along with Ridley Scott and the masterful Alien (1979), he was
contributing to the birth of a multi-million dollar franchise.
A
starring vehicle for big Arnie and then-A-lister, Carl Weathers
(Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV), Predator
pitted a hardened squad of commandos against a vicious alien
game-hunter, deep within the jungles of Central America. Rampaging,
kicking and screaming from the depths of development hell, Predator
went on to become an international phenomenon, further cementing
Schwarzenegger into contemporary pop culture and heralding McTiernan
as a major new filmmaking talent.
1990
saw the arrival of the inevitable sequel (sans McTiernan), originally
titled, Predator
2,
throwing Danny Glover up against the helmeted, scaly beastie with a
penchant for tearing the spinal cords from its victims, with
questionable results. Then, after a successful print run in comic
book form, came the first of the Alien
Vs Predator
(2004) outings. Whilst the first instalment remains, for many, a
guilty pleasure (myself included), it was far from received
favourably by an audience which had waited 14 long years to see what
the predators had been up to. What seemingly nailed the coffin lid
shut on them, however, was the abysmal sequel, AVP2:
Requiem
(2007), which, to date, remains some of the most maligned 94 minutes
in cinema history.
In
the 23 years since Arnie and his rag-tag ensemble of wrestling stars
and virtual unknowns matched wits with one of the late, great Stan
Winston’s most inspired creations, much has changed. Or has it?
2010 sees a new chapter in the Predator franchise with the release of
Predators, not so much a reboot as a direct sequel,
acknowledging the events of McTiernan’s original, whilst
simultaneously ignoring everything else. It is as if nothing else
matters. Luckily, this is a tactic that works perfectly in its
favour.
The
film follows the fates of eight strangers, unceremoniously dumped
into the thick of an unrelenting jungle environment, all either
ruthless killers, special ops, mercenaries or hitmen. Without
detracting from the narrative, as anyone who has seen the trailers
will concur, this unlikely band of brothers (and one sister), find
themselves on an alien planet, the game of an unseen adversary that
soon proves itself to be utterly ruthless and brutal.
Whilst
staying true to the spirit and virtually plot-less excesses of the
original, there are a host of new twists and revelations here, some
of which work, some of which don’t. Predators is a very
'busy' film, particularly with the inclusion of a blood feud between
two rival groups of xenomorphic warrior castes, with our band of
unlikely heroes caught in between and forced to survive. Of course,
survival is not an option for the majority of anyone (or anything)
sandwiched between the opening and closing credits.
With
Tarantino protégé, Robert Rodriguez (From Dusk Til
Dawn, Planet Terror), at the production helm, and Nimrod
Antal (Vacancy, Armoured) directing the proceedings,
you are assured of a tense, blood-splattered rollercoaster of a ride.
Obviously relishing their roles in this hostile environment are a
host of big names and Rodriguez stalwarts, as any Rodriguez fan would
expect. The unlikely casting of Adrien Brody (The Pianist,
King Kong), as a hardened mercenary works unusually well,
despite some questionable scripting, as does the inclusion of Alice
Braga (I Am Legend, Blindness), and Topher Grace
(Traffic, That 70’sShow).
Having
the most fun here, however, are two veteran actors, both of whom have
limited, but thoroughly engaging screen time. Laurence Fishburne
(The
Matrix,
Apocalypse
Now),
as a lone survivor of a previous interplanetary incursion is gleeful
twisted, whilst Rodriguez fave Danny Trejo makes a welcome appearance
in all his facially-scarred grandeur – a nice precursor to his
starring role in the upcoming Machete.
Predators
has that dubious honour of trying to successfully relaunch the
Predator mystique. Does it succeed? For the most part, yes it does.
Blood of all colours flows freely within the running time, the
special effects are – mostly – very spectacular, the pace is
suitably frenetic and all and sundry involved with the production
appear to have had a whole lot of fun putting this thing together.
One or two niggling sticking points aside – perhaps one too many
nods to the original source material included – Predators
is a gloriously grizzly way to waste a couple of hours in the dark.
As
for a sequel? Yeah – you can take that one to the bank.
Release
Date:
July 8th,
2010
Rating:
MA 15+
Length:
107 mins
Director:
Nimrod Antal
Cast:
Adrien Brody, Laurence Fishburne, Danny Trejo, Topher Grace, Alice
Braga
Distributor:
20th
Century Fox
Language:
English
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