Rating: «« out of ««««
Running Time: 107 minutes
Some 31 years ago, Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared in one of his greatest and most iconic films, Predator. Two sequels have followed since that time, along with a pair of tie-ins featuring the titular beasts. None of them featured its heavyweight star, and none of them were particularly memorable. However, Hollywood is trying to rebuild the monster’s brand once more with The Predator.
In this sequel, a spacecraft crashes and the violent alien pilot comes across soldier Quinn McKenna (Boyd Holbrook). After their encounter, the shocked protagonist collects some alien weaponry as proof of the event and mails it back home. The material unexpectedly ends up in the hands of his young son, Rory (Jacob Tremblay).
Of course, Quinn soon finds he was right to be precautious. He’s immediately interrogated by government agents and taken away with a group of psychologically troubled veterans. When another creature arrives, violence erupts. Fearing for his son’s safety, Quinn and the gang break free from their shackles and team with a scientist, played by Olivia Munn, to try and save the day.
Co-writer/director Shane Black (Iron Man 3, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, The Nice Guys) wrote several action hits of the ’80s like Leather Weapon and has a feel for the genre. This effort in some ways seems like it’s come right out of the era, albeit on a slightly smaller scale. It’s filled with exaggerated violence and some blunt and politically incorrect verbal jabs. Some work and some don’t. Random characters are occasionally killed in the service of a joke, which is something you rarely see nowadays.
What the movie excels at is delivering snappy dialogue. Many of the eccentric heroes are likable and entertaining, and their interactions are amusing to witness. There’s a good running gag about how the creature’s name is technically inaccurate.
The writing also gets some mileage out of the troubled heroes’ attempts to make the female scientist feel comfortable around them. Their behavior and comments are for the most part very unsuccessful. While their behavior won’t impress some, for this reviewer these unlikely protagonists are the best part of the feature.
Much of the movie takes place in a small town, and the setting does add a little variety to the proceedings. For the most part, the action is well-handled. It’s very over-the-top and graphic, yet the tone is light enough that it isn’t disturbing. There are few minor issues, including a couple of moments during the chaos wherein some of the bloodshed and deaths aren’t easy to make out.
I also couldn’t quite figure out why the scientist was so good at operating weaponry, but in a movie like this, one must allow for some ridiculous elements.
And overall, the movie also has some difficulty balancing so many characters. Between Quinn, his newfound buddies, government agents, a son and ex-wife, the tagalong scientist and several creatures, there’s almost too much to deal with. There’s something to be said for simplicity in a movie like this (the original certainly had it) and the film would have benefitted from focusing almost entirely on the troubled veterans.
The Predator isn’t an entirely necessary addition, but if one is generous, it will deliver some funny lines and bloody (yet silly) carnage. Fans will also find out a bit more background about the creature itself.
What does work comes mostly thanks to its entertaining cast of characters and one-liners. The movie is flawed and certainly nowhere near as effective the original, but it’s still the best sequel in the franchise and will provide the requisite thrills to fans of the series.
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By Glenn Kay
For the Sun
