Written by: Kevin Berge
Are we allowed to show this much blood on a poster? I guess we are if it's green. (Image Courtesy of: ign.com)
Quick Take: The Predator is the most subversive film in the franchise, an undeclared satire of itself with hyper-violent action and rapid-fire dialogue. Choppy editing lets it down with a confusingly structured story, but it is nonetheless a welcome change of pace for franchise filmmaking.
***This review will not contain spoilers but will present a fresh perspective on a movie that has been largely presented as a pure action sequel with allusions to particular decisions in the film. If you plan to see The Predator already, this review may affect your first-time viewing experience of the film.***
The franchise cinematic universe has been a dying ideal for anyone outside of Disney for a long time, yet everyone keeps trying all the same. The latest attempt at a cash grab is the sixth movie to feature the alien from the 1987 action classic Predator.
Most will likely see this as another failure, a bloody, messy action flick that does not know what to do with its main focus. However, I think The Predator is in essence a satire of itself, a blockbuster action film about blockbuster action films, which is likely not why the film went through such a rough production cycle.
This film stars Boyd Holbrook (Milk) as Quinn McKenna, a military sniper who witnesses a Predator crash land on Earth and attempts to escape with evidence to save his own life. Along the way, he runs into a host of others trying to survive both against the military and the rising Predator threat.
The cast for this movie is absolutely stellar including Olivia Munn (The Newsroom), Trevante Rhodes (Moonlight), Jacob Tremblay (Room), Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us), Keegan Michael-Key (Keanu), and Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones). They are all fountains of charisma in a movie that spits dialogue so fast I occasionally wanted subtitles.
The real driving force behind the film though is director Shane Black, who is an odd choice to peg for a Hollywood blockbuster already proven by his work on the divisive Iron Man 3. He has a distinctive style that does not mesh well with the paint-by-numbers stylings of blockbuster action.
That's why The Predator works though. It is distinctly unique. It is as if Black decided to mesh Predator with Sharknado. The movie never takes itself seriously with an emphasis on a simple repeated question of "wouldn't that be cool?". Black is just having a blast doing whatever he wants in a hyper fantastical violent fervor.
This movie gets bloody fast with action that is so over the top that it cannot be anything but satire. Limbs come flying off often. Anything that can splatter blood does so in buckets. Even the way the characters treat violence makes it seem ridiculous.
The franchise cinematic universe has been a dying ideal for anyone outside of Disney for a long time, yet everyone keeps trying all the same. The latest attempt at a cash grab is the sixth movie to feature the alien from the 1987 action classic Predator.
Most will likely see this as another failure, a bloody, messy action flick that does not know what to do with its main focus. However, I think The Predator is in essence a satire of itself, a blockbuster action film about blockbuster action films, which is likely not why the film went through such a rough production cycle.
This film stars Boyd Holbrook (Milk) as Quinn McKenna, a military sniper who witnesses a Predator crash land on Earth and attempts to escape with evidence to save his own life. Along the way, he runs into a host of others trying to survive both against the military and the rising Predator threat.
The cast for this movie is absolutely stellar including Olivia Munn (The Newsroom), Trevante Rhodes (Moonlight), Jacob Tremblay (Room), Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us), Keegan Michael-Key (Keanu), and Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones). They are all fountains of charisma in a movie that spits dialogue so fast I occasionally wanted subtitles.
The real driving force behind the film though is director Shane Black, who is an odd choice to peg for a Hollywood blockbuster already proven by his work on the divisive Iron Man 3. He has a distinctive style that does not mesh well with the paint-by-numbers stylings of blockbuster action.
That's why The Predator works though. It is distinctly unique. It is as if Black decided to mesh Predator with Sharknado. The movie never takes itself seriously with an emphasis on a simple repeated question of "wouldn't that be cool?". Black is just having a blast doing whatever he wants in a hyper fantastical violent fervor.
This movie gets bloody fast with action that is so over the top that it cannot be anything but satire. Limbs come flying off often. Anything that can splatter blood does so in buckets. Even the way the characters treat violence makes it seem ridiculous.
You're gonna need something a little bigger than that pistol. (Image Courtesy of: latimes.com)
In this way, the movie pokes fun at so many blockbusters that hide their own violence behind caveats. With a hard R-rating, this film takes every opportunity to laugh at the idea of pulling punches. Everyone is foul-mouthed. The characters are honest but also absolutely absurd to almost taboo levels of self destructiveness.
This is not an attempt to recreate Predator that the uninspired 2010 Predators was, but it also is not the boring mess that the Alien vs. Predator movies were. It is something else that most studios would hate because it is so bizarre. This likely explains why the film had such a messy production cycle.
There were numerous reshoots and a massive amount of cuts to the film's run time to make it a palatable 107 minutes. It is hard to say just how much Black wanted to do with this film, but what came out is a more than a bit messy.
This film does not have a typical three-act structure. In fact, it feels like multiple movies in one. You almost get the feeling Black was cramming in all his ideas because he wasn't sure he was getting a second chance with the studio then struggling to edit it down. This is especially clear in the fun but odd final act.
Still, the film is hilarious throughout. It knows every beat people are expecting of a blockbuster franchise starter, and it leans into them to the point of absurdity. The movie's likely attempt to set up multiple sequels is the biggest wink to an audience I've ever seen on film.
Beyond its messiness, the real issue with this film is its not likely to resonate with many. It is so gaudy that many will just see it as action trash with a misfit between studio and director.
However, what I see in this movie is a satire from a man who loves what he's making fun of, a ridiculous hyper violent comedy with great acting and inspired ideas. It even has a lot of heart hiding under the surface that allows the film to stand up to repeat viewing with layers of storytelling and plot set-up.
This is not an attempt to recreate Predator that the uninspired 2010 Predators was, but it also is not the boring mess that the Alien vs. Predator movies were. It is something else that most studios would hate because it is so bizarre. This likely explains why the film had such a messy production cycle.
There were numerous reshoots and a massive amount of cuts to the film's run time to make it a palatable 107 minutes. It is hard to say just how much Black wanted to do with this film, but what came out is a more than a bit messy.
This film does not have a typical three-act structure. In fact, it feels like multiple movies in one. You almost get the feeling Black was cramming in all his ideas because he wasn't sure he was getting a second chance with the studio then struggling to edit it down. This is especially clear in the fun but odd final act.
Still, the film is hilarious throughout. It knows every beat people are expecting of a blockbuster franchise starter, and it leans into them to the point of absurdity. The movie's likely attempt to set up multiple sequels is the biggest wink to an audience I've ever seen on film.
Beyond its messiness, the real issue with this film is its not likely to resonate with many. It is so gaudy that many will just see it as action trash with a misfit between studio and director.
However, what I see in this movie is a satire from a man who loves what he's making fun of, a ridiculous hyper violent comedy with great acting and inspired ideas. It even has a lot of heart hiding under the surface that allows the film to stand up to repeat viewing with layers of storytelling and plot set-up.
