First off let me say, I'm sorry that this review took so long. I'm currently in Iraq right now (military) and we get things a little slower than the rest of the world so please bare with me.
Going into this film I have seen all of the previous films to include Predator 1 & 2, AvP 1 & 2, Aliens 1, 2, 3, & 4. Let me start off by saying Predator with Arnie, if you didn't like that film I'm sorry for you. That was a great film for it's time and still holds true even today. "What's wrong Dillan? CIA got you pushing too many pencils?" I love it. The second Predator film with Danny Glover was so-so. But over all I felt Danny Glover should stick to Lethal Weapon. The first AvP was once again to me so-so or a little above it. I felt the movie could have been a lot worse but at the same time missed out on it's own hype. I feel people wanted to see something like Aliens 2. Where we see tons of aliens massing and attacking their enemy. People wanted to see battles, but well detailed and satisfying. So over all it was okay. AvP 2 however, good lord... I don't want to talk about this film. Needless to say after all of this. I was ready for that Predator film that just knocked my socks off and reminded why Predators were so badass. It wasn't going to take an incredible movie for me to enjoy the film. I would be okay with mediocre at this point. Just don't make me leave sad but it was a success in my eyes. I don't mean to offend people who loved/hated any of the films I mention this is all my personal opinion and no deliberate criticism intended to anyone.
Introdcution:
We see our hero Adrien Brody free falling which we come to learn is the way all new "game" come onto the planet. Let me start out first by saying this. Adrien Brody did a good job acting. He is a good actor and I never doubted this. BUT, this role I feel wasn't meant for him. I just couldn't picture him as an elite bad-ass. He's too skinny and doesn't scream "you mess with me ill F you up!" He did a good job acting but just wasn't type cast very well. OK, back to the beginning. He lands and we see a jungle. Now first thing I'm thinking of is that this jungle should be a bit different than that of what we see on Earth. Even the jungle is the first Predator movie was very thick and you got the feeling that this really was a hunting ground. I didn't get that feeling when I saw this jungle in Predators. I felt like it was more of a set than a thick alien jungle. Past this, we meet the rest of the cast through a small amount of time. Long story short we meet the comedy relief in the prison inmate and some humor by our star from "That 70's Show". Now I could get real detailed in how I felt about everything but I don't think you want to read it all and I don't think I want my fingers to hurt so I'll skip to things I liked or noticed about the rest of the film.
My thing I noticed is that everything that Russian guy, named Nikolai, and Danny Trejo dies in every movie they're in. Past this we see the Predator dogs. I don't know why or maybe I need to see the film again but I felt the CG and movement of these dogs was a little, I don't know, "off". They were very bulky when they moved and the surrounding environment didn't adjust to their movements. It was like an cheap B-rated movie you would watch on the "Sy-Fy Channel." The CGI (of the dogs) wasn't up to movie theater standards. Or at least to me.
Now then, we all noticed this movie is a ridiculous copy cat, well is copy cat too strong of a word? Let's try resemblance. This movie had a STRONG resemblance to the first Predator movie. Some of it was good like the voice saying "help me" when Danny Trejo's character was found dead. But when Brody's character is sitting down and stabs down at a scorpion next to him and puts it into his pocket. Brody, your not Mac. The traps set by a previous victim of the Predators was neat. It was like a nod to the original and that's the type of representation I like to see. An acknowledgment of the first, not a deliberate copy.
Moving on some, enter Laurence Fishburne. Some of you may not know this but his character was suppose to played by Danny Glover. I'm glad it didn't. Noland, was on this planet for 10 seasons, a seasoned vet, a man that see worst, killed the best, and lived to tell the tale. But no, the way he dies was a complete waste of a perfectly good and explorable character.
(side note) - The director stated he would have loved to do another movie which would be a prequel talking about Noland's time when he first arrived on the planet. But after the way he died I don't want to see it. That death gave his character no credibility.
I think instead of killing that character off he should have slipped through a vent or done some tricky act to avoid death. This proving once again why he is alive after 10 seasons, even if he was a nut job.
Moving on some more. We laugh a little with the prison inmate and we see the first death of a "Super Predator." This death I will agree was good. It was tricky and showed that even for an elite hunter you can still be tricked. I liked it. Poor Nikolai.
Now before I skip ahead to the scene I absolutely HATED. I just wanted to say the background story of the Predators hunting each other was very intriguing. I liked how at the camp there was a regular Predator strapped up. My mind was racing with ideas of how/why/when they caught this Predator. Great addition gearing the story with a little more creativity than I gave it credit for. I viewed the "Super Predators" as a group not associated with the smaller ones. More like a mercenary group that loved the hunt, even if it is hunting it's own kind. I loved the scenes at the camp. Nice work!
Zooming ahead we find out crew running from a "Super Predator" and the music calms down as the group pauses in a stretch of open land. The camera pauses and turns back at man standing in this field with a sword. BOOM! This is the scene from the first movie where one of Arnold's crew does his last stand on a bridge trying to stop the Predator. I was OK with this. So far that is. He pulls out his samurai sword and the music changed to a Japanese/samurai tone. Now in the first movie it left you with suspense since we didn't actually see the fight and only heard a scream. I thought to myself. "If your going to copy this part of the first movie please copy the suspense part not the last stand. I better not see a samurai fight!" I cant even say I was shocked when the fight happened. I knew that crap would happen. The movie was moving too well and may have actually been on pace for a good movie. But No, shit all over my dreams I had to watch a Predator vs a samurai. FML... At the end of this scene the Predator actually dies. Good lord, this reminded me of AvP when the Alien fought heads up with a Predator and the Predator lost. I thought, what the hell can these things actually kill one on one??? In my mind the last thing you would want to do is fight one of these things straight up but now i"m strapping on my M.M.A. gloves and rethinking my options. The superiority of the Predator is getting lost with all of these pointless deaths. It's like they killed off the second Predator of because they either didn't have funding or imagination for a good death. Stupid Hollywood.
I am starting to notice that my original intention was writing good as well as bad things about this movie, not just negative. But the more I think as I type it keep coming negative and I am sorry. Let me enlighten on things I enjoyed.
I enjoyed the comedy, there weren't any corny moments in the movie that tried to be funny. This movie made a funny moment then kept right along. I loved the fight between the Big and Small Predator; I really did like it. I even thought Brody's fight was good minus the "KILL ME! KILL ME NOW!" I like how the end just didn't blow everything up like all the others. There was a possibility for another movie. The Predators' suits looked great and I got chills when the classic predator put his helmet on. Too bad 3 headbutts ended all of that.
Moving right along towards the end of the film since I have already dabbled into it. I was OK with the ending. OK with Brody looking like Arnold, not so much the yell. But OK with him running around a fire wall kicking the crap out of the "Super Predator." Once again, Brody doesn't look the part but "kudos" to him because he could have made the movie a lot worse.
Here's a little thing many once again may not know about. There is an alternate ending to this movie that was not filmed due to Arnold's conflict in schedule. Arnold was supposed to cameo in this movie at the end. Right when Brody kills the last "Super Predator" tons of shimmering figures approach and come to vision one by one. Among them a leader, more decorated than the others and walks toward Brody and Isabelle. This Predator unveils its mask and its Dutch! Dutch says, "Not bad kid, not bad at all," then the screen cuts to black. That is what the cameo was going to be. If I saw this once I again I would have thought they messed it up and that's not the way people would have wanted Arnold to cameo in this film. Personally I would have liked to see it this way:
It's the start of the new season and the parachutes come falling down, Brody and Isabelle come aware that one of the items falling is another person in a parachute much like they were. They run over to it once it landed and the person is unconscious. This figure is very masculine and properly cut acknowledging his military background. Brody and Isabelle remove the parachute from over the individual's face and they see it's Dutch. Then the screen goes black. I think that sounds like a much better way to introduce him. But that's me. I am not a director or anyone important. Just a guy who wants to see things done right. (Right in his own eyes which may be wrong to others I know)
Overall this film could have been better but I was not completely disappointed in the movie. Just moments in the movie that reminded me why there hasn't been a good Predator movie in such a long time. The visuals could have been a little bit better. You didn't have that deep connection with the characters like you did in the first Predators movie. The jungle wasn't as "foreign" as it could have been and I think everyone wants to learn more about the Predators, more of a back story. All we ever get is tiny pieces and have to assume everything in forums. I thought Brody did good, the best Brody could do but that part was not meant for him. The female actress did well too. I thought her role could have been handed to Michele Rodriguez but I was OK with it. I didn't like the how the movie evolved as it went on. You don't get the complete feeling that they are being hunted. The character designs were good. I liked the make-up work done to everyone and the humor was as good as it can get in this type of a movie. This movie only had a few scenes where I LOL'd in the movie theater. I would recommend people to go see this movie if they enjoyed the Predator movies. I rate this one right along with AvP 1. Could have been a lot better and could have been a lot worse.
Well everyone. I really hope you enjoyed my rambling on I really hope they decide to make more of these films. Thank you ComicBookMovie for allowing me to vent what I have been thinking about for a little while now. Stay safe everyone and if you read all of this, thank you for reading.