Review of The Predator (2018) by Troy C — 14 Sep 2018

Funny how things come full circle. After starring in the 1987 original as jokester Hawkins, Shane Black returns to the franchise 31 years later. But this time he's not on screen, he's behind it both writing (with Fred Dekker) and directing.

So it's no surprise then that this soft reboot is crammed full of snarky one-liners, crude jokes and black comedy - easily the funniest entry into the series. There are a few winks and nods to the previous instalments-"get to the chopper"-but it thankfully never veers into parody.

A Predator movie, however, ultimately lives and dies by its action and violence, neither of which Black is particularly known for at this point in his relatively short directorial career. Yet he does a serviceable job in delivering the thrills and spills you would expect, offering up enjoyably pulpy set pieces with suitably gory deaths.

There are a few missteps though, most notably the sequences involving CGI-heavy sidekick creatures and in general the over-reliance on night-time sets (although I'll admit that crappy 3D glasses may have made this seem worse).

The eclectic cast is hit-and-miss, but largely adds spice; Boyd Holbrook's bland sniper Quinn McKenna surrounded by a ragtag bunch of misfits who clearly enjoy spitting out Black's razor-sharp dialogue, with Sterling K.

Brown stealing the show as a charismatic arsehole whose savageness knows no bounds. An entertaining romp despite plenty of flaws and a lack of ambition, The Predator is a decent popcorn flick that'll please the masses but likely disappoint those fans expecting just a little more.