Review of The Predator (2018) by Noscoperaiders — 05 Oct 2018

I haven't felt this mixed walking out of a theater since Star Wars The Last Jedi. There are many things I liked that legitimately made me happy and there are things I hate that made me legitimately angry. Before I break this movie down, I think it's important to tell you my sort of ranking/stance on the Predator franchise. Starting with my ranking of all the previous Predator films from best to worst: "Predator", "Predators", "Predator 2". As for how I feel about Predator; I've loved Predator since middle school and even though the alien films are better in quality, I always felt Predators were more fascinating and enjoyable to watch and even though a lot of people say the Predator sequels are all bad, they all have special places in my heart as guilty pleasures. I just enjoy everything about them from their code of honor, their weapons, who they hunt, and their backstory. So when I heard Shane Black (a writer and actor in the first Predator and a great director with films like "The Nice Guys"), I was excited... until I saw the movie.

To start with what I liked, I was surprised by how enjoyable the characters were. A lot of the Predator sequel common criticisms are how bland the humans are and looking at the trailer, I thought it was gonna be the same here, but they were funny, unpredictable, and had great chemistry with each other. It also helps that Shane Black added a lot of humor in the film. While a lot of people seem to take issue by the humor (most saying they're trying to be like Marvel), it works... mostly. I also always enjoy these movies for pushing the R rating, which seems to be lacking in blockbusters today. I can't help but chuckle or jaw drop at some of the brutal kills and while they went a little overboard with the swearing in some scenes, it added a lot of comedic moments in others. It was also nice to see a lot of callbacks or references to previous Predator films and even an AVP easter egg to connect these films into a bigger story. Another pro was the classic Predator for this movie. This guy was so fun to watch from the first fight onward. I love how resourceful he was too; doing and using things I've never seen a Predator try before. I just wish he was in the movie longer. It might seem like I love this movie so far, but now let's talk about what I hate. The new Predator origin for starts. Why? I was fine with them being hunters who travel the galaxy in search of trophies. But now the reason they hunt is to upgrade themselves, and they're hunting more on Earth because global warming is gonna wipe us out in a few generations and they'll repopulate here. If you think that sounds dumb, wait till you see what the upgrade does in the third act. Also, why are there upgraded predators? It's like hunt a lion with a tank. The Predators already have an advantage over their prey with all their weapons so doesn't it kinda ruin the whole point of the hunt to make yourself more overpowered. And the upgrade is just that. He's usually boring to watch. Unlike the classic predator who has to use stealth and be creative because he's strong but still vulnerable, the upgrade can make himself bulletproof and just walks up to people. I didn't mind the "Bad Blood" predators in "Predators" because it seemed more balanced, but the fight between the upgrade & classic predator was a joke compared to the predators fight in "Predators" and the trailers and even one of the posters spoils the whole fight. There are also some plot holes with the predators logic in this and I keep finding more plot wholes the more I think back on this movie. I also hated the kid's plot in this movie. It brought the movie to a halt most of the time and they make his autism a superpower in this movie. The payoff for his story arc is also one of the worst low points of the series. I dare you not to be dumbfounded when that scene pops up. After the first act seems to take this film as a traditional predator film, those who go in expecting that will be disappointed. It acts as a parody of Predator films (teasing their name, backstory, and tropes). Maybe that was what Shane was going for since the first Predator started as a light spoof of 80's action movies. Or maybe he just didn't take Predator serious. As for the action and effects, it's serviceable, but most of it isn't that impressive. And that ending... no. Just no.

Overall, this movie would have been better if they took the kid out, had the whole upgrade storyline stick to one "Bad Blood" predator who wanted to hunt other predators, and forces the classic predator to join the humans to fight the upgrade. However, I don't want to see a sequel to this. Maybe a different story (maybe one of the predator coming to earth during different time periods), but as far as I'm concerned, this movie is not canon. It might have legit moments of enjoyment and pass off as an alright movie, but it's still probably the worst of the Predator films.