Road to The Predator
Film #4: The Predator

The Predator dabbles in equal parts hilarity and stupidity, and that’s about the best and worst I can say for the film.

Out of all the sequels, I’d have to say this comes closest to capturing the tongue-in-cheek 80s cheese of the original without ever quite reaching Arnie’s macho heights. Shane Black certainly infuses this world with more than enough of his trademark raunchy quips, adding greater levity and flippancy to the franchise then ever before. He is assisted greatly by an incredibly charismatic cast, who work overtime to elevate the somewhat chaotic and occasionally disted plot and keep audiences invested in the increasingly far-fetched proceedings. Boyd Holbrook is serviceable as the lead, without ever quite succumbing to the worst tendencies of his “generic white male lead” role of particularly ascending past this blanket description either. Comic standouts include Keegan-Michael Key and relative newcomer Augusta Aguilera, while Trevante Rhodes is equal parts stoic badass and self-aware sarcasm machine, and Sterling K. Brown chews scenery like nobody’s business as the head government baddie. Jacob Tremblay is also as endearing as ever as Holbrook’s autistic son who gets a decent amount of time to shine in both dramatic and comedic scenes. 

Sadly, the film around this talented cast isn’t always up to snuff. While I was a fan of the way Shane Black deconstructed the character of Tony Stark in Iron Man 3, and he gets a chance to apply some similarly meta commentary on The Predator franchise here, his screenplay also feels quite muddled a bit at times, and the story moves in stops and starts with each individual act feeling stitched to the next (a problem I would also attribute to shoddy studio editing/meddling). Luckily, most of the monster sequences in each act are entertaining enough, and the character interactions remain engaging throughout. Still, one can’t help but feel that Black would’ve benefitted from excising a few characters or a few excess plot lines to streamline the material overall - with the “Loonies”, Holbrook’s family, the government, and the two warring Predators, there’s quite a bit to juggle.

There’s been much talk over the “reshot” third act, and while it starts quite frigtening and effective, I can certainly see the criticisms as it ultimately goes a setpiece too far and drags on for too long. It’s here that the CGI is ittedly the weakest as well; however, throughout the film as a whole, this didn’t bother me quite much. The design of the Predator was gnarly and gruesome, and the creature gets plentiful opportunities to embark on delightfully violent rampages.

I honestly can’t say I didn’t find some enjoyment here, as Black’s knack for visual humor and vulgar banter mix surprisingly well with the gory action fans of the Predator franchise have come to know and love. The tonal balance won’t work for all, and the story is definitely quite scattershot at times, but this series was never known for its narrative prowess. If you’ve come for irreverent quips and grindhouse thrills, you’ll find enough of The Predator to at least warrant a curious viewing.

2018 Ranked
Predator Ranked