Doc’s Movie Review: Predators

Hey Official Man Card members,

Jorge here welcoming you to the Doc’s Office Movie Reviews with a look at the newest installment in a classic summer movie franchise: Predators.

Synopsis:

This movie takes places after the events of Predator and Predator 2. The story follows badass mercenary Royce (Adrien Brody), whose skill in hunting people gives him more in common with the Predators than he’d like to admit. He reluctantly leads a team of elite fighters, including a death row inmate (Walton Goggins), a Mexican drug cartel enforcer (Danny Trejo), a Russian commando (Oleg Taktarov), and a disgraced physician (Topher Grace) when they wake up in a strange jungle. They soon realize that they’re on an alien world being hunted by the Predators and start planning their escape.

The Upsides:

  • Pretty standard Predator plot means you get exactly what you’re expecting, plot requires very little thought
  • Surprisingly good cast (Adrien Brody and Laurence Fishburne)
  • Killer special effects

The Downsides:

  • Pretty standard Predator Plot means you get exactly what you’re expecting, plot requires very little thought
  • Adrien Brody’s “tough guy from the 80’s” voice. The same one Christian Bale beat to death as Batman.
  • This movie showed the predators far too often in my opinion; it took the mystery right out of the film.

The Bottom Line:

Predators is a solid film, probably the best in the series since the first. It’s no Oscar winner but it is good way to spend a boring afternoon without feeling like you’ve wasted your day.

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4 Comments

  1. Tom says:

    I’d say while the movie was great, it can’t compare to the original. Arnold taking out a badass predator? How can Brody compete?

  2. Jorge says:

    Tom, I’d have to agree, it’s very hard for anyone to measure up to the level of manliness Arnold displayed in that film. That said, you have to hand it to Brody for the final fight sequence. When a guy whose manliest movie to this point was “The Pianist” takes on a killing machine and comes out on top, the guy deserves some man points.

  3. Adam says:

    I was actually hoping for the other ending. A ship lands next them, hatch opens out walks a predator. Predator walks up to them takes off the helmet and surprise it’s Dutch (Arnie)..

  4. Jorge says:

    Yeah, I heard about that ending and also that Laurence Fishburne’s role was set to be played by Danny Glover, reprising his role from Predator 2. For those of you who don’t know what Adam was referring to, take a look at the summarization of the alternate ending below:

    The scene would have had the human survivors sitting bloody and beaten in the jungle. The silence is interrupted by a vibration that grows until it sounds like a freight train is bearing down on them. Once the dust cloud settles, a Predator is is revealed.

    The door opens and dozens of Predators file out. The humans are screwed now. There’s nowhere to run and even if there was, they don’t have the energy for any more fighting. The Predators don’t attack but part with two single-file lines on each side of the door. Their leader, with armor covered in “trophies,” exits and walks towards them. He slowly removes his helmet to reveal… DUTCH (Schwarzenegger). “Not bad kid…not bad at all,” he says. SMASH TO BLACK.

    I don’t know why they decided to axe the ending, but maybe it’ll show up on the DVD version.

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