Predators

Disparate bunch of tough-guy types plucked from various dumb action sub-genres (a black-ops mercenary, a Spetsnaz operative, a drug cartel goon, a yakuza, a killer, a butcher, a baker, a candlestick maker), all of whom get an opportunity to do their "thang" at some point during the movie, get picked off one by one in typical fashion, in a setting designed to evoke the 1987 original's jungle shenanigans. Meh. Can't say that I entirely buy into Adrian Brody as an action hero lead, either. Arguably the worst leading tough-guy since Danny Glover in, um, Predator 2.

Something else bugged me about it, too. It's a petty quibble, but it irked me nonetheless:

SPOILERS AHEAD:

Did you ever see the trailer for Predators? At the 1.23 mark is IMO the most effective shot in the trailer: Brody's character has one of those iconic triangulated laser sights (from the predators' shoulder-mounted guns) pointed at him. It moves up his body to his head. As it does, many more sights appear, all over him. More than a dozen. He has about fifteen predators all training their guns on him. How's he going to get out of that? He's fooked. Well, no, he's not, because that scene DOESN'T HAPPEN in the film. The first laser sight happens, yes, from the ONE predator of three (?) that are chasing them, but fifteen? No. All those other sights are added in just for the trailer, to make the film look more Predator-filled than it is.

As I said, a rather petty quibble, but it's one thing to edit the best bits of a movie together into a trailer to make it look more exiting than it maybe is over the course of two hours, and quite another to lie about what one can expect to see in said movie.

They can hear you. Smell you. They see you.

Predators is directed by Nimród Antal and stars Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Laurence Fishburne, Oleg Taktarov & Danny Trejo. It's co-produced out of 20th Century Fox by Robert Rodriguez, John Davis & Elizabeth Avellan, with writing credits going to Michael Finch, Alex Litvak and Jim & John Thomas. It's shot on location in the Hawaiian jungle with Gyula Pados on cinematography, while John Debney reworks Alan Silvestri's score from the 1987 film Predator.

The plot sees eight former members of Earth - mercenaries, soldiers, criminals and a doctor, who are literally dropped into a jungle on an alien planet. Why or how they got there is not known, but pretty soon it is apparent they must work together for they are being hunted by an unseen enemy. Hunted, it seems, for sport.

In 1987 John McTierrnan gave the movie world Predator, a ballsy Vietnam allegory that pitted Arnold Schwarzenegger and a host of other considerably sized beefcakes against one bad ass mandible wearing alien hunter. Since then the franchise has steadily got worse (though the Danny Glover led sequel is far from a disaster), reaching a crushingly bad nadir with Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem in 2007. Enter Robert Rodriguez who in the mid 90s had done a treatment for a Predator sequel - with Schwarzenegger in mind to return. However, it didn't happen and it's only now, with the franchise at rock bottom, that his script has been reworked and funded to give us Predators, the sequel to McTiernan's 87 ball buster.

The set up is a little different but in truth the formula is exactly the same as the original movie. Macho guys and a girl in the jungle are being hunted by something very bad. Alpha male, though, is not going to take it lying down, cue deaths, explosions and much macho posturing. Here in is the main problem with Antal' s movie, it's ticking the same boxes whilst homaging for all it's worth, which is fine since it's hugely enter...

Predators (2010) is a masterclass in how to revive a legendary franchise by returning to its primal, testosterone-fueled roots. Produced by Robert Rodriguez and directed by Nimród Antal, this film successfully captures the same "quiet suspense" and atmospheric dread that made the 1987 original a classic, while expanding the lore in a way that feels organic and earned.

The premise—dropping a group of the world's most dangerous "human predators" onto an alien game reserve—is a stroke of genius. It creates an immediate, high-stakes tension as these cold-blooded killers are forced to realize they are now the prey. The ensemble cast is exceptional, with Adrien Brody delivering a surprisingly gritty and physical performance as Royce, backed by heavy hitters like Alice Braga, Walton Goggins, and a brief but memorable appearance by Laurence Fishburne.

Visually, the film is stunning. By opting for a physical jungle setting and utilizing high-quality practical suits from KNB EFX Group, the movie maintains a tactile, grounded reality that CGI-heavy sequels often lack. The cinematography by Gyula Pados uses deep shadows and tight framing to make the environment feel just as dangerous as the creatures hunting within it. From the iconic Yakuza katana duel to the brutal reveal of the "Super Predators," every set piece is executed with precision and respect for the source material. It is a 10/10 achievement that stands as the definitive sequel to the original masterpiece.