The 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle, Predator, is a minor classic. A forgettable sequel, Predator 2, came out in 1990. The less said about the two Alien vs. Predator movies, the better. Then there was Predators in 2010, which is actually a vastly underrated movie. Now, we have The Predator, and while it is sloppily constructed, it is a fun ride.
In the reverse of “E.T., phone home,” a young autistic boy, Rory (Jacob Tremblay), accidentally calls the hunter aliens to Earth. Our only hope is a motley group of military crazies led by the boy's father, ace sniper Quinn McKenna (Boyd Holbrook). Reluctantly joining this crew to stop the Predators is biologist Casey Bracket (Olivia Munn).
The Predator is written by Fred Dekker (The Monster Squad, Night of the Creeps) and Shane Black (Lethal Weapon, The Last Boy Scout) and is directed by Black, who was actually in the original Predator as the dirty-jokes-telling first victim Hawkins.
So, as you might guess, the language in this movie is profane, but oh-so-funny. The interaction and dialogue between the human characters makes the film work. It just doesn't take itself too seriously. And the Predators themselves come off as pretty scary here, even though we have already seen them in a handful of movies.
The Predator does have its problems. A major issue is the editing. It is fragmented in the transition scenes as well as in some of the action sequences. Did the studio powers that be feel the movie was running too long so they had it shaved a little here and a little there? Whatever the case may be, it is annoying when a villain who you can't wait to see get his just deserts has a demise so sudden that it almost doesn't register. Maybe there will be a “Director's Cut” headed to Blu Ray that will smooth things out.
As it is, I did have a fun time with The Predator.
