REVIEW | The Predator (2018)

It tracks its prey, exploits weakness. And makes one hell of a show.

The next step in the evolutionary series— with a lil’ bit-a humour, whole lotta havoc, and all for the hunt.

After an alien spacecraft crash-lands in the jungles of Mexico. The hunters become the hunted, as earth encounters the galaxy’s most ruthless stalker once again. Armed to the teeth, invisible to the sight, and absolutely vicious in a brawl. The best chance humanity has — falls to a group of skilled and unstable soldiers to find out what this visit means, and stop the bloodthirsty path of the Predator.

Except this time — he didn’t come alone.

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*Minor spoilers for The Predator ahead*

With its predecessors bringing you more of the original hunt. The Predator honours the franchise as an homage to the original 1987 film. Using all the things that made it great, while also planning and plotting a trajectory for what’s to come in the series.

From the original macho-military massacre, to the concrete jungle sequel, as well as its bigger and badder offshoot entry. Shane Black brings a revitalised vision and a whole new game to the ferocious franchise —

where a whole lotta people, have a really bad day, from aliens with a bad attitude.

And with the obvious t̶r̶i̶-̶b̶e̶a̶m̶ ̶l̶a̶s̶e̶r̶ spotlight directed at the title character. The film [as much as the series] also has you invested in a branded-band of badasses with character, chemistry, and comedic-camaraderie.

Y’know — just in case 8-foot, intergalactic hunters using hi-tech space weapons when killing for sport isn’t your thing.

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Being well-aware that I have no business in connecting these references against one another. The film (and the sum of it’s parts) is coincidentally reminiscent of Alien: Resurrection (1997) — with the main difference being the hybridisation of Shane Black’s signature hijinks humour, together with the latest and greatest of the franchise’s hunter-hunted action.

It’s almost like having March and Healy from The Nice Guys (2016) meet the T1000 in T2: Judgement Day (1991).

So if you’re like me — and you love yourself some spine-chilling, blade-retracting, extraterrestrial canon-blasting fun — then buddy, you’re gonna have some fun tonight. And as much as I love the tasteful and parabolic stories conceived for the Alien film series (yes, especially the prequels).

The Predator is a confirmed-kill as a film entry with its own strengths.

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As a character (or creature, I should say) immortalised to be among cinema’s greatest monsters ever imagined on the silver screen. This is a sequel from 3-decades ago that’s ripe for the fans and fit for the era.

And at the end of it all, we’re talking about a something that has had monster-mash crossovers (with 2004’s Alien vs. Predator), spawned video game appearances (Mortal Kombat X, to name one), appeared in numerous comic books (going toe-to-toe with Batman!), and even warranted it’s own novelisation series.

So if by chance you think that the plot to the film seems too ridiculous, or the events of the movie seem too illogical, or maybe even that it had much more potential that could’ve done better. Then all there’s left to say is —

“Here’s mud in your e̶y̶e̶ thermal vision.”