Film Reviews

Predators

• Rating:
• Director: Nimrod Antal
• Starring: Topher Grace, Adrien Brody, Alice Braga, Laurence Fishburne
• Details: US/106mins 15A

A straight up sequel to the 1987 classic original, this character heavy version completely ignores the events of the shoddy Alien Vs Predator movies, and instead returns to some old school hunting in the jungle - just on a different planet. Solid if unspectacular, it offers Adrien Brody the chance to carry a big gun, and tense those wiry muscles, while a concoction of lesser known actors turn up to be off'd pretty much in sequence. Robert Rodriguez's name may be above the credits, but he's here only in spirit as a producer. We open on Brody's mercenary as he falls from the sky, trying desperately to open his parachute before he lands in a dense forest. Once on the ground safe, he encounters a mixture of folks, all with very little memory of how they've gotten there, but one thing is clear - every one of them is dangerous. As they attempt to figure out where exactly they are, they soon realise they're being hunted by alien creatures in what is actually one big game reserve. To stay alive, they need to outthink them, and outshoot them. Full of the kind of overt masculine posturing that featured prominently in the original film, this watchable follow-up continually winks in the direction of its predecessor - even referencing it, so we know they're both part of the same universe. The setup is inherently simple, but actually quite inspired; throw a bunch of predators from our world onto a planet where they then become the hunted. It certainly makes for an entertaining watch, but while the setup introduces us to some colourful characters, few of them are memorable. Brody's moody tough guy is the one who instantly takes charge of the group, and the Oscar winner handles his first action role with his now trademark intensity. Special Forces guys generally look more like him that Arnold Schwarzenegger, so he's easy to buy in the role, as are most of the supporting cast - despite paper thin characterisation. Braga has now cornered the market in the diminutive tough broad role and does well, but Fisburne's appearance is fleeting, and hardly registers. The action is decently handled by Antal, who splashes the screen with blood every once and a while to make sure we're paying attention. It's far from visceral, though, and lacks the edge of the nasty slayings from the first film. Predators has nothing but respect for the original, and whilst hardly scaling similar heights, it's still an entertaining instalment that should breathe life back into a stuttering franchise.

Review by Mike Sheridan