The year was 1987 and Arnold Schwarzenegger was at the height of his popularity. This was when Predator was unleashed around the world. This film introduced us to one of the most frightening creatures ever put on film. There was great balance of horror, comedy, action and suspense and made this one of Schwarzenegger’s best films and gave us a creature that was hoped to be seen in other equally as great movies. Unfortunately this was not the case. We first got Predator 2, then Aliens vs. Predator and lastly Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem. All of these films paled in comparison to the original and really made the Predator something much less than it was intended to be. Now, 23 years after the first film, we finally get a film that reminds us why we liked the Predator in the first place.
When the film starts, you almost get a sense of deja vu. The location is a jungle much like the one we see in the original film, but with different actors roaming around and wondering where they are. One person then meets another and both seem lost and unsure of how they ended up where they are. Then another person runs into the steadily growing group. They all begin talking and all realize that they have been brought to the jungle by someone or something, but they don’t know who or why. They are all heavily armed and all seem to be elite and trained fighters. They all come to a cliff with a view of more of the jungle and realize they’ve been brought further than they ever could have realized. We see a vista with multiple moons or planets in the sky. They’ve been taken from Earth.
This is the big change of this film from the original. The Predators have been collecting species to bring them to a planet to hunt them down. Why would they go and hunt on a different planet, where it could be more difficult because of all the people that are there when they can just pick the ones that they want to hunt and bring them to their own hunting ground. The humans they have picked all have experience, either hunting, fighting or stalking others. They are the Predators of Earth. Who better to challenge than the hunters of Earth?
I personally would have liked to see not only humans, but other species from around the galaxy to join together or at least fight the Predators jointly. We saw glimpses of other races that had been captured, but didn’t make it after being dropped from an aircraft. If only some of these had survived so that we could get a better sense of other races that the Predators like to make sport of. Maybe the filmmakers were saving that for a second film should this one do well. Either way, I really like the direction they took with this film and it makes me remember why I loved the first film to begin with.
Sure, this film isn’t perfect, but it does what it set out to do which was remind the audience about these fierce creatures and why they were once popular. They also made this film very similar in tone to the original and brought back the action and suspense that was missing from other Predator films. I do hope to see another movie after this one, but hope they take a few more risks, show a lot more creatures and give the Predators a challenge that will make the audience stand up and cheer.
