Predators (2010)

Like many people my age, I loved Predator growing up. Arnold kicking the crap out of a creature more technologically advanced…the movie was just wicked. Of course I watched all the sequels, and none of them where as good as the first.

Walking into see Predators I was rather excited. I hadn’t seen many previews for it, but the theater was as packed as I thought it would be.

The movie starts off with this guy named Royce falling from the sky.

*side note – I spent the whole movie looking at this guy, trying to remember what other movie I had seen him in…I think it was a war movie…but even after looking at IMDB, I still have no idea…maybe he has one of those faces.

Back to the movie….

Royce awakens in mid fall and finds himself in the middle of this strange, humid, jungle. While exploring his surrounding and trying to get his bearings, he meets up with other people who arrived the same way he did. At the end it ends up being

-         A Mexican drug cartel enforcer (Danny Trejo….he is in like everything!)

-         Spetsnaz soldier (the Russian equivalent to the British SAS, or our Delta Force…bad ass MoFos)

-         IDF (Israel Defense Force) sniper – the only chick in the group

-         Revolutionary United Force Officer (RUF) from Sierra Leone (I believe)

-         A death row inmate

-         Yakuza enforcer (to me….about as bad ass as you can get!)

-         And oddly….doctor Edwin

It is a strange mix, and none of them know how they got there…but they all have one thing in common, they are hunters, the best of the best.

So they chose to stick together in this strange jungle and while exploring, they stumble upon empty cages and a dead US Special Forces soldier. Now at a completely lost, they move to higher ground…only to see an alien sky looking down on them and they realize they are not on Earth anymore.  

The group has their first encounter with a ravenous pack of alien beast like dogs. The group fans out and do what they do best…survive. After the attack, Royce, who has somehow become the leader, decided that they are being hunted like a game and the dogs where just sent out to flush them out and show the hunters how the group would react. After a few minutes, they realize that they are one man down and they here the Mexican’s cry’s for help. They find him in a middle of the field. The Israeli wants to go help him, but Royce and the RUF said that it was a trap and they has both used this method to hunt in the past.

Sick of being the hunted, Royce suggest they take the upper hand and follow the “dogs” and they find the hunters encampment and find a captive Predator. While in the encampment, three larger Predators attack and the RUF solider dies (always killing off the minorities first). After, the Israeli confesses of the original Predator attack in 1987 (brining in the original movie…very nice)

While leaving the encampment, they meet a survivor, an air assault soldier (played by Laurence Fishburne) how has survived by scavenging and hiding on the planet for 7-8 years. He has gone completely insane, and although he is pretending to help him….he did not survive this long by helping others and soon the group realizes that he is just trying to kill them so he can use their things.

They escape from the soldier, only to find themselves face to face with the warrior Predators again.

This movie has a very good ending…obvious…but good and sadly I felt like they did more talking and walking then fighting and dying. I would have loved to see more action, but you can’t have everything. But this is not a movie you need to go see in theaters. Take your time…check it out when it comes out on DVD…save the $10 for something else.