I can’t believe they cast Adrian Brody in an action film. I really can’t believe it actually worked…
So Predator might be one of my favourite movies of all time. I remember having it on my old iPod, watching it as I fell asleep most nights as a teenager. I probably watched at least most of it, everyday, for a couple of years. Undiagnosed, but we’re all pretty sure.
And around the height of that obsession, the first full-fat Predator movie released in my lifetime, and as soon as that first trailer dropped, I was all in on Predators. It came out, I saw it in cinemas, and bloody loved it. Directed by Nimród Antal and produced by Robert ‘I love Danny Trejo’ Rodriguez, it ticked all my ‘Predatory’ boxes at the time.
And while I naturally bought the DVD as soon as it was released, I probably haven’t seen it in close to 15 years. And this led me to thinking, is it actually good, or was it just my not-fully-formed frontal lobe kicking in, and making me all nostalgic? Think about it; you don’t really hear anyone talking about Predators nowadays, and 2018’s The Predator proved that a bad Predator movie is real stinky.
So I did some push ups, kissed my framed picture of Carl Weathers and gave it a watch. And I’m happy to report it was just as good as I remember, and is a movie that really deserves more love.
Not only because it gives us Adrien Brody doing his best Christian Bale impression for nearly two hours. Let’s start with the cast, because if you took the weirdest Dungeons & Dragons party in cinema history and put it on a stage, you’d basically have this ensemble. There’s Brody as Royce, a taciturn mercenary who grunts and is pragmatic, like a person who hasn’t enjoyed sleeping on a proper mattress for a while. Then there’s Isabelle, played by Alice Braga, the sniper and cool as a cucumber, the by far most competent person here. Laurence Fishburne makes a quick intrusion as Noland, a slightly deranged survivor who has been marooned on the planet long enough to develop a little Gollum-ish hang time. And then, in one of the more head-spinning left turns you might imagine, there’s Topher Grace as Edwin, a seemingly benign doctor who’s as benign as these poisonous plants. Also, there’s Danny Trejo, why the hell not. It’s Danny Trejo.
Also Walton freaking Goggins as a death row murderer. The more I think about this cast, the more it’s just perfect.
And the setting is pretty fantastic too. Forget Earth — this jungle is on a planet far from here, a place so inhospitable it makes the Amazon look like a botanical garden. And it’s not merely a backdrop or nod to the original; it’s almost a character. The atmosphere is oppressively tense, from the unknown dangers of being a stranger in a strange land, to the nauseating humidity that comes through the screen. Antal makes the most of this setting, creating a palpable sense of dread. The jungle not only physically enshrines the characters but seems to psychologically close in on them as well, like it’s also in on the hunt. Every vine, every darkly cast shadow, every rustling leaf feels evil, as if the planet itself is watching and waiting for its moment.
And speaking of Predators, there’s a whole bunch this time, because we love a sequel with a plural title. We also have new flavours of these big strong boys, including the “Super Predators,” who are essentially regular Predators but with a little extra oomph, and bigger, scarier mouths that Danny Glover would have something to say about. These new hunters don’t just look menacing; they also belong to a larger mythology that the film complements but doesn’t get bogged down in. There’s a hierarchy, a distinct line of hunter and prey, but also infighting within the ranks of the Predators themselves. As someone who felt pretty blue-balled by that one glimpse of the Predator homeworld in AvP: Requiem, I’m always hungry for some more lore.
But all the lore-dumping in the world can’t make for a good Predator film if the action isn’t any good, and thankfully Predators keeps it inventive without ever feeling overblown. The whole bringing all the most dangerous hunters from Earth into a killing field allows for so many creative battles, from high calibre military tech to a fucking samurai sword. These sequences are gritty and bloody, and staged for maximum effect in a way that is, refreshingly, unapologetic and unshowy. And they’re tense, too, because unlike some other recent entries in the franchise (yes, I’m looking at you, The Predator), this one gives its stakes some weight. The characters are constantly having to battle from behind, and the film makes you feel that desperation in a way that’s visceral, matched with pacing that keeps you from looking away.
And that’s the thing about Predators, it’s smarter than it looks. This isn’t some hellzapoppin’ shoot-‘‘em-up; it’s a tale of survival, of humans grappling with their own moral shortcomings while hunted by alien killing machines. It has a cynicism that goes a mile deep – which only renders the rare moments of humanity that much heavier. Royce’s trajectory is especially riveting; he begins as the ultimate pragmatist, a man who would throw you to the wolves if it got him out of danger, but gradually, his armour shows fissures. It’s not so much a redemption story as it is a gentler, more gratifying and elusive narrative.
Even the references to the original are executed with a surprising amount of restraint. Yes, there’s mud. Yes, there’s the music. But it’s not pandering; it’s more like a respectful acknowledgment of one good movie by another. The film doesn’t attempt to do better than Schwarzenegger’s legacy — how could it? Instead it finds its own corner of the franchise that feels earned and its own.
So why does Predators seem like it has been consigned to the bargain bin of cinematic memory? Well, maybe the timing was off. Maybe Alien vs. Predator: Requiem had people too traumatized. Even though I think it’s actually a pretty good B-movie, it just needed better lighting. Or maybe that’s because it’s of a sort of movie that’s not screaming for your attention — it just is, quietly excellent, waiting for someone to notice.
And let’s be real: the Predator franchise itself has not shown great consistency over the years, so that probably didn’t instill confidence.
But, let this serve as your invitation to take note. Predators isn’t just another sequel in the series; it’s a savvy, taut, and surprisingly stylish movie that builds on the mythology without losing sight of the primal thrills that keep these films working. It respects the audience’s intelligence and rewards close attention with flourishes that elevate it far beyond its kind.
If you haven’t seen Predators, or it’s been so long since you saw it you don’t even know anymore, fix that right away. It’s not just a good sequel; it’s a movie that seems to have been written, shot and cut by people who actually liked the material. Also, not every day you get to see Adrien Brody attempt to out-gravel a Predator. What’s not to love?
But if you have seen Predators, what do you think of it? Please let me know in the comments below, I’d love to read your thoughts. And while you’re down there, don’t forget to like and subscribe for plenty more videos on all sorts of movie fun, check out our video game channel UDS gaming, and you can always visit upsidedownshark.com for everything else we’ve got going on.
Until then my name is Tom, this has been UDS, and we’ll see you next time. Bye!
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Tom Baker
I like Star Wars, heavy metal and BBQ Pringles.
