Predators (2010)

20 years after 'Predator 2', we finally see 'Predators' from famous cult film director Robert Rodriguez. This time, we meet a gang of various soldiers, murderers, and crime lords dropped onto a mysterious alien world, and they soon realize that they have become game to a pack of Predators. While not the most original idea the 'Predator' series has had, but it's nice to go back to the jungle for this one. We also get to learn a lot more about the race of Predators (or Yauija as they're called in the comics) and their culture. It's always interesting to learn more about these creatures in each installment and by far the best part of them. That can also be the to the detriment of the series as well because in all three installments I feel more interested and invested in the Predators and not its prey. This is due to the human characters in each film (even Arnie) don't have much personality to them beyond the usual film tropes and 'Predators' I feel commits this cinematic sin the worst. We have the macho mercenary, the token female, the token minorities, cliche convicts with lots of tattoos, cliche Yakuza who is silent but wise...you get it.

So if the characters in 'Predators' are dry and bland, how about the Predators themselves? Well despite the fact that the film does dive deeper into the lore, the hunters themselves don't change much from the past two films, aside from a couple of scenes showing their culture's beliefs and rituals which was cool to see. The action is top notch here and rivals the '87 original but at the same time, it can be a bit too long in between these awesome action scenes and instead we get quite a bit of exposition along with an attempt at a big twist that simply doesn't work (thanks to Fox's marketing). I will say that I think 'Predators' is the best looking of the trilogy, with lots of crisp colors and beautiful cinematography. The alien world presented is quite nicely detailed and gives both a sense of familiarity and otherworldly. The score is also quite good, though the film seems quiet in a lot of places.

I feel that I'm in the minority and say that I really don't enjoy 'Predators' as much as others seem to. It's the one I go back to the least and really prefer '2' over it. Not to say it's bad, in fact I'd say it's about as good on a technical level but it's too similar to the original and I'd just rather watch the original. If you've not seen it, then give it a shot. It's a solid 'good, not great' movie to waste time with.

3/5