Shane Black’s The Predator (2018) – Film Review

Wow.

I had a fear for a long time that this franchise would be yet another to go down swinging in the 21st century.

The Alien franchise has been spaced—as far as I’m concerned, that ship has sailed beyond the Outer Rim. Unsalvageable.

Terminator is…still operational, if only barely (those power cells are getting old, and the age is showing…).

Predator…? Well, outside of the original duology and my own universe I’m working on, it’s been looking pretty uncertain. I actually enjoyed the first AvP; good ideas, if executed a bit wearily. I couldn’t see what was going on in AvP:R without thermal vision, and every reviewer out there said they couldn’t, either. Predators tried to include new lore into the mythos, while being more or less a carbon-copy of the 1987 original. Shane Black’s The Predator: While not being cinema gold, I’m glad I wasn’t let down. It’s about time we cinephiles had a win, as far as our “older” geeky properties go, and this is it.

Firstly, I was surprised with the amount of humor wrapped up in it all—but pleasantly-so. Keegan Michael-Key, for sure, was set to be the comic relief, and I worried, pre-viewing, about his character being overbearing in the yucks department. But, Tom Jane (The Punisher (2004), The Mist (2007)) is also good for a laugh, if at his own expense; I’d like to think a lot of his off-the-cuff dialogue was ad-libbed—and how many retakes they had to do so the cast and crew could stop laughing—but it’s pieces of director Black (act. Predator (1987), dir. Iron Man 3) includes in Jane’s character that make him real, raw, and sympathetic. All the main cast are, really—I felt for each one of them, for their struggles and what’s gotten them to this point, and when their inevitable and varied ends came (not a spoiler—it’s a Predator film; people dying is its whole M.O.). Boyd Holbrook (Sons of Anarchy, Logan) and Trevante Rhodes (Moonlight) are great—real men with feelings and regrets, beneath their stony façades, and Olivia Munn (Office Christmas Party, X-Men: Apocalypse) is particularly interesting, as the not-so-run-of-the-mill female tag-along. She has a lot to offer, both in regards to her intelligence and ability to handle herself in the field; she comes around in the end for an eye-opening save of one of her male counterparts—just one of many moments where I found my heart pounding during this film.

Somewhat disappointed by the under-use of some characters, while overwhelmingly-happy with the lot I got from the assumedly-minor ones, the cast has good chemistry—something, in a film like this and as “short” as it is, can be hard to craft and even harder to hold onto.

Yes, folks… Despite the insanely-good, shockingly-appropriate and welcome humor, this film is still, at its core, a chapter in the Predator franchise. That means intense hunting, brutal kills, and out-of-this-world tech. A lot is blink-and-you-miss-it stuff—a shuriken flying into a guy here, a salvaged Xeno-tail spear there—but there’s also a lot that takes place right in our faces. The Fugitive Predator is, thankfully, a guy in a suit—or, rather, prosthetic enhancements on a flesh-and-bones actor. It’s a relief, to see that present-day movies can still make such wonderful and well-done use of practical effects. Fugitive is actually very cool, fluid, and works well within his setting—his size accentuated above his human antagonists, legendary skill tested against enemies both human and otherwise—but, sadly, not as central as the trailers make him out to be. It’s that Deadpool 2-style box office “clickbait”, if you will, which—like that film—I’m sure I’ll appreciate more upon subsequent viewings. Writing this now, only hours after the show, I’m already feeling less embittered by it.

But, let’s keep this positive…

The CGI is cool, too. The Enhanced Predator—or, the “Big Boss” Predator, as I’ve seen it referred to in fora—could very well have been mo-capped. There’s a lot of unexplored territory there, too, as far as story and origins go; I’m hoping as much. A bit telling, in some scenes, but otherwise, the film’s CGI-fueled action is a visual romp only helped by the beautiful, British Columbia-filmed, Georgia-set scenery. Some shots move a little too fast to be decipherable—one main character death, for example, in the overly-dark forest sequence—but I know a lot was cut from the film (for one reason or another).

Alan Silvestri’s original theme is re-used, to much enjoyment on my part, and is mixed and rehashed by composer Henry Jackman (Kingsman franchise, X-Men: First Class). Another bit of fan service, but without being too pandery—if there’s one thing I hate about new sequels/reboots, it’s pandering to the audience. The Predator does not. It’s its own thing, and Black and his crew meant for it to be so. Interesting concepts are explored—even if left unattended to, in favor of being explored in a planned sequel or trilogy format (pleeeeeease). Black said he’s more than excited to return for follow-up entries. Frankly, so am I.

A relieving breath of fresh air, The Predator is pulse-pounding and emotional, funny and fierce all in one nice, well-crafted package. Final ‘Risk Assessment: *****/.

I had big expectations—high hopes, as it were—and, I’m happy to say, they were met…and then some. A good onboarding point for new fans, The Predator explores neat new themes, good messages about fatherhood and human survivability, and sets it all up nicely for a new, open-ended franchise (done right).

Thank you, Shane Black. Thank you.

Next review: A Simple Favor