Movie review: Predators
If one is looking for a movie that will make you a better person- this is not that movie. Get in your car, go to Blockbuster and rent "A Single Man". If you are looking for two hours of pure adrenaline and escapism, then head to your local theater, grab your popcorn and sit back because its about to be a bumpy ride.
Predators starts with a bang -- it also milks and works that bang throughout the entire movie. I will make the argument that Robert Rodriguez simply retooled Richard Connell's Most Dangerous Game but he does it in a way that is semi fresh and inviting. He introduces some new baddies to the Predator Universe which was also refreshing. The entire movie is designed to keep the viewer on edge and excited with every turn the characters make.
Now, with the bad... one must simply suspend reality for the 90+ minutes of the movie. While I enjoyed the initial bang of the movie, that part also made me want to get up and leave the theater. Now, allow me to explain. It simply comes down to a character surviving something that is completely unsurvivable. Criticize me for being over analytical but hey... its my review so there!
The characters were all your basic archetypes: some chosen for their flaws while others chosen for their graces. WIth that being said, several of characters were simply a part of the movie just to be devices. Example one character is simply there to be the big baddie with the wheel gun, firing massive amounts of bullets yet strangely hitting very little with all of the that ammunition. Another character is there just to inject that element of misogynistic-racist sentiments that makes you want to see him die but yet redeems himself as a character about 30 seconds too late. Robert Rodriguez did an amazing job of taking characters that could have been flat and downright unlikable and giving them a sense of humanity.
The story is also an homage to the original Predator movie. It is a logical next step in the evolution of the story instead of the AvP movies. Meaning that it stays true to the original vision of the movies rather than going for the blood and guts. Now, there is no shortage of blood and guts in this movie... but it isn't bloody just for the sake of the body count!
In the end, the movie was designed to be a vehicle of enjoyment rather than personal reflection. The cast (despite my initial eye rolls) does a decent job of driving the story forward. Adrien Brody, whom I'm not a fan of, does a decent job and has obviously been the gym A LOT to prepare for this film. Topher Grace, well, he pulls off the whole clumsy-klutzy-why-am-I-here-I'm-just-a-doc with ease. Then again, its a character he plays often so its not like it was a stretch! And Laurence Fishburn plays bat shit crazy so damn well!!! I mean seriously... Wow!
***posted at my movie review site***
Predators starts with a bang -- it also milks and works that bang throughout the entire movie. I will make the argument that Robert Rodriguez simply retooled Richard Connell's Most Dangerous Game but he does it in a way that is semi fresh and inviting. He introduces some new baddies to the Predator Universe which was also refreshing. The entire movie is designed to keep the viewer on edge and excited with every turn the characters make.
Now, with the bad... one must simply suspend reality for the 90+ minutes of the movie. While I enjoyed the initial bang of the movie, that part also made me want to get up and leave the theater. Now, allow me to explain. It simply comes down to a character surviving something that is completely unsurvivable. Criticize me for being over analytical but hey... its my review so there!
The characters were all your basic archetypes: some chosen for their flaws while others chosen for their graces. WIth that being said, several of characters were simply a part of the movie just to be devices. Example one character is simply there to be the big baddie with the wheel gun, firing massive amounts of bullets yet strangely hitting very little with all of the that ammunition. Another character is there just to inject that element of misogynistic-racist sentiments that makes you want to see him die but yet redeems himself as a character about 30 seconds too late. Robert Rodriguez did an amazing job of taking characters that could have been flat and downright unlikable and giving them a sense of humanity.
The story is also an homage to the original Predator movie. It is a logical next step in the evolution of the story instead of the AvP movies. Meaning that it stays true to the original vision of the movies rather than going for the blood and guts. Now, there is no shortage of blood and guts in this movie... but it isn't bloody just for the sake of the body count!
In the end, the movie was designed to be a vehicle of enjoyment rather than personal reflection. The cast (despite my initial eye rolls) does a decent job of driving the story forward. Adrien Brody, whom I'm not a fan of, does a decent job and has obviously been the gym A LOT to prepare for this film. Topher Grace, well, he pulls off the whole clumsy-klutzy-why-am-I-here-I'm-just-a-doc with ease. Then again, its a character he plays often so its not like it was a stretch! And Laurence Fishburn plays bat shit crazy so damn well!!! I mean seriously... Wow!
***posted at my movie review site***