I’m somewhat fond
of the Predator franchise. The original Predator movie is a classic.
It was something I watched over and over again as a kid in cable (though
the first few times were the edited-for-TV version for it; it was a bit later
till I saw its original cut). Predator 2, on the other hand, was
inferior, but it was enjoyable in a “dated, cheesy action flick” sort of way;
while Predators was decent, albeit a
tad forgettable. Heck, to be honest, I
was even entertained at a basic level by the disposable, mediocre Alien vs. Predator movies. However, much of my fondness for Predator was actually due to the
different comic book series and crossovers released by Dark Horse Comics
through the years. I’ve never maintained
a strong feeling for the film property.
Thus, The Predator was never among my
anticipated films this year. So when it
turned out being pretty bad, I didn’t mind at all.
It’s intended to
reboot the franchise, but it also maintains continuity as it mildly references
the events of the previous films. It
follows Army Ranger sniper Quinn McKenna (Boyd Holbrook) who witnesses an alien
ship crash land and whose team is wiped out by its passenger – a Predator. A shady secret government agency headed by
the ruthless Will Traeger (Sterling K. Brown) recovers the Predator, and takes McKenna
into custody, but not before he’s able to mail off the alien tech he has
retrieved. To cover up the incident and to
ensure that McKenna is discredited if ever he talks about what he saw, he’s put
under a psych evaluation which puts him in the company of other ex-soldiers
dealing with PTSD and other mental health issues (Trevante Rhodes,
Keegan-Michael Key, Thomas Jane, Alfie Allen, and Augusto Aguillera). But then the Predator breaks out, and McKenna
and his companions – “The Loonies” – find themselves teaming up with an evolutionary
biologist (Olivia Munn) as they are apparently the only ones who can stop the murderous alien. Meanwhile, McKenna’s package is received by
his autistic son Rory (Jacob Tremblay) who activates the Predator mask. This turns him into the target of another
Predator, who is bigger and stronger and is hunting down the first
Predator. McKenna and his band of
misfits must then race home to protect Rory, as the night explodes into a
four-way battle between the Loonies, Traeger’s squad, the fugitive Predator, and
the hulking Predator.
As already
mentioned earlier, The Predator is a
bad film. But it’s the kind of bad film
that asks to be watched. It’s so
hilariously terrible.
Part of its hilarity is intentional. This film is directed and co-written by Shane
Black, who is known for delightful action-comedies like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Iron Man
3 (which I will unyieldingly argue is the best of the trilogy), and The Nice Guys. And The
Predator has the same kind of jokes, banters, and slapstick violence that those
aforementioned films have. By their own,
they’re actually genuinely funny. However,
the style of humor doesn’t really fit into the kind of movie that The Predator is. It makes the tone very rocky, and it dilutes the
sense of tension that its premise requires. When
something serious occurs, one is not immediately sure how to react after stuff
were played for laughs a couple of times earlier.
The script is also utterly
dumb. It’s full of plot holes, and there
are decisions made by the characters that are either stupid or pointless. This could turn frustrating. But it also could easily generate some
unintentional comedy. Add this to the out-of-place
humor, and the outcome is an ironically endearing disorderly movie that seemingly doesn’t give a f--- about making sense.
Plus, the Loonies are very likable. Their dynamic had me in stitches.
In the end, The Predator is undoubtedly a “so bad, it’s good” flick – probably
my most favorite one of 2018.
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