Contents

Sunday, December 16, 2018

'The Predator' Could Be the Year's Best "So Bad, It's Good" Movie

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.

No comments:

Post a Comment