Review: All that is PREDATOR

I have been fortunate to have experienced one of the greatest alien creations film has ever known, the Predator. The first film starring Arnold, was supposed to be a film for him to be glorified as a hulk of a man with a pocket full of grenades while one handing one of the heaviest American weapons ever issued. The first Predator film is among the top for most quotable films of all time.

The graphics and all around cinematography combination in 'Predator' is far greater than any of its sequels or spin-offs. The locational shooting of this film is nearly perfect, the actors all minus Carl Weathers deliver exactly what is asked of them. They all know who they are and are all consistent with themselves.

The Predator itself is an interestingly new take on an alien. Completely new appearance, one of the most distinct creatures ever created, also is equipped with brand new ideas for weapons. There isn't anything found in 'Predator' which is found anywhere else.
When the action happens, its good. The action sequences actually happen perfectly in length, any longer or shorter and it loses consistency and interest. The suspense does exist in this film, however the suspense is different than most other alien movies. Most alien movies feature a sneaky, rarely seen creature which jumps out at people at opportune moments. This movie however takes a different approach, it reminds you constantly that the alien is always watching its prey.
How come this remains to be one of the most watched films ever? No matter who I talk to, the overwhelming majority are capable of putting this movie on regularly and enjoying themselves. Yes, there are other films you can do that with as well, but maybe not as easily, and without getting tired of it. I would consider anything that doesn't burn out, a classic. To give a classic example, 'Jaws', this is another film which you could start from any point in the movie and just go with it, without getting tired of it... another classic.

Now there are some apparent flaws in this film however, but most of the problems are due to preference of film. If you love Rambo, Predator probably isn't going to be as high on your list. There are just differences in its take on action and suspense. Or 'Alien', there is just a more serious and realistic take on that feature vs. the 'Predator' film. Both done perfectly well for what was sought in the projects, but this is where the viewer leaves with different feelings and opinions which constitute preference. I prefer realism, but boy was this action packed thrill ride fun. I like Six Flags because all of the rides are so thrilling and just loosens the skin on your face as you wiz by, but Disneyland takes the gold because also while thrilling, it shows me in its detail why it is better. The details of the entire park makes for a more believable fantasy world, where Six flags shows me maximum potential. In this comparison I think of middle-Earth in Lord of the Rings vs. Pandora in Avatar.

Extending this post even longer, I have 4 more Predator starring films to discuss.
I experienced misfortune in the viewing of 'Predators' yesterday morning. Within the first 10 minutes, if it wasn't for the consideration of others around me, would have hit the pause and rewind button a thousand times while gripping my stomach from the pain of laughter.

I entered the film with very low expectations or motivation to see a performance from Adrien Brody, but at the end of the day, he was the film's only real success. It becomes more apparent to me when actors can make it out alive by working on a deadly bad movie. I give him credit, and in this terrible project have great respect and excitement in Adrien Brody's future.

The graphics in the film were bearable, but never making me feel like much was real, especially the Predators themselves. Never did I feel like I was on an alien planet, one that wasn't EARTH. There were limited sequences involving these aliens which I felt convinced they were actually physically present. The cast and characters for this movie as a whole far surpassed the word suck. The beginning of the film has an unforgivable encounter with an unforgivable character in Stans, the convict on a most wanted list. The acting for that character failed, but even more was the person who wrote that character into the movie. Most of the characters, actually all the characters outside of Royce played by Brody, failed. Topher Grace again showed me why he should have stuck it out with cheesy television shows after his performance in Spider-Man 3 and this film. It appears that he knows just as much about himself as an actor as his parents did giving him a half a first name, and a second half at that.

On another note, and a short one, is that Lawrence Fishburne was indeed in the movie, but for a nearly worthless point. His existence would have allowed more flow for the film if it didn't exist. When and IF yous have seen the film, you will know. Till then, it will remain spoiler free.

I wish there were things in this movie I could rave about, but the movie just bottomed out. At its failure I started comparing it to the rest of the sequels, and when when you start to figure out which sequel or spin-off was better, you are in trouble. All the sequels and spin-offs sucked, so when you compare suck with suck, it still ends up suck. I wish there was a secret bottle of white-out you could pour out on the existence of some films, like this one.

I don't want to go into each additional sequel individually as the rest really have the same problems, story. The graphics are sufficient in the rest if they contained any interesting plots. Unfortunately the stories apparently were conjured up while the writer was intoxicated and under the influence of several substances. AvP2 and Predator 2 stand as the worst of the worst with a Predator appearing. Alien vs. Predator however did excite me with some fight scenes which were absent from anything since the first 'Predator'. Fight sequences that actually looked real, good, and fun. Minus the good and fun, the film implodes on itself after the only thing consistent about it, bad ideas, commits suicide. Alien vs. Predator makes bad idea after bad idea, and ends up with the main character being made a spear and shield by a befriended Predator to assist in further combat. Now, I hope no one thinks I ruined their adventure with this film with that spoiler, because that person would need a brain scan to put it in their DVD player expecting more than a couple fight scenes.
At the end of the day, if you want to see a good 'Predator' thing, there is only one option, 'Predator'. Everything else is left in the dust just like the writers and their future.

"Predator"
7.5 / 10

"Predator 2"
3.5 / 10

"Predators"
5 / 10

"Alien vs. Predator"
4.5 / 10

"Alien vs. Predator: Requiem"
2.5 / 10