Predators Review
By Sasquatch at August 26, 2010 | 10:25 pm | Print
“If it bleeds, we can kill it.” One of the famous lines from the 1987 classic action/sci-fi movie, Predator. This movie gave us an alien hunter brought to earth to hunt the ultimate prey, humans. We see a group of American Army commandos being picked off one by one by this extra-terrestrial warrior. Only one man rose to stop this creature, and that man was Dutch, played by action mega star Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Fast forward twenty-three years after one sequel and two crossover movies, the one true sequel has arrived. Nothing against Predator 2 or the AVP series, but in my honest opinion these really don’t live up to the title of the classic.
In Predators, the movie brings us to an alien world, where we see a group of random people being dropped down. This group consists of mercenaries, Yakuza, death row inmate and a doctor. Now I’m not going to ruin the movie and tell you what happens, but instead will share my thoughts on this movie. One of the things I like is the casting of this movie. You have some well-known actors, but no one that is hugely popular where the production company is counting on that actor to cash in on the movie. Both Predator and Predator 2 went that route by casting big name actors: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Glover respectively.
Another thing that I loved about this movie is the exploration of this franchise’s other characters. In the Predator movies, we have only had one predator running around, while in the end of Predator 2, we saw some of the elders. In the AVP series we were shown the predator home world, as well as a few others. I’m sure you were thinking the same thing as I was when watching, “what’s the difference between these predators?” Well in the new movie they introduce not one, but three new predators!
First up is the Tracker Predator. He is sent in first with its pack of predator like dogs. These vicious creatures are the size of a panther with several large horns/tusks coming from the head, neck, and spine. The Tracker is identified by having its mask with two tusks coming from the jaw line, reminiscing that of an elephant. Next we have the Falconer Predator. This is one is the smaller more agile one of the group. It is seen using a small reconnaissance drone, resembling a falcon to scope out the lay of the terrain while looking for its prey. It also has an extended blade on its right wrist to make it like a sword when extending, while the other two have a standard wrist blade. The Falconer is identified by the falcon shaped mask that it wears. Last but certainly not least is the Berserker Predator. This one is the biggest and nastiest of the three, hell it’s more vicious than what some will call the Jungle Predator (from Predator 1 & 2.) The Berserker is the leader of the “Super Predators” and is also the main protagonist in the film. It is identified with a jawbone attached to its mask.
Overall, I really loved this film. It is definitely in my top five of 2010, and is in my opinion the true sequel to Predator. This movie had a great story, great cast and great special effects. Even though the late great Stan Winston wasn’t around to see the beautiful work that was put into these creatures, I’m sure he would have been impressed and pleased with what was done. I strongly recommend seeing this movie whether it is in a theater (if still possible) or when it’s released on DVD/Blu-Ray on October 19th.
Berserker Predator, Falconer Predator, & Tracker Predator