Saturday, July 17, 2010

Predators

Movie name: Predators
Year of release: 2010
Director: Nimrod Antal
Stars: Adrien Brody, Alice Braga, Topher Grace, Walton Goggins, Oleg Taktarov, Laurence Fishburne, Danny Trejo, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6

Synopsis:"Predators" from director Nimrod Antal, follows it's concept directly from John McTiernan's 1987 blockbuster "Predator". Unlike Stephen Hopkins' sequel (from 1990 with Danny Glover), the film is shot as a descendant of the original film that introduced the lethal predator. We are introduced to a group of strangers, who do not know each other and who find each other lost in a jungle. Each of them we come to realize are "predators" themselves, people who have killed in different contexts, but killers nonetheless. The characters soon realize that they are no longer on Earth and that they have been brought to a different planet to be game to a different species, the lethal "Predator". What follows is a game of cat and mouse of everyone trying to survive as long as they can.
Nimrod Antal became well known for his film "Control", but his films in the US have mostly been in the realm of the suspense/action, namely "Vacancy" and "Armored". "Predators" manages to succeed in creating an environment of menace and suspense and as such the film works. The director infuses the film with a lot of the look and feel that John McTiernan's film originally created - the menacing Predator that can be anywhere unseen, the resilient team that fights back and the final ones that survive. The film is not as linear as the original "Predator" was, but it also gives more screen time to each of the characters of the team trying to survive. The characters are never really more than paper thin, but they are all elements created to allow for the Predator to create it's sense of menace and doom. Adrien Brody who at first glance would be an odd choice for this film, creates a believable action hero, the same going for Alice Braga. Topher Grace sadly proves his shortcomings as an actor, but this is overall a competent action and suspense film.

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