Predators

Went to see Predators yesterday, and it is an incredible movie

Not only is it better than any of the sequels/related movies that have followed the original, it is arguably the equal of the original. It has no weak points. Its everything you want from a Predator movie. The characters are great, the story works, the action and f/x are great and not CGI reliant. Its gory and violent as all hell. The handheld minigun returns.

And Adrian Brody - when did the scrawny arthouse actor become a ripped action hero!!?? I dont know, but he has, and he is brilliant lead character.

This is certainly the best sci fi movie since District 9, and the true sequel predator fans have been waiting for for over 20 years.

9/10

I'm still amazed how they literally transformed the nerd from King Kong to this repeating grenade launcher wielding merc.

It's a 10/10.

We need more movies like this.

It was scary, gory and I finally got to see the famous 'spine rip' that the predators are so fond to do to their prays again.

-Donnie out

You guys better not be lying. I wasn't going to see this movie due to the fact that Adrian Brody is the lead character. The only movie I liked him in was Bullet and that's because the main character was Mickey Rourke. Now reading the way you guys are selling this movie I've gotta give it a chance... So tomorrow Predator here I come.

I can't believe its been over 20 years since the original.

Splendid. I plan to see it tonight, and the recommendation of a few chaps with similar taste in movies is worth all the reviews put together.

The only hesitation I have in fawning over Brody's performance in this movie, is that it won't be the jaw droppimng suprise to you that it was to me when he turned out to be a completely believable kick-a$$ bad black-ops mo-fo.

I believed in Arnie in the 1st movie. I never believed in Danny Glover in the 2nd one. Brody in the 3rd one absolutely nails it.

I just want to see it again. Right now. It actually hurts a little that I cant just quit my job, walk out, and go straight to the cinema this instant.

PREDATORS RUUUUUUUUUUUUUULLLLLLLZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!

man, this is good news. even though I popped wood from the trailer it helps to know that it gets the Cord stamp of approval. :-)

It got the offical 'Taison Endorsement' stamp all over it.

Adrien Brody is just friggin' awesome.
It's just unbelievable how he can actually nail the tough-guy image. He makes the Rock and Vin Diesel look like oversized wusses.

He totally reinvents the anti-hero stereotype.

He put on just the right amount of muscle to look like an agile tough-ass marine. He's not oversized like Arnold, but could easily snap a man's neck. He's fast as hell too something no other protagist ever were.

You think Riddick was awesome? Royce is more hardcore.
I just instantly fell in love with the character.

This guy is what Riddick should've been.
You need to see this movie.

example; SPOILERS!

Adrien points a gun at Oleg's head from behind.
A: Stop shooting, You're shooting at the wrong guys
O: How would I know?
A: Cuz if we were the right guys, we wouldn't be having this conversation.
O: Ok.. show me the right guys then.

-Donnie

Went to see it last night and wasn't disappointed. Good action film with good acting and a solid script.

I thought Walton Goggins (aka Shane from the Shield) was pretty good in the movie too, he added just the right amount of laughs without going overboard and becoming some clown or cartoon character.

Def. holds its own against the original, a kicks the backside of Predator 2 and the PVA movies.

Saw it 2 times now.

-Donnie out

Saw the movie today. It was really good. It was a solid, well done movie, something I did not expect from Robert Rodriguez.

I'll have to give a dissenting opinion.

It comes across as a shoot-em-up. Unlike the first Terminator, which had a plot, this one doesn't.

I haven't seen it yet, but what more of a plot than prey vs prey. :-)

Saw it this afternoon. Sound track was a bit muzzy. Might be my ears.

Brody's character was well done.

He actually reminded me a bit of Peter Wingfield as Methos in the Highlander TV series. From the nose to the dedicated pragmatism. Survive!

I thought it was comprable to the first one regarding plot. Personally I like a film that doesn't feel the need to spell every little thing out for you. I think this is a modern trend in cinema: Every little detail has to be explained, every little other world that is hinted at in a film has to be fully explored and exhausted in some pointless prequel/sequel

I for one like not always having the answer.

Predators was an action film. JCVD said it best, in an action film, the physical action tells the story. The plot did a resonable job keeping the film moving and letting the action tell the story, rather than bogging the film down in superfluous exposition or flash back scenes. The charactes weren't sure how they got there. The movie didn't waste time going in to the "How did we get here?" question. It got on with the "Ok, we're in a bad situation and no one knows how we ended up here, but what are we going to do?" question.

An example of not getting the film bogged down in heavy exposition was Topher Graces character (Grace best known as Eric from That 70's show). Brodys character mentions early on he (Graces character) doesn't fit. IMO it would be pointless going in to it in great depth. I mean, these people are running for their lives. It wouldn't suit a physical action film where the action (running, hiding, seeking, fighting) is telling a story and suddenly you have a 20 minute lull whereby Graces character is grilled and maybe has a stupid flashback to tell the story of what he did on earth and how he ended up on the planet. Sure, it might fill in a few gaps for those in the audience who had an imagination bypass, but lots of standing around talking in a film that is being told by physical MOVEMENT would only work against the film.

I thought the plot did what it needed to do. It wasn't anything original, but you could say that about 99.9% of movies!

I loved the reference to Methos, though Royce is an even more serious character. More of a hard ass. I was skeptical at first too but he was incredibly convincing. So was Laurence Fishbourne and the guy from that 70's show. This is the best Predator since the origional and sticks to the origional character of the Predators much better.
I was sad to see Trejo get knocked off so fast though.
The bodies of the actors were much closer to that of real soldiers this time as well. You can't beat "Get to da choppa!" ot "I aint got time to bleed." But those guys were too big to be elite soldiers. Still I loved the first one the best. Just like every other movie (Highlander anyone?).

Honestly, this movie did a lot of 'sneaky things' in there.

The scene where the Yakuza guy fights the predator?
Well, that was a homage to classical samurai films (obvious) but it was also a homage to the first duel between Arnie and the first Pred.

Noticed how the pred doesn't just outright kill Hanzo but actually stick to the 'rules of engagement' which killed both of them in the end. Subtly, it show that these 'killers' had a weakness.. a strong sense of chivalry.


Regarding the Doctor. In my opinion, I have a very 'team fortress' mentality. I thought he was dragged there to be the group's medic. I was totally shocked at the end.

I like how the group were 'Ok, we're in a sticky situation, I don't care if you raped and killed before, I just hope you do it right now to keep us alive'. It was a very good mentality imo.

-Donnie out

<< The scene where the Yakuza guy fights the predator? >>

That block that turned into the drag-behind cut that sliced open the Predator was just like one my Iaido sensei taught way back when. Nice to see it in use.

To be fair, Jesse Ventura (Mr "I ain't got time to bleed" in the original) was in the US Navy for 6 years. Not sure of his role while in the Navy though.

You may already know that though! You may already also know they are doing a remake of Highlander!

Jesse ventura was an actual navy seal.

Mr. Ventura was actually a Navy Seal (or a member of an SDV or Seal Delivery Vehicle Crew not sure which). However, I would bet money he was a bit smaller at that time. I almost never see big bodybuilder types in combat roles. Usually the biggest buffest soldiers have cushy jobs on base honestly. Trying to maintain that kind of physique while on a mission schedule and in the bush is next to impossible.
Good choice for that role overall I'd say. They were a pretty solid bunch. Same with this movie. Although I didn't think the chic was a very convincing IDF sniper. Brody had a perfect soldiers build. The Russian Spetsnaz guy was also farely realistic.
And yes I know about the new Highlander and I'm annoyed about it because so far they have managed to ruin the story with "The Source" and Highlander 2. Endgame was decent but the story was a little shaky still. I only liked the origional, Endgame, and the series. I have little hope that this will be good. It's like Ken Shamrock continuing to fight. Just makes things worse.

Easy now. "Highlander" the series got me into MA in 1993. :-)

I have to say I have never paid much attention to Adrien Brody but from seeing him in predator he has "presence." I remember reading about Private Ryan and that Steven Spielberg was concerned that none of the actors cast for the movie had that aura that you see in actual vets. It seemed that you could tell that these actors hadn't "done" anything that left its mark on them. The people who grew up in the depression and world war two have that feeling about them. Very few modern actors are able to catch that feeling because they have in truth not done anything or experienced anything of consequence. The kind of thing that leaves its mark on you. I think Adrien Brody, though by no means achieving this for real, did have that feeling about him. The Trejo guy, a reformed criminal in real life if I am right, has that feeling about him as well.

Guys,

You all do know that if the Predators movie was real, the Russian Spetsnaz guy would easily manhandle all the preds using advanced Sambo techniques, right?

Like totally break their legs in 5 different direction before dislocating the hips.

By the way, it's amazing how people haven't noticed that the Russian guy is Oleg Taktarov, one of the early UFC guys. The first to use a vast range of different leglocks in the UFC to be more precise.

-Donnie out

Lol when I actually watched the movie I thought "Is that guy trying to do an Russian accent?" then read on IMDB he was born in the USSR!

Interesting comment about Danny Trejo. I have to agree sometimes "actors" have a hard time conveying a person, especially someone who exists in the "real" world (like a war veteran).

I remember reading a quote from director John Carpenter about his casting of pro wrestler Roddy Piper as the lead in his film "They Live". Carpenter said of Piper:

"Unlike most Hollywood actors, Roddy has life written all over him."