How many of us really felt we needed another Predator movie? It’s been 31 years since Arnold Schwarzenegger and co first battled that ugly motherfucker in the South American jungle, and while the 1990 sequel has its share of devotees, I daresay most would agree John McTiernan’s original has never been topped. For myself, my main hope for The Predator was that it would be the best entry in the series that I’d get to see on the big screen. The odds were certainly in my favour there, given the only ones I’ve seen theatrically were the first Alien Vs Predator, and Predators; neither of which, I must stress, I entirely dislike, but there’s little question they don’t measure up to what came before (I’ve never bothered to see AVP: Requiem, having never heard nary a good word about it). Still, going in to The Predator, there was certainly some cause for doubt. For one, it’s known that Schwarzenegger declined an offer to reprise the role of Dutch, having disliked Fred Dekker and Shane Black’s script. For another, the week leading up to the film’s release has been tarnished with controversy over the revelation that co-writer and director Black cast a buddy of his, a registered sex offender, in a minor role opposite female lead Olivia Munn. The studio hastily decreed that the scene in question be removed, which accounts for the somewhat stilted introduction Munn’s character gets in the cut that’s in cinemas now.
Yet while all this might be taken as cause for concern, there were also ample grounds to be optimistic about The Predator, primarily the fact that the reins were handed to Black: the supporting star of the 1987 original is now an established blockbuster filmmaker off the back of Iron Man 3, and one of Hollywood’s most distinct directorial voices these past fifteen years thanks to Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and The Nice Guys. Better yet, all my fellow Monster Squad fanatics joined me in instantly losing their shit once it was announced that Black was once again collaborating with Fred Dekker on script duties. With those old buddies getting back together again, surely the writing was on the wall for something tight, punchy and bursting with manly bravado, exactly the way a Predator movie should be.
And I’m happy to report this is exactly what The Predator delivers. It doesn’t even attempt to outdo McTiernan’s film in terms of sweaty, meaty machismo (no two ways about it, this cast doesn’t come close to old Arnie, Carl Weathers and co in terms of musculature), but it does hinge perhaps even more heavily than the original on male camaraderie, with all the bluntness, flagrant insensitivity and fervour for flamboyant profanity that goes along with it. Nor does it go out of its way to hit the same beats as the earlier films: there are moments of obvious fan service for sure, but for the most part the film branches out in some agreeably different ways whilst building on the established mythos. The end result is certainly not without its problems, but I have no hesitation in declaring it the best Predator movie made so far this century.
The tone is set from the get-go, as – whilst Alan Silvestri’s classic score blares – the alien hunter of the title is the very first character we see, heading to Earth in something of a hurry with his own kind hot on his tail. From there we meet army sniper Quinn McKenna (Boyd Holbrook) on a mission that goes badly wrong thanks to the UFO which somewhat unexpectedly crash-lands nearby. A close encounter of the bloody kind ensues, followed by the arrival of some very shady government agent types headed up by Traeger (Sterling K Brown). Knowing that cover-ups and scapegoating are on the horizon, McKenna retrieves some evidence in the form of a Predator mask and gauntlet, and has them mailed back home for safe keeping, before he’s taken in and ultimately dumped on a bus alongside a bunch of other soldiers deemed mentally unfit for service. However, far from being mere mementos, the items McKenna has sent home prove to be very much active pieces of other-worldly technology, and as such very much of interest both to Traeger’s team, and of course The Predator itself – who has company coming.
As I’m a big Fred Dekker fan, I couldn’t help but look out for signs of his fingerprints, and no doubt about it, they’re there. Indeed, if you needed any evidence that Dekker’s voice is more prominent here than Black’s, get this: The Predator is set at Halloween, without even a mention of Christmas. Given that it opens on a conflict in space that comes down into middle America, it’s not hard to pick up hints of Night of the Creeps, a feeling exacerbated by the script taking something of an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach. We have Predator vs Predator, Predators vs humans, good guy soldier humans vs evil government agency soldier humans, with room found for a female scientist and an ex-wife who prove to be every bit as badass as the guys, and an autistic child who also has his badass tendencies. Still, should anyone think Black and Dekker are going for political correctness points there, 90% of the dialogue should flush away any such notion, as the script absolutely revels in its inappropriate humour (for one early example, listen out for the real name of Trevante Rhodes’ ‘Nebraska’ Williams, and bear in mind this actor got his big break in Moonlight). It’s worth noting here that, while I haven’t made any calculations or anything, this might well be the sweariest Predator film yet, and it’s also a fair contender for the most gruesome entry, so UK audiences shouldn’t be deterred by the 15 certificate; that’s a reflection of how much more lenient the BBFC have grown, rather than an indicator of the film being watered down.
This heartfelt back and forth exchange of coarse witticisms between an endearing ensemble is the main thing that makes The Predator work. Again, this cast might not be so overtly manly as that of the original, but they’re absolutely the most likeable bunch to have graced a Predator movie since 1987, who bounce off one another very nicely. There’s a very nice buddy chemistry between Holbrook and Rhodes, and perhaps an even more enjoyable interplay between Keegan-Michael Key’s Coyle (this film’s closest equivalent to Black’s joker character Hawkins), and Thomas Jane’s Baxley. Now I won’t lie, when I saw Tom Jane was in this, part of me grumbled at the fact that the old Punisher/Deep Blue Sea/The Mist veteran wasn’t the one heading up the ensemble; while he’s clearly the oldest of the bunch, he could easily still pull off the role of McKenna. Even so, he’s clearly having a lot of fun and doing terrific work as Baxley, and the fact that it’s perhaps less obvious casting is probably a good thing.
Beyond the core ensemble of troubled tough guys, Sterling K Brown makes for a terrific villain, and while Olivia Munn might feel a little shoehorned in to provide both female representation and the obligatory scientific exposition, she’s a hell of a lot less feeble than such female leads tend to be (although questions may be asked of her non-explicit yet still highly gratuitous nude scene). Yvonne Strahovski also manages to make a bit more out of what might have been a perfunctory ex-wife role. Even so, there can be little question that the film slows down somewhat when it isn’t sticking by the core tough guy cast, and the often over-complicated plot contrasts wildly with the streamlined simplicity of the original; again, this isn’t inherently a bad thing, but proceedings do feel a trifle overstuffed at times, particularly in the closing scenes which, far from wrapping things up neatly, are a little too anxious to do that contemporary blockbuster thing of setting up sequels and/or a ‘universe.’
None of this, however, was enough to keep me from wearing a big old shit-eating grin from pretty much start to finish. I realise it’s a cliche to measure a contemporary action movie’s value by how well it recaptures that distinct 1980s vibe; yet, given the source material and the history of its director and writers I think that’s an apt indicator of quality here, and I’d say this is probably the best example of VHS-era sci-fi action in the contemporary arena since Dredd. I realise that the recent controversy and the questions it might prompt about the director’s judgement and character will be off-putting to some, but assuming you’re able to get past that, there’s no reason you shouldn’t have a whale of a time.
The Predator is in cinemas now from 20th Century Fox.