Shane Black’s 2018 film The Predator was an attempt to breathe new life into the sci-fi monster movie franchise, but it was met with lackluster critic and audience reception alike. Just a few years prior, director Nimród Antal and producer Robert Rodriguez released their own sequel, to much praise.
It wasn’t a perfect hit, but it certainly brought the Predator creature back into the limelight! Today we’re taking a look at five reasons why Predators was the perfect sequel, and five reasons why it isn’t. Let’s dissect this film and see what we can find!
IT PERFECTLY NAILED THE FEEL
Nimród Antal knew what kind of franchise was dropped in his lap, and he made sure to duplicate the feel of the original two films in the franchise. This meant identifying both the obvious and subtle aspects of the Predator movies, so he could take steps to implement them into his sequel.
Musical cues, sound effects and clever tie-backs to the original Arnold Schwarzenegger film would be peppered throughout Predators, with great effect. It felt like its own story, while simultaneously achieving just the amount of fan service to please long-term Predator aficionados.
IT IMPERFECTLY HANDLED HEAT VISION
While we loved the new Predator designs (and the fact that there were three of them), we weren’t quite as sold on how they were presented. One of the biggest nostalgic cues in the Predator franchise is that ominous first-person infrared view. It’s unsettling, it’s spooky, and it puts the audience in the eye sockets of the most deadly killer in the universe.
2004’s Aliens Vs. Predator would switch up the heat-cam dynamic in favor of an upgraded version, which quite frankly isn’t nearly as spooky, ominous or cool. Unfortunately, Antal would adapt this new heat vision for Predators, which seriously affects immersion. Predator 2 handled the heat vision aspect far better by cleaning up the imagery a bit, and giving the Predator several new modes to choose from. We’d have preferred something along those lines for Predators.
IT PERFECTLY INSERTED NEW STUFF FOR US TO SEE
Predators not only gave the titular villains a major upgrade over the traditional Predator creature, but it also introduced new elements into the story that expanded on established source material. The Falconer Predator relied on a robotic drone to scan the area to identify and locate targets remotely, while the Tracker Predator unleashed a pack of grotesque alien hounds to flush out prey.
This went above and beyond the original stalk-and-kill formula we had seen in previous Predator films. It was a fantastic touch that gave us something new to see, instead of recycling the same formula.
IT IMPERFECTLY HANDLED THE TRADITIONAL PREDATOR
Aliens Vs. Predator was mocked for its rather subpar physical portrayal of the traditional Predator design, but Predators brought it back in a big way! The facial characteristics, the physique, and the overall design were meant to link audiences back to the 1987 original.
The blood feud between Predators and Super-Predators was never fully explained in the film, but that’s not the problem. We felt the traditional Predator should have been freed during the party’s initial visit to the Super-Predator camp, then joined forces with his human saviors. That would have made for a far more interesting film. Unfortunately, the O.G. Predator gets just one fight scene that ends with him decapitated by the Berserker.
IT PERFECTLY HANDLED THE MAIN CHARACTER
Predators could have taken the easy way out, and casted an uber-tough guy in the role of Royce. Instead, it flipped the script and put Adrien Brody in the role. This was a stroke of genius for so many reasons.
First, it eschewed the stereotypical musclebound 80’s action hero stereotype in favor of a real-world soldier; the kind who actually enlist in the modern military. Brody’s penchant for playing meeker types meant that he’d have to act against type, and sometimes this works to fantastic effect. He nailed the role, creating a new kind of ruthless tough guy that looked the part, acted it, and made his character believable.
IT IMPERFECTLY HANDLED THE SECONDARY CHARACTERS
The same cannot be said for Royce’s teammates. Stans is too over-the-top (and offensive) to play a believable death row inmate, Nikolai is only there to wield the mini-gun from the original Predator film, and Danny Trejo’s Cuchillo checks out way too early for our liking.
The most out of place character is obviously Edwin, played by Topher Grace. While the audience learns why he’s there by the time the final act drops, he seems largely unnecessary as a whole. Why would a pack of Super-Predators bother with someone like him, in the first place? Thankfully, Isabelle, Hanzo and Mombasa balance out the cast with excellent performances.
IT PERFECTLY HANDLED THE LANDSCAPE
While audiences might be forgiven for believing that Predators tried to rip off the jungle aesthetic of the original film, there’s a lot more going on than meets the eye. We liked the notion that Predators takes place on an alien planet that has been turned into a game reserve.
It’s an interesting tweak to the formula that allows the movie to directly reference the 1987 original, while doing something a bit different with it. In the end, the differences may be slight, but it’s the scenes themselves that make it work.
IT IMPERFECTLY HANDLED THE OTHER ALIEN RACES
The Super Predators didn’t just drop humans into the jungle, but other alien races as well. We catch a glimpse of them in certain scenes, but there’s simply not enough of them to create any sense of interest.
We think this was a missed opportunity to add other threats into the mix besides the Predators, themselves. This might have been a budgetary concern, but it would have been great to have the human characters cross paths with other dangerous creatures, instead of spending so much time hiding out in Roland’s wrecked ship.
IT PERFECTLY HANDLED THE FIGHT SCENES
One thing we like about Predators is how well it handled the fight sequences between the humans and the titular creatures. Schwarzenegger’s character had a tough time taking out the original 1987 baddie, and it’s no easier here, either.
Royce’s battle against the Berserker Predator in the final act is solid, but it’s Hanzo’s duel against the Falconer in a grass field that most audiences remember. This uber-cool scene is equal parts spaghetti western and Kenji Misumi samurai film. Shame it didn’t carry on a bit longer. The Predators also score a few brutal kills in the film as well, including one particularly gruesome scene of the Berserker tearing the head and spinal column out of an unfortunate victim in one notorious close-up shot!
IT IMPERFECTLY HANDLED THE ENDING
Predator films aren’t known for wrapping things up with a nice bow, that’s for sure. The original left the fate of Dutch Schaefer in doubt after he survived an explosive blast, and Predator 2 ended with Mike Harrigan clutching an old 1715 revolver gifted to him by an Elder Predator.
For that reason, we can’t exactly knock Predators for its ambiguous ending, but then again, it does take place on an alien world as opposed to Earth. We’d have preferred a bit more exposition here, or at the very least a sequel! 2018’s The Predator seems to ignore all the events of the previous film, so we’ll probably never get a proper follow-up.
