REVIEW: 'Predators' casts big names, rehashes same ol' story.

Photo credit: 20th Century FoxAs a sci-fi fan, it is easy to get all excited about another Predator movie. The franchise has been around awhile, and definitely appeals to a niche group who enjoys watching humans fight to survive while being hunted by an overpowering species who collects their skulls as trophies. And most of these fans reminisce about the first Predator movie that featured a buff Arnold Schwarzenegger (representing the human race at its physical best) take on a single Predator (representing the alien species at its worst). Unfortunately, Predators gives us a replay of exactly what made the series appealing in the first place, but fails to introduce enough new material to keep the movie interesting.

If we take the first Predator movie and replace Schwarzenegger with Adrien Brody, and then change the setting from a jungle on Earth to a similar looking jungle environment on an alien game reserve, then you have an idea of what Predators is about. Granted, a few things have changed. Such as the introduction of alien "dogs" that engage in the hunt, and some additional details about a clan battle within the Predator species. But these few changes seem like a desperate attempt to convince people that the film makers really didn't rehash the same ol' story from the first Predator movie. And just like the first movie, this film relies on a high profile cast (for the most part) to carry the movie. But any avid film fan knows that throwing a group of well-known actors into a film with a script that does not take advantage of their talents just leads to disappointment.

Predators is about a group of human predators who are taken from their native world (Earth) and are dropped into an alien game reserve on another planet. And when I say dropped, I'm not speaking figuratively. Each character is introduced to the game reserve by waking to find themselves free-falling from the sky with a parachute on their back. As a technologically more advanced species, why couldn't the aliens find a safer way to place their prey into the reserve? I mean, what's the point of traveling so far to find compelling prey just to bring them to the reserve to risk killing them from the fall? There's plenty more that doesn't make much sense in this film, but this isn't meant to be a film that requires in-depth thought.

The group of human predators consists of Royce (a selfish mercenary played by Adrien Brody), Isabelle (a sharpshooting sniper played by Alice Braga, who many remember from I Am Legend),  Cuchillo (a Mexican drug cartel enforcer, played by Danny Trejo), Nikolai (a Russian warrior armed with a rotary machine gun, played by Oleg Taktarov), and Stans (a convicted rapist and murderer who is played by Walton Goggins and is armed with a prison shank, which is laughable). Others include Mombassa (a member of the Siera Leon death squad, played by Mahershalalhashbaz Ali), Hanzo (a Japanese Yakuza enforcer played by Louis Ozawa Changchien), and Edwin (a physically unintimidating man who is on the FBI's most wanted list, played by Topher Grace). There is also a small role by Laurence Fishburne, who plays a mentally disturbed survivor who has been battling the Predators for a while. The film is produced by Robert Rodriguez and directed by Nimród Antal.

Looking at the cast on paper, you would think that there would be some pretty strong character portrayals in this film.  But you would be wrong. One of the biggest problems with this film is that, although the cast is made up of some big names, none of the main characters are convincing. Adrien Brody's talents are left untapped, as he struggles to pass himself off as the strong physical lead, which he has played in other films quite well. The problem here is that the character simply doesn't develop well enough. No one believes he is a surviving mercenary who is capable of battling an alien Predator species. Braga's character also falls a bit flat, as the more compassionate of all of the characters. She plays a woman who is supposed to be an experienced sniper from some very rough environments, but instead comes across as an emotional character out of place. Michele Rodriguez would have been a much better fit, due to her convincing hard shell on screen and her physicality. Laurence Fishburne also struggles to convince us of his mental instability due to his limited screen time. And it gives us a feeling that his "survivor" role would have been best played by Schwarzenegger himself.

But like all Predator movies, this film is not based on strong character development. It's based on shallow physical characters who we wouldn't mind watching getting slaughtered by the Predators. Perhaps the worst thing for these actors is that the dialogue is so predictable and flat. This, of course, is not their fault. The most convincing roles in this film are not the two lead roles, or the small role for Fishburne. Instead, it's the roles of Cuchillo and Edwin. Cuchillo comes off as a physical character who doesn't say much during his role. Maybe this is why he is more believable. And Topher Grace's Edwin character is the most dynamic role as he keeps progressing throughout the movie, revealing more about himself along the way. Grace easily switches from a whimpy unassuming man to a creepy unpredictable mystery by the time you reach the conclusion.

But the key to success with a franchise like this is to continue the physical action and gore, but to also introduce something new to the franchise. The only thing new to to discover in this film is that there is a clan feud amongst the Predators, and that they have pets. But there needed to be more to keep people interested in the franchise. Unfortunately, we don't really learn much more about the Predators or their world.

With two "meh" sequels before it, this film had a serious challenge before it. And the film did manage to rebound a bit from those sequels. But the real problem is that it relied on rehashing the original Predator's story, only with new actors. For those who wanted more of what the first film provided, this film will deliver it. But if you are looking for this film to expand the Predator franchise to new levels, you'd be better off spending your $10 on one of the other releases currently in theaters.

This film is an improvement over the last two Predator films, but it still leaves the audience feeling a bit underwhelmed. If this film series is going to continue with any success, something new will need to be introduced. Something that provides a more in-depth story with greater character development. They've tried pitting the Predators against  the classic Aliens. But it's most successful moments has been when Predators hunt humans. Now it's time to expand on that without blatantly replaying what we've seen before. Maybe a Predator war between different clans? Or a larger military confrontation between humans and Predators, instead of a hunt in a jungle? I know, I know. That would completely redefine what the franchise is all about. But maybe that's what it needs. Cause this installment is nothing more than the same ol' same ol'.

 This one gets 2.5 kernels.

2.5 Kernels