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Predators (Antal, 2010) — The Reviews Thread

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Predators (Antal, 2010) — The Reviews Thread

Old 07-06-10, 10:37 PM
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Predators (Antal, 2010) — The Reviews Thread

Pre-release discussion here.

Movie:
"Predators" (Starring Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Walton Goggins, Laurence Fishburne, Danny Trejo)

Release Date:
7/9/2010

Rating:
R (for scenes of bestiality, sodomy on an alien race, human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together...mass hysteria throughout.)

Running Time:
107min. (1h. 47m.)

IMDb Info and Rating:
7.4 (6,523 as of 7/12/10)
IMDb Link...

Rotten Tomatoes:
Fresh:87 Rotten:50 (64% as of 7/12/10)
RT Link...

Metacritic:
50 metascore ('Mixed or average reviews' as of 7/12/10)
Meta Link...

Trailer:
<object width="450" height="304"><param name="movie" value="http://www.traileraddict.com/emd/22391"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.traileraddict.com/emd/22391" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" wmode="transparent" width="450" height="304" allowFullScreen="true"></embed></object>

Poster Art:

Last edited by OldBoy; 07-12-10 at 08:41 PM.
Old 07-06-10, 10:57 PM
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Re: Predators (Antal, 2010) — The Reviews Thread

I want to see Suprmallet's review NOW!
Old 07-06-10, 11:03 PM
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Re: Predators (Antal, 2010) — The Reviews Thread

Originally Posted by Solid Snake PAC
I want to see Suprmallet's review NOW!
I second that notion.
Old 07-06-10, 11:09 PM
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Re: Predators (Antal, 2010) — The Reviews Thread

Originally Posted by scott1598
Rating:
R (for scenes of bestiality, sodomy on an alien race, human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together...mass hysteria throughout.)
Old 07-06-10, 11:17 PM
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Re: Predators (Antal, 2010) — The Reviews Thread

Holy shit...i didn't see that..haahhahaaha
Old 07-06-10, 11:22 PM
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Re: Predators (Antal, 2010) — The Reviews Thread

Looks like I can talk about it now. I haven't written up my final review, but here are some fast impressions:

Fox is treating this series like an A franchise again. Instead of going cheap, they spent the money they needed to do it right. The film is based on an old script by Robert Rodriguez, originally written for Arnold. Instead of Schwarzenegger we get Adrien Brody. The talent of the cast (including City of God's Alice Braga, Laurence Fishburne, The Shield's Walton Goggins, and Topher Grace) shines, allowing you to care about these characters despite their disparate origins and quick introductions. The idea of putting the film on another planet puts the audience on footing as unsure as those of the characters, building convincing tension as the Predators are slowly revealed.

I don't want to say too much, lest I spoil anything, but the action is strong, the characters work well together, and the Predators are impressive. Rodriguez and director Nimrod Antal (of Kontroll and Armored fame) have successfully expanded upon the Predator mythos without spoiling what's been established.

It's not on the level of the first Predator, but it's the best Predator film since that one. I'm wavering between 3 and a half and four stars, but either way, see this movie.
Old 07-06-10, 11:25 PM
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Re: Predators (Antal, 2010) — The Reviews Thread

nice

this might be the first movie i see this summer
Old 07-06-10, 11:28 PM
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Re: Predators (Antal, 2010) — The Reviews Thread

Cool to read that, unlike the trailers, it doesn't suck.
Old 07-07-10, 02:18 PM
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Re: Predators (Antal, 2010) — The Reviews Thread

Originally Posted by scott1598
Rating:
R (for scenes of bestiality, sodomy on an alien race, human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together...mass hysteria throughout.)
Old 07-07-10, 03:25 PM
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Re: Predators (Antal, 2010) — The Reviews Thread

Not really a spoiler, but just a warning:

Spoiler:
The shot of Brody covered in Predator laser sights plastered all over the trailers and commercials? It's actually only one single sight in the film.
Old 07-07-10, 08:20 PM
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Re: Predators (Antal, 2010) — The Reviews Thread

I kinda guessed that cuz I honestly had a hard time believing that many Predators would be together.
Old 07-07-10, 09:06 PM
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Re: Predators (Antal, 2010) — The Reviews Thread

Huh. I had just assumed that from the ending. Like an over-blown take on the ending of Predator 2. Glad to read that's not the case.
Old 07-07-10, 09:08 PM
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Re: Predators (Antal, 2010) — The Reviews Thread

hey suprmallet..whenever you post your review...give us a heads up cuz i really want to hear wtf you thought of it in more detail.
Old 07-07-10, 09:40 PM
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Re: Predators (Antal, 2010) — The Reviews Thread

I'll try to type it up tonight in my downtime at work, should be up tomorrow.
Old 07-07-10, 10:33 PM
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Re: Predators (Antal, 2010) — The Reviews Thread

Originally Posted by Suprmallet
Instead of Schwarzenegger we get Adrien Brody.
Haven't seen the movie (the 10am screening conflicted with work, and if I'd missed 3 hours to go see it -- which I could've -- it would have essentially cost me $45 to see a movie I'm gonna see again on Friday with friends anyway), but I guess my impression just watching the trailers was that Morpheus got the Dutch role.
Old 07-07-10, 11:02 PM
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Re: Predators (Antal, 2010) — The Reviews Thread

Fishburne definitely does not play the Dutch role, as in the original script Dutch would be returning as the star, which Fishburne is not.

I just submitted my review, but I'll go ahead and post it here. I ultimately went with four stars because it's so refreshing to see a Predator film I really enjoyed, but as I said before, I vacillated between 3.5 and 4 stars.

"There's something out there waiting for us, and it ain't no man. We're all gonna die."
-Billy (Sonny Landham), Predator

A group of warriors and killers, trapped in the jungle, outmatched and outclassed by a being they can hardly understand, but must learn to defeat if they wish to survive. Sound familiar? It sounds like Predator, the 1987 action classic from John McTiernan (Die Hard) and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. But, in this case, it's Predators, the 2010 action film from Robert Rodriguez (Desperado, Sin City) and Nimrod Antal (Kontroll, Armored), and starring Adrien Brody (The Pianist), Alice Braga (City of God), Laurence Fishburne, Topher Grace, and Danny Trejo. Sounds like a nice collection of heavy hitters, doesn't it? At this point, the question has to be asked: We're still talking about Predators, right? The last time such a big name group was brought together for this franchise was, well, 1987.

Predators literally launches us into the action, opening with a shot of Royce (Adrien Brody) plummeting downward with a strange looking parachute stuck to his back. After a rocky landing, he immediately discovers a group of soldiers and other killers from around the world (ranging from Yakuza to death row inmates). They decide to set their differences aside in favor of taking down whoever put them in this perplexing situation. But quite quickly, they realize that things are more sinister than they first thought. Simply put, this group is being hunted, and the things hunting them may not even be human. In fact, they might not even be on Earth any longer.

Predators looks to Predator for almost all of its cues. Producer Robert Rodriguez originally wrote this script for Arnold Schwarzenegger back in the 90's, before the muscled one moved into politics. Fox, however, decided to go with the Alien vs. Predator series, and managed to tarnish the name of two of their premiere franchises in one fell swoop. Amazingly, Fox returned to this tainted well for Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, which managed to be even worse than the first. It was at this point that someone at Fox had the bright idea of treating both Alien and Predator as the top tier franchises that they are, and decided to get actual talent involved to try and salvage the mess Fox had wrought.

In the case of Predators, this meant returning to the script Rodriguez wrote, now reworked to be about a new group. The new lead, Royce, is played by Adrien Brody. Yes, that Adrien Brody. While he is almost the exact physical opposite of Arnold, Brody brings a sense of cunning and ruthless intelligence to the proceedings that let the audience buy into it immediately. And the rest of the cast is nothing to sneeze at, either. While the other big name is Laurence Fishburne, who turns in a satisfying and often hilarious performance, the lesser known actors craft their own unique characters and become memorable in their own right. Among the highlights are Alice Braga as an IDF sniper, Topher Grace as an overwhelmed doctor, and UFC fighter Oleg Taktarov as a wonderfully sympathetic Russian soldier. The way these characters are written and played is convincing enough that I cared about their fates, something that I haven't experienced in a Predator film since the original.

Rodriguez and director Antal also realize that half the success of these films is in the suspense. In the first film, the audience doesn't know what's hunting the group any more than the characters do. While that reveal can never be replicated, the filmmakers capitalize on what we do know, and introduce new elements to throw the audience off balance. The Predators are upgraded from their previous appearances, but in a manner that makes them better hunters. Hunting "dogs," "falcons" and other classical hunting tools are used here to draw the humans out. That they manage to actually make the hunt thrilling and, yes, suspenseful, is a testament to their good intentions.

Everyone involved with the film has pledged their undying love to the original Predator, and that adoration shows in several elements lifted from that 1987 classic. But unlike Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, which fell prey to slavishly recreating set pieces from previous films and thus never established a strong identity on its own, Predators uses these nods as sly winks to fans. Only rarely does it feel like Predators is aping Predator, and by the time it does, the characters are so well established that it doesn't overshadow the momentum of the picture.

Predators seems to do the impossible: Take a franchise that was a shadow of its former self and restore it to glory. Is the film as good as Predator? No, of course not. That film is an all-time high for the action genre, being one of the definitive 80's action extravaganzas. But Predators doesn't need to be that. Instead, it's a smart, measured, thoroughly enjoyable slice of sci-fi action and shows the series putting its best foot forward for the first time in far too long. So grab the biggest knife you got and get your butt into the theaters, because these are some ugly motherfuckers you'll want to see. 4 Stars.

Last edited by Supermallet; 07-07-10 at 11:19 PM.
Old 07-07-10, 11:09 PM
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Re: Predators (Antal, 2010) — The Reviews Thread

thanks for the review, this is now an opening day film for me. Glad its only two more days.
Old 07-08-10, 12:22 AM
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Re: Predators (Antal, 2010) — The Reviews Thread

Well, I'm sold. Suprmallet's review has done for me what the trailers and clips failed to achieve. Can't wait to see it.
Old 07-08-10, 12:25 AM
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Re: Predators (Antal, 2010) — The Reviews Thread

I'm going to feel like an ass if you all hate it, though.

FWIW, among the press assembled at the junket, it seemed that the guys were more impressed with it than the women. All the guys ranged from liking it to loving it, and the women ranged from ambivalent to hating it.
Old 07-08-10, 12:31 AM
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Re: Predators (Antal, 2010) — The Reviews Thread

It's cuz they don't know great action. (sexist pig I am)
Old 07-08-10, 12:57 AM
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Re: Predators (Antal, 2010) — The Reviews Thread

anyone know the attatched trailers (Machete I fucking hope) im pretty sure it will be a re edited version o f the cinco de mayo one, just without the swearing and somewhat graphic violence
Old 07-08-10, 12:59 AM
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Re: Predators (Antal, 2010) — The Reviews Thread

Originally Posted by Solid Snake PAC
It's cuz they don't know great action. (sexist pig I am)


I'm really looking forward to this on Friday. Can't wait.
Old 07-08-10, 07:16 AM
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Re: Predators (Antal, 2010) — The Reviews Thread

Great review. I just pre-ordered midnight tickets.
Old 07-08-10, 08:03 AM
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Re: Predators (Antal, 2010) — The Reviews Thread

Im aprehensive, but Im in... I guess it can't be worse than a lot of other films Ive watched this summer.
Old 07-08-10, 09:38 AM
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Re: Predators (Antal, 2010) — The Reviews Thread

Thanks for the review. Predator is one of my favorites so I'll be checking this out now.

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