Predators

Review by Sean Lynch

"If it bleeds, we can kill it". It's a phrase that has ingrained itself within the pop culture psyche (and convinced boofhead failed Ex-AFL footballers that they can "coach") and rightfully so - Predator was one of the most kick ass action movies of the 1980s.

So what happens when the man behind such cult classics as Sin City and Desperado, Robert Rodriguez, decides to reboot a franchise that has been destroyed by woefully bad spin-off sequels like Alien Vs Predator?

Well, you get Predators - and it ain't half bad!

Predators is the bold new chapter in the Predator film universe (we're basically meant to assume that duds like Predator 2 and the AVP series don't exist) and stars Adrien Brody as Royce, a cold-blooded mercenary whose only allegiance is to those who pay him.

After falling from the sky and landing in the middle of a thick jungle, Royce must reluctantly lead a group of elite warriors who have quickly come to realise they've been brought together... on an alien planet... as prey.

With the notable exception of a nerdy Doctor (That 70s Show's Topher Grace), every single person dropped (no one can remember how they got there, they just remember falling) is a cold-blooded killer (Mercenaries, Yakuza, convicts, death row inmates).

However, they don't have much time to figure out what the hell is going on - because these human "predators" are now being hunted and eliminated by bigger, badder, alien Predators.

Let the games begin.

Unlike the sequels and spin-off's, Predators gets back to the basics (almost to the point where it seems like it's not so much a "reboot" as it is a "shot for shot remake") and the film is a lot stronger for it.

With Brody taking charge (he really is an under-rated star), the tension is surprisingly thick and consistent throughout the flick. After all, the whole movie feels like one giant game of paintball - with the audience right in the thick of the action. It's a sensation that really comes through and (without even realising it) you will be completely engrossed from beginning to end.

Yes the dialogue is fairly "Action Movie #101", the gore is strangely absent, and without Adrien Brody or Topher Grace on board this could quite easily be mistaken for a non-franchise-specific Straight-to-DVD monster flick - but by gum it's a lot of fun.

Well worth checking out as Predators doesn't disappoint when it comes to Popcorn charm, and if you can't get to the cinemas by car, "GET TO DA CHOPPER!".

3.5 out of 5

Predators
Australian release: 8th July, 2010
Official Site: Predators
Cast: Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Walton Goggins
Director: Nimrod Antal