By Malice Intended
The original Predator was an exceptional specimen for its time. Lean and mean, it exemplified all that was glorious about action films in the late 80’s. It was high on concept and short on dialogue, eschewing anything that got in the way of action or suspense. In the taught hands of Director John Mctiernan (who later applied the same approach to the immortal Die Hard), it played like a Twilight Zone episode hopped up on testosterone. It had a magnetic appeal that practically begged for repeat viewings.
The underrated Predator 2 notwithstanding, the brand has suffered considerable tarnish at hands of the Alien VS. Predator films. In any other era this would force the franchise to remain dormant for a while. However, tinsletown is suffering from a case of reboot, remake, and sequel fever that has them resurrecting franchises like zombies from the grave. While story possibilities for the Predator franchise would seem to have been exhausted, the elemental purity of its concept makes it ripe for an update.
Producer Robert Rodriguez and director Nimród Antal think there may be life in the old beast yet. This summer they will unleash Predators, which is direct sequel to the first film. It puts fan favorite character actors like Danny Trejo and Walton Goggins alongside Oscar winner Adrian Brody and veteran thespian Laurence Fishburne. They are stranded on a jungle planet and forced to face off with a dreadlocked extraterrestrial big game hunter.
From the first frame, Predators bares an uncanny resemblance to the original. The jungle setting and creature design are the most recognizable elements. The basic concept of the original is also in play, if tweaked a bit. The character of Hanzo (Louis Ozawa Changchien) is shown sporting yakuza tattoos and wielding a katana. While the prospect of a human being facing off against heavily armed and technologically advanced creature might sound silly, it is also one that male audiences will not be able pass up.
While purists may balk at all of this, it should be remembered that the original was an expensive, well made B-Movie that still isn’t held in high esteem by critics and cineastes. Its place of honor is squarely among action movie fans, and that is as it should be. Predators hopes to be appreciated by that same contingent. It may never hold the same place in our hearts as the original, but judging from this small bit of footage it deserves the benefit of the doubt and at the very least, it should make for a diverting couple of hours.
[pro-player width=’425′ height=’344′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f77rFJD00kg[/pro-player]
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