Director Shane Black has been a pioneer in the film industry, specifically in the action genre, for sometime now. He knows how to direct and produce a movie with flushed out characters and a solid story which is evident in his previous work including “The Nice Guys,” “Iron Man 3” and “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.” However, Black seems to have dropped the ball with his newest film “The Predator.”
“The Predator” is the new installment in the mildly-successful “Predator” franchise. The first movie, called “Predator” and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, wasn’t a huge box office or critical hit, but became a cult classic. “Predator 2” was a box office bomb, leading to 20th Century Fox trying to put the franchise back on the map by having a crossover with another popular sci-fi movie “Alien” in “AVP: Aliens vs Predator.” In 2010, they tried to revive the franchise again with “Predators.” Now, Fox is trying give the “Predator” franchise a new identity with “The Predator.”
“The Predator” starts off with an American sniper named Quinn McKenna, (played by Boyd Holbrook), on a mission where he encounters the alien hunter known as The Predator. After the encounter, the alien is defeated and is sent to lab where it is studied for research. However, when a young boy gets ahold of the alien technology, he accidently instigates the return and revival of the infamous, deadly intergalactic hunters who are searching for the key to their survival.
While the film has some very inventive action scenes and visual effects (VFX), “The Predator” suffers from a tremendous lack of character development and a solid story to hold the movie in place. It acts like a cheesy ‘90s sci-fi movie, giving a strong enjoyment factor that keeps it alive but not well.
Previous installments of this franchise have been let downs in terms of the thrillride that all of the movies promise, but it’s different this time around. This time, the action sequences are a real treat. The camerawork drew me into the scene, making me feel like I was part of the moment on the screen. The action scenes were not only the most professionally done aspect of the film, but they weren’t typical. There were plenty of nuanced sequences that pushed the envelope for action films including an amazing, bloody laboratory sequence that had the most gruesome deaths anyone could imagine.
The incredible use of VFX was the most important contribution to the action. Filmmaking technology has been evolving ever since computer-generated imagery (CGI) was introduced, and “The Predator” displays that evolution perfectly. The film opens with a scene in space, and entails a battle between two alien ships; one of the ships ends up teleporting to Earth’s solar system. From the design of ships’ computer and the predators themselves, to the visual representation of teleportation, everything was profound and effective. Nothing looked out of place. Recent films like “Black Panther” and “Justice League” have been guilty of sloppy special effects, so it was pleasant to see a modern sci-fi film look decent.
However, the indecent script was far too distracting; it’s a shame that Black has produced a movie with a flawed script since he’s done such an amazing job with his storytelling in the past.
There is absolutely, without a doubt, no character development whatsoever. Each character has their moments, but overall, they were one-dimensional and none had any character arcs. They all ended up at the same place where they started. For example, Quinn McKenna starts out as a sniper with an impeccable reputation, and after all of the trauma and horror he went through, he came out still as a sniper with an impeccable reputation. There were no consequences or rewards for any of the actions that were taken. Black is usually great at flushing out characters and their storylines, but it was like he forgot how to tell a simple story.
Today, so many innovative films, especially sci-fi films, are being produced, but “The Predator” doesn’t fall into this category. While the design and look of the film was stellar, I couldn’t help but noticing how ridiculous the script and movie actually was. I found myself eye-rolling at the excessive use of one-liners to create a “humorous” tone even though none of the comedy stuck the landing. The cast of actors and actresses, although perfectly cast for their role, did not help with their cringey performances. None could actually deliver a line comfortably nor with ease.
I honestly have no idea what happened during the production of this movie that caused this imbalanced mess. Maybe there was some onset drama, maybe it was about the recent sex offender scandal associated with film where actress Olivia Munn revealed that Black casted a registered sex offender for a scene, or maybe it’s just a rookie mistake.
Don’t get me wrong, I actually enjoyed the film. I thought it was a lot of fun and a guilty pleasure. However, “The Predator” is exactly the kind of film that gives people the power to say that action films are immature and mindless.
_Edited by Siena DeBolt | sdebolt@themaneater.com_
