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Predators-
Predators did not know what it wanted to hunt but killed well anyways. Its prey is the same as any other action film...script, acting and pacing. It was not as lethal as the first two Predator films, but there was plenty of violent mauling.
Predators took a different direction on one of the most dangerous creatures in cinema; rather than throwing the Hunter into one of Earth's countless jungles, whether it is the real one or that of a city, it pits the audience into the jungle of the Hunter's home world. This presents the script writer with the opportunity for a much more complex story, but this never comes to fruit. That is the first victim to escape, but thankfully the only one.
Elaborating more on why this story suffered without spilling too many important details is tough. Simply put, the story has too many loose ends and unnecessary turns. There is practically no development to any aspect of the script. We are introduced several subplots; the mysterious arrival of the prey, two different classifications of Predators and the imprisonment of a Predator, to name a few. The puzzle of the latter bothered me the most, but not a single one of the script's pieces are explained in any precise detail to the audience. They are not presented in a minor enough way to warrant a complete dismissal of their explanation, and the script suffers because of it.
The second victim, acting, did not escape the wrath of Predators. In a film such as this, one driven purely by action, the bar is not set incredibly high for acting; it is the prey with the broken ankle. The Hunter takes his time tracking and butchering but does so ruthlessly. Predators has no remorse for this victim and kills with witty deliveries, properly placed badassness and an unnatural sense of dread. The victim knows it will be killed but is clueless until mere moments before its demise.
Predators' final piece of meat eventually gets an upper hand and strikes back. The pacing is a give and take between the prey and Hunter and effectively drives the story at the proper speed and intensity, culminating with an impressive crescendo. There are few places where the film fails to ratchet up the conflict between the two enemies; this is the focal point of the film and its greatest strength. In short, the Hunter butchers its prey with unflinching and gruesome terror.
While it is the weakest film of the Predator franchise, that is not entirely a bad thing. It presents itself in such a way that it can be held separate from the first two films because those are only concerned with the pure carnage of one Predator and their demise from the main character's insanely good luck. This film, however, is interested more in the actual effectiveness of hunting methods and the Hunter's prey fighting back on a much more impressive level than before. All in all, it is definitely worth a watch if you enjoyed the first two films and stands well on its own as an action film. The important question, in this economy, is whether or not it is worth the admission price: yes, undoubtedly.
Predators-
Predators did not know what it wanted to hunt but killed well anyways. Its prey is the same as any other action film...script, acting and pacing. It was not as lethal as the first two Predator films, but there was plenty of violent mauling.
Predators took a different direction on one of the most dangerous creatures in cinema; rather than throwing the Hunter into one of Earth's countless jungles, whether it is the real one or that of a city, it pits the audience into the jungle of the Hunter's home world. This presents the script writer with the opportunity for a much more complex story, but this never comes to fruit. That is the first victim to escape, but thankfully the only one.
Elaborating more on why this story suffered without spilling too many important details is tough. Simply put, the story has too many loose ends and unnecessary turns. There is practically no development to any aspect of the script. We are introduced several subplots; the mysterious arrival of the prey, two different classifications of Predators and the imprisonment of a Predator, to name a few. The puzzle of the latter bothered me the most, but not a single one of the script's pieces are explained in any precise detail to the audience. They are not presented in a minor enough way to warrant a complete dismissal of their explanation, and the script suffers because of it.
The second victim, acting, did not escape the wrath of Predators. In a film such as this, one driven purely by action, the bar is not set incredibly high for acting; it is the prey with the broken ankle. The Hunter takes his time tracking and butchering but does so ruthlessly. Predators has no remorse for this victim and kills with witty deliveries, properly placed badassness and an unnatural sense of dread. The victim knows it will be killed but is clueless until mere moments before its demise.
Predators' final piece of meat eventually gets an upper hand and strikes back. The pacing is a give and take between the prey and Hunter and effectively drives the story at the proper speed and intensity, culminating with an impressive crescendo. There are few places where the film fails to ratchet up the conflict between the two enemies; this is the focal point of the film and its greatest strength. In short, the Hunter butchers its prey with unflinching and gruesome terror.
While it is the weakest film of the Predator franchise, that is not entirely a bad thing. It presents itself in such a way that it can be held separate from the first two films because those are only concerned with the pure carnage of one Predator and their demise from the main character's insanely good luck. This film, however, is interested more in the actual effectiveness of hunting methods and the Hunter's prey fighting back on a much more impressive level than before. All in all, it is definitely worth a watch if you enjoyed the first two films and stands well on its own as an action film. The important question, in this economy, is whether or not it is worth the admission price: yes, undoubtedly.