"Predators" is a direct sequel to the 1987 blockbuster "Predator" (starring a pre-gubernatorial Ah-nuld). This time around, our rough and tough commander is a dark and brooding mercenary named Royce (Adrien Brody). Royce wakes up during a free-fall and lands in a strange jungle setting with no recollection of how he got there. He is joined by a group of other deadly killers like himself, and they begin to explore the area to try to figure out where they are and how to get out. Soon they discover that they are being methodically hunted one by, and they must band together if they are to survive in this alien land. The story starts off interestingly enough as we get to know our ragtag gang of fighting machines and try to solve the puzzle of why they've been mysterioiusly thrown together. It's always fun to see Walton Goggins (TV's "The Shield") show up in unexpected places, and here he plays his typically redneck sociopath. Brody, though, is horribly miscast as the ruthless Royce. He may have beefed up his normally scrawny physique a bit to play the role, but his sweet, tender eyes make him way too sympathetic-looking to pass as a heartless soldier. The plot progresses into boring territory soon after the introductions are over, and the film quickly becomes a tired retread of the campy, but fun original. I suggest giving the Schwarzenegger classic another viewing and skipping this unoriginal sequel (not to mention the laughable "Alien vs. Predator" franchise that was spawned in 2004) altogether.
2 out of 5 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment