Predators

I went to see "Predators" last night. People had already warned me that it was fairly mediocre but continued exposure to the trailer (and a curiosity about what Robert Rodriguez what make of the material) made me go nevertheless. It is... not very good. In terms of bangs for bucks, you are pretty much better off watching the 1987 original, possibly as a double bill with "Con Air". Yes, effects are a bit better these days (although I found some of the CGI in the new film pretty unconvincing) and as the title already implies, this time round there is more than one Predator but somehow the action sequences failed to grip me. Another problem is that while the characters in either film* are relatively one note, they were just that bit more entertainingly OTT in the 80s, while the 2010ers just come across as clichés. Sadly, that also goes for the Predators. Yes, I am enough of a geek to actually care about the motivations and character of large gribbly creatures, and the new Predators had neither.

But let's talk about the humans for a bit:
( Contains talk of psychopaths, rape and racist language )

Possibly I am too harsh on a film that only wants to be a slice of brainless entertainment but the fact that I actually had the time and brainpower to notice all these aspects about the film might give away that I found the film not exactly thrilling.


*Just for the record and in case anybody is interested, I thought "Predator" was fabulous 80s cheese, "Predator 2" a worthwhile sequel, while "Aliens vs. Predator" failed to fulfill the comics'/books' promise but was still about sufficiently entertaining.