Social Media Posts Regarding "The Predator"..

[The Alien Predator]

I think simply seeing a predator in full view makes them less majestic. That happened in the first movie and every movie since, though. Did you think it was majestic when City Hunter ran out of a bathroom and shared the screen with an old lady holding a broom with curlers in her hair?

I think everything Predators do is majestic. You can have one hunting Teletubbies while taking a ride on Thomas the Tank Engine and it would still be majestic. 

You raised some things I wanted to say but wasn't sure how to word them, I never understood why people think Predators "act too human" when they were already very human in how they hunt for sport and took trophies, and the rules of not killing the sick, injured or pregnant similarly to human hunters etc.

I think it needs to be balanced, have the right amount of human traits with alien traits in how they behave which mirrors how they look humanoid but are obviously not human.

The setting's not an issue for me, Predators can still be frightening even in suburbs. They can easily move around due to their superior strength and agility that could still be impressive to see in my opinion.

[BigDaddyJohn]

I don't know if they will be frightening in The Predator, maybe, but I do know they will definitely be badass from what i've read and that's cool !

[Stealth_Hunter]

I don't know if they will be frightening in The Predator, maybe, but I do know they will definitely be badass from what i've read and that's cool !

I agree with that! Badass is a word I'd use to describe a predator, definitely not "mystical" or "majestic" though so not really understanding any of Tangakkai's complaints.

I think it needs to be balanced, have the right amount of human traits with alien traits in how they behave which mirrors how they look humanoid but are obviously not human.

The setting's not an issue for me, Predators can still be frightening even in suburbs. They can easily move around due to their superior strength and agility that could still be impressive to see in my opinion.

I agree with this too. Plus none of the location photos have been bad imo.

[The Alien Predator]

I agree with you guys on seeing the Predator as "badass" rather than "scary".

The very first film was more about testosterone steroid pumping action and less about horror and mystical elements. It was all macho men being beaten by an even more macho alien.

And the second film was about the same macho alien in a city filled with gun porn.

So Predator was more about the cool factor to give us an adrenaline filled experience upon seeing this badass net wearing, humanoid, crab faced, plasma shooting, spine ripping, infrared viewing, mask using, half naked, cloaking, click noise making, voice mimicking, dreadlocked ugly alien motherf**ker in action.

I think "Alien" has more of the mystical elements than Predator does personally. It's mysterious and unknown which leaves us with so many questions and speculations. Predator is straight forward "alien arrives on safari" and like with real life hunting, "safari" can be in a variety of settings whether Savannah, jungle, forest etc and in Predator's case, even suburbs.

[BigDaddyJohn]

I would like to add that i don't neglect the "mystical" elements in the first two movies. Billy was the character that sensed the predator first, and it was clearly a mystical reference.

Maybe as a viewer we can only deduct that it's a mystical "sensation" that gets to him and allow him to feel that threat, but in terms of directing and acting it's obviously intentional that we deduct that. King Willie felt the same, but explained it with more words.

And to me, that doesn't prevent the predators to be all that : kinda mystical, badass for sure, frightening in some way, mysterious, human-like, lizardous motherf**kers !

[Hollywood]

I would like to add that i don't neglect the "mystical" elements in the first two movies. Billy was the character that sensed the predator first, and it was clearly a mystical reference.

That's a fair point and i can see why that would be some viewers' interpretation. Though in my interpretation I just figured Billy was more of a tracker with heightened senses. He felt they were being watched, perhaps caught a glimpse of the cloaked predator moving in the trees, or heard the slightest unnatural sound of clicking in the distance. I didn't consider him to be psychic at all.

King Willie mentioned being able to "feel" the predator all around, leading me to believe City Hunter has been watching (perhaps taunting) him and his gang for longer than it has been watching Harrigan. The bones on the barrel and talk of "the spirit world" though? That's just voodoo talk in my eyes. Reminds me of a priest saying he sees the devil in the eyes of a serial killer; it's implementing one's beliefs to fit what is occurring. Which, don't get me wrong, makes sense, but I dont think Willie was at all correct in his interpretation of the threat that is the Predator. If he could actually "feel" the Predator then he would have sensed it on the rooftops without a falling brick being the indicator.

I brush off mystic claims same reason I brush off claims that the jungle just came alive and took Hawkins. We know these claims are just talk by the true reveal. We also know Willie is wrong about "the demon" when he says "there is no killing what can't be killed" because the TRUE quote is "If it bleeds, we can kill it."

My interpretation may not be for everyone and that is totally cool, thats what makes movies so interesting. However, one thing I feel for sure is the Predator doesn't lose style points just because we see it in a common environment. Predator 2 was awesome and The Predator has definite potential.

And to me, that doesn't prevent the predators to be all that : kinda mystical, badass for sure, frightening in some way, mysterious, human-like, lizardous motherf**kers !

I'll drink to that!

[The Alien Predator]

I would like to add that i don't neglect the "mystical" elements in the first two movies. Billy was the character that sensed the predator first, and it was clearly a mystical reference.

Maybe as a viewer we can only deduct that it's a mystical "sensation" that gets to him and allow him to feel that threat, but in terms of directing and acting it's obviously intentional that we deduct that. King Willie felt the same, but explained it with more words.

And to me, that doesn't prevent the predators to be all that : kinda mystical, badass for sure, frightening in some way, mysterious, human-like, lizardous motherf**kers !

That's a good point, I forgot about Billy's sensing the Predator. As Hollywood said, it does make it more understandable why viewers would see it as mystical which is great because we all get to interpret and enjoy Predator in our own way.

I never gave Billy or King Willy being able to sense the Predator that much thought as it was a very small focus of the movie and such characters get killed off pretty quickly.

But thinking about it now, Billy may have been able to notice something in the trees that the others have missed, whether its a strange noise or seeing a shimmer that stood out like how Harrigan saw City Hunter for the first time and this could've made Billy suspicious.

King Willy would've no doubt heard reports from his men that something s killing them off and him being quite spiritual, it could've given him ideas that some kind of "demon" is assaulting them. Predators have often been referred to as demons and monsters in various games and comics they've been in.

Edit: I just read your entire post now, Hollywood. You covered this in more detail than I did. I should've read it first before repeating some of your points. 

[Hollywood]

No worries at all brother, I always enjoy reading your posts.

[BigDaddyJohn]

I would like to add that i don't neglect the "mystical" elements in the first two movies. Billy was the character that sensed the predator first, and it was clearly a mystical reference.

That's a fair point and i can see why that would be some viewers' interpretation. Though in my interpretation I just figured Billy was more of a tracker with heightened senses. He felt they were being watched, perhaps caught a glimpse of the cloaked predator moving in the trees, or heard the slightest unnatural sound of clicking in the distance. I didn't consider him to be psychic at all.

King Willie mentioned being able to "feel" the predator all around, leading me to believe City Hunter has been watching (perhaps taunting) him and his gang for longer than it has been watching Harrigan. The bones on the barrel and talk of "the spirit world" though? That's just voodoo talk in my eyes. Reminds me of a priest saying he sees the devil in the eyes of a serial killer; it's implementing one's beliefs to fit what is occurring. Which, don't get me wrong, makes sense, but I dont think Willie was at all correct in his interpretation of the threat that is the Predator. If he could actually "feel" the Predator then he would have sensed it on the rooftops without a falling brick being the indicator.

I brush off mystic claims same reason I brush off claims that the jungle just came alive and took Hawkins. We know these claims are just talk by the true reveal. We also know Willie is wrong about "the demon" when he says "there is no killing what can't be killed" because the TRUE quote is "If it bleeds, we can kill it."

My interpretation may not be for everyone and that is totally cool, thats what makes movies so interesting. However, one thing I feel for sure is the Predator doesn't lose style points just because we see it in a common environment. Predator 2 was awesome and The Predator has definite potential.

I agree that the voodoo talk was a little bit folkloric bullshit lol. And regarding Billy, since he is the group's tracker, the heightened senses and tracking abilities make great sense yes, and it's kinda fun rewatching the movie and imagining him seeing something at a particular moment that the others didn't caught.

[The Alien Predator]

No worries at all brother, I always enjoy reading your posts.

I'm glad to hear that, fellow space brother.  Your posts are enjoyable to read as well.

I would like to add that i don't neglect the "mystical" elements in the first two movies. Billy was the character that sensed the predator first, and it was clearly a mystical reference.

That's a fair point and i can see why that would be some viewers' interpretation. Though in my interpretation I just figured Billy was more of a tracker with heightened senses. He felt they were being watched, perhaps caught a glimpse of the cloaked predator moving in the trees, or heard the slightest unnatural sound of clicking in the distance. I didn't consider him to be psychic at all.

King Willie mentioned being able to "feel" the predator all around, leading me to believe City Hunter has been watching (perhaps taunting) him and his gang for longer than it has been watching Harrigan. The bones on the barrel and talk of "the spirit world" though? That's just voodoo talk in my eyes. Reminds me of a priest saying he sees the devil in the eyes of a serial killer; it's implementing one's beliefs to fit what is occurring. Which, don't get me wrong, makes sense, but I dont think Willie was at all correct in his interpretation of the threat that is the Predator. If he could actually "feel" the Predator then he would have sensed it on the rooftops without a falling brick being the indicator.

I brush off mystic claims same reason I brush off claims that the jungle just came alive and took Hawkins. We know these claims are just talk by the true reveal. We also know Willie is wrong about "the demon" when he says "there is no killing what can't be killed" because the TRUE quote is "If it bleeds, we can kill it."

My interpretation may not be for everyone and that is totally cool, thats what makes movies so interesting. However, one thing I feel for sure is the Predator doesn't lose style points just because we see it in a common environment. Predator 2 was awesome and The Predator has definite potential.

I agree that the voodoo talk was a little bit folkloric bullshit lol. And regarding Billy, since he is the group's tracker, the heightened senses and tracking abilities make great sense yes, and it's kinda fun rewatching the movie and imagining him seeing something at a particular moment that the others didn't caught.

I love the whole folkloric stuff in Predator, it shows how their hunting affects our societies which is something I love seeing in fiction.

Such as in Batman vs Superman, I loved it when Neil DeGrasse Tyson just randomly shows up in some TV interview talking about Superman and how his alien nature affected us humans in how we see ourselves.

I also liked how in the comics, some of the demons in mythology were Predators, including the dragon that Saint George killed and also the urban legend of Spring Heeled Jack in Victorian London. So King Willie's superstitions aren't that far fetched.

[BigDaddyJohn]

I love the folkloric voodoo talk lol, but to me it was presented as some mumbo jumbo in that scene, even though i liked it.

[The Alien Predator]

I love the folkloric voodoo talk lol, but to me it was presented as some mumbo jumbo in that scene, even though i liked it.

Voodoo magic man! f**kING VOODOO MAGIC MAN!

[BigDaddyJohn]

I love the folkloric voodoo talk lol, but to me it was presented as some mumbo jumbo in that scene, even though i liked it.

Voodoo magic man! f**kING VOODOO MAGIC MAN!

This is dread man ! Truly dread !

[Johnny Handsome]

Saw this a month ago, nothing really new so i didn't post it. Well, lack of news changed my mind:

http://puregrainaudio.com/interviews/shane-black-interview-legendary-writer-director-talks-about-the-predator-iron-man-3-and-much-more

Yeah, and do you think that going into something that is almost like a horror project like The Predator almost helped you translate those feelings so you can help bring them alive on screen? Especially when it is a really terrifying character like that!
Black: I think it's more about... The key to Predator has always been the group that goes up against the Predator. The trick is to get yourself inside the mindset of a group of men and women, mostly guys in those movies, sometimes with a female protagonist as well. Mostly in the AVP's (Alien vs. Predator) as well, and Predators. You wanna find a balance. It's not so much addressing the emotions of the characters or finding the fear in the horror film as much as finding what interests me about a horror film. Figuring out why I am the audience member I am for them.

What do I wanna see? And to that end, I just try to be the best audience I can. Not just write stuff that skewed through a story that connects the dots, but represents the version I would most like to see on the screen. Which is why I often try to see a trailer in my head. The sorts of images and emotions, what kind of music is in my head that trailer would be. To sort of sum up the movie we're about to undertake.

What do you think are some of the biggest advantages and challenges with working with a popular character or an established franchise?
Black: The advantages, of course, are that you have a greater chance of an audience. You've gone a few steps further down the path to being a hit before you've even put pen to paper. Because you know that there are people you know that are fans that will see this movie, some of them regardless. Then the task becomes to give them what they want and more. The same and different in ways that twist and tweak. It gives you a chance to reach a broader range of people. It's fun sometimes. Because it's a franchise, the studio has rules attached to it. They don't want to risk it, so they have supervision. Like the Iron Man one, I did for instance.

One thing I really wanted to bring up, not just because it's such a distinguishing factor of your style, but you have a very distinct precedent of not making movies to win awards. Or strut the red carpet, or be on the cover magazines or anything like that. You make movies that MATTER because they're for AUDIENCES. How do you really think your relationship with fans, whether it's Iron Man fans, or your audience has changed and evolved over the course of your career? Not just by the projects that you select, but how you have changed in tandem with that over time.
Black: Honestly, I don't think too much about fans, I think about pleasing an audience, I really do. I know I want to be someone who's an obscurantist. Who thinks, "I'm going to do whatever the hell I want, and they'll have to keep up and pay attention. If they're not entertained, that's their problem." No, to me, I'm too used to being in that seat where they are, where the audience is watching. To just sort of not constantly have one eye on the ball of, "Is this entertaining? Is this moving the plot forward? Are there enough twists and reversals?"

All the tricks that I've learned over the years from the various mentors I've had are not about keeping a fanbase. They're just about being a better audience member and the storytelling that would please me the most. Because I consider myself a very demanding audience member, story-wise. Chances are I'll be entertaining someone. I have a very high threshold for what I consider entertaining and a very low threshold for keeping stuff in that's sort of indulgent. I don't like making obscure movies that are boring to watch.

What's on the horizon now? I know you were in talks for [The DC Comic movie version of] Doc Savage, but I was wondering what you have lined up after Predator? What's exciting you about the possibility of diving into something next? Whether it's a big blockbuster thing or you're going to do another spec or wherever the chips may fall?
Black: I don't know right now because I'm busy editing Predator. Editing has begun, so that's a process not of weeks, but months. Predator is still a focus and will be until November at least. Along the way, I'll see where things land and the chips fall. We talked about Doc Savage with Dwayne Johnson, but Dwayne's dance card is pretty full.

[Corporal Hicks]

Interesting he expects to be done by November. I think we might see the release date pull forward again if that's the case and testing goes well.