Well, I saw it on Saturday and have digested it a bit, and by digesting I mean I've barely thought about it because it's not a movie that sticks with you as a self-contained entity. I'm disappointed that it seems to be going the route of Alien Covenant, which is to open threads at the end instead of bringing any closure. Predator 2 managed to do this without feeling like it necessitated a direct continuation. If a sequel to this movie doesn't arrive, The Predator isn't going to exist in any sense of relevance on its own terms. It will just end up feeling incomplete. I'm afraid that this is the path it's probably heading for.
Overall, I think I would give it a 3/5 (although I would classify that as 'good' and 4/5 as 'great', but that's neither here nor there). I think for the most part, it met my expectations. When stood up against "Predators" this might as well be a masterpiece because that movie's story was crafted with such a level of ineptitude that I don't find the experience of watching it to be pleasurable at all. In that movie, the characters are not only all unlikable, but they all dislike each other (and the casting was terrible). At least here there's some chemistry and a sense of fun and play, while "Predators" took itself so seriously that it in turn became laughable,
especially the ridiculous opening scene where people are just falling out of the sky into a jungle. There weren't any moments in this movie, for the most part, where I thought "WOW, that was stupid." So, that's good.
Things I liked:
-It's an entertaining movie, and mostly fun.
-It moves quickly for its length.
-It has an odd, but laugh-worthy sense of humor.
-The child actor was fine.
-It didn't take itself too seriously, because following Predator and Predator 2, I wouldn't expect a progression into pretentious territory (Prometheus, Covenant).
-It seemed to usher in new conventions to the series, which I thought was interesting (in particular, subtitled Predator dialogue).
-Overall, I enjoyed the characters.
-It actually felt, mostly, like 'a Predator movie' unlike the previous entry.
Things I didn't like:
-The plot is convoluted, and there's no call for that when we're really talking about a monster movie franchise. It isn't even a clever plot, but it seemed like Shane Black was trying to 'out-clever' the earlier movies...which doesn't make sense. Look at the plot of Alien and Predator and reflect on how good those movies are. The surface level conflicts are pretty damn simple (think, Mad Max Fury Road). Now look at this film along with Prometheus or Covenant. They over complicate things for no reason but to seem smarter and more involved somehow, but I honestly couldn't tell you the plot of this movie by using an elevator pitch. It takes detailed description to parse out.
-It's tie-in to the Predator franchise is deeply unsatisfying, nearly on an upsetting level. I'm not sure, but are we supposed to be proud of the filmmakers for including Jake Busey as Peter Keyes' son? I thought he would return later in the movie, or make some, ANY mention of who he was beyond sharing the same last name. As it stands, he pops up for what, about five minutes? Not to mention, there are two screenshots taken from Predator and Predator 2 which we glimpse for a second, and that's it. I don't understand the aversion which Fox has to creating some kind of actual continuity with this series. There's no reason to ignore the original film, because if we know anything is certain by this point, it's that they won't be able to top it. I'm not sure they are even interested in trying to do so, to be honest.
-Olivia Munn's dialogue was awful. I appreciated the movie's sense of humor, but come on. EVERYONE in the movie has the same level of whit and snark, including someone who in real life would be a prestigious, if not boring, scientist. I get that her character can also be fun and entertaining (and should be), but I guess I felt Shane Black's hand as the writer in the voice of every character in the film, in exactly the same way including the little boy who also used expletives.
-The ending is awful. I hated it and couldn't believe the film was over at the moment the credits rolled. It really shows that they did re-shoots for the third act, because everything falls apart. Beyond the final scene itself coming off as rushed, there are moments where significant character deaths are passed over so quickly, or even barely noticeable at all.
-I'm the last person who would even try to locate something like this, but I felt the movie exhibited some ableist sensibilities regarding autism and Tourette's. Particularly, the moment when Thomas Jane says something about 'eating pussy' and there's an overly long exchange where he tries to convince Olivia Munn otherwise was in bad taste, mean spirited, and not funny. Munn's character is meant to be a scholar, so it made no sense that someone didn't just say "he has Tourette's syndrome, don't worry about it" and they would move on. Instead, the moment essentially dwelled on making fun of him for a disability. I thought there'd be an eventual moment where this was all reconciled, but nope. It's just there for jokes because people with Tourette's syndrome are so funny when they say naughty words in public!
-This is a nitpick, but as a veteran, I can confirm that the portrayal of the military is pretty terrible. Predator isn't very accurate per say, but I question whether there was even a military adviser on set for The Predator. It's not something that's hard to get right. I really didn't believe for one second that the main character was a captain in the Army. When they first stated his rank, I was pretty shocked. Commissioned officers at his age are people who've graduated with a bachelor's degree from a university, not clumsily spoken farmboys. I know he's meant to be a special forces sniper, but go and look at Lone Survivor for an appropriate portrayal of officers vs. enlisted in that context. I mean...Arnold's character is a major in Predator, and I believe that he is a major. There was also a hilarious moment where Olivia Munn (or someone) directs a comment at everyone to the tune of "You're all soldiers!" and the immediate cut goes to a close up of Keegan Michael Key's character, who was obviously in the Marines. He nods at the comment. You don't call marines soldiers, because we aren't soldiers. That's the Army. It's a different word with a different denotation.
It seems like my dislikes are stacking up, which is interesting because I did enjoy the movie overall, but I predict that my opinion of it may sour over time, the opposite of a movie like Alien Resurrection which I've come to enjoy more and more. I think one thing is for certain though: John Davis is a bad producer for the Predator franchise. His track record is one of failure, time and time again with this series. Let's not forget that Predator and Predator 2 are really Joel Silver movies, and since then with Davis primarily at the helm, it's all been disappointment for the most part. AvP, AvPR, Predators, and now this. It's not a good look for him, but I doubt anything will change.
