Today’s quick review: The Predator. While on a mission in Mexico, Army sniper Quinn McKenna (Boyd Holbrook) encounters a crashed alien hunter and walks away with pieces of its technology. Back in the United States, the government tries to paint McKenna as mentally unstable to cover up the incident. But when the hunter returns to claim its stolen equipment, McKenna must join forces with a group of unlikely allies to defeat the hunter and clear his name.
The Predator is a sci-fi action movie and the fourth film in the main Predator series. The Predator departs from the rest of the series in terms of tone and plot. The film works in more comedy than any previous entry, while the story is more of a sci-fi adventure that happens to have a high body count than a true survival movie. The result is a polarizing watch with a different set of strengths and weaknesses than any of its predecessors.
The differences begin with a more complex plot than the other films in the series. The plot revolves around a crucial device that a renegade Predator brought to Earth, McKenna stole and shipped to his family, and the government wants back. Thrown into the mix are another Predator sent to terminate the first, a ruthless government agent (Sterling K. Brown), a brave xenobiologist (Olivia Munn), and a group of mentally unstable veterans who help McKenna.
Each of these plot elements pulls The Predator away from the traditional action-survival template of the series. Instead the movie is a mixture of ideas, one part comedic military adventure, one part heartfelt tale of family, and one part violent monster movie. Even the action takes on a different flavor, swapping the stealthy stalking of previous installments for flashier monster-style fights.
The new additions to the lore are equally polarizing. The Predator delves deeper than ever into the Predators’ tactics, motives, and technology, but the new revelations come with a price. The Predators are less mysterious than ever, hewing much closer to traditional sci-fi aliens. Still, the movie does introduce a couple of interesting ideas to the Predator universe, including a larger breed of Predator and the reason behind their grisly trophies.
All these elements combine into a movie that’s fun to watch but hard to reconcile with the rest of the franchise. The film’s attempts at humor generally hit the mark, and though the plot is held together with chewing gum and paper clips, it delivers a nice mix of action, sci-fi, and adventure. Taken by itself, The Predator is a flawed but entertaining popcorn watch. But taken as part of a series, it is a peculiar experiment that doesn’t quite pay off.
For a much cleaner take on the premise, check out the original Predator. For an alien contact movie with similar action and comedy, try Indepenence Day. For one that focuses on the serious side of the story, try Arrival. For a feel-good action movie featuring a cast of misfits, check out The A-Team or RED. For a more family-oriented sci-fi action adventure, check out I Am Number Four.
6.0 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 for decent action and comedy held back by its messy plot and departure from the franchise formula.