The Predator (4k Ultra HD + Blu-Ray)

“The hunt has evolved – and so has the explosive action – in the next chapter of the Predator series, from director Shane Black (Iron Man 3). Now, the most lethal hunters in the universe are stronger, smarter and deadlier than ever before…and only a ragtag crew of ex-soldiers and an evolutionary biology professor can prevent the end of the human race.”

The film opens with Quinn McKenna (Boyd Holbrook) on military assignment in a remote jungle when a spaceship crash land. Seeing this fantastical thing happen in front of him, McKenna runs to the location to find all kinds of unique and wonderous alien technology. As his men are picked off, McKenna takes what he can and escapes to a small town where he ships the tech back to the States for him to retrieve when he returns. In the meantime, the pilot is captured by government forces led by Traeger (Sterling K. Brown), who requests the presence of Dr. Casey Brackett (Olivia Munn) to descend into a top-secret lab to study the DNA of the Predator, which shares similar traits to human DNA. Bracket insists on speaking with the man who discovered the craft, McKenna, who is now being transported by bus to a detention center with several other would-be military criminals who aren’t quite right in the head: Nebraska (Trevante Rhodes), Coyle (Keegan-Michael Key), Baxley (Thomas Jane), Lynch (Alfie Allen) and Nettles (Augusto Aguilera). As the group share stories of how they got there, McKenna reluctantly tells them he saw a space alien that killed all his men. Back at the lab, Dr. Brackett is studying the Predator and insists on speaking to McKenna who might be able to give her some answers. Traeger has the transport make a detour to the lab just before the Predator wakes up and decimates the lab and everyone who gets in his way. Just as the bus pulls up to the lab, the group of men on the bus see what escapes and after seeing the bodies pile up decide to make their own escape, disarming their guards and taking the bus. As they track the Predator they meet Dr. Brackett who shoots herself in the foot with a tranquillizer dart and is rendered unconscious. When she wakes, she reluctantly joins the men in going after the Predator, after McKenna admits to stealing some of his technology and having it shipped to his hometown, technology which is now in the hands of his son Rory (Jacob Tremblay), who has Asperger’s and has figured out how to operate it. With several parties interested in the contents of that package, including the Predator, McKenna and his men must make it back in time to save his family with lots of surprises laying in store.

When this film was announced I was extremely excited knowing that Shane Black was attached to write and direct. He’s done a lot of amazing stuff over the years, and the fact he played a role in the original Predator film I thought gave him a very unique perspective. As the reviews came out, I was very disheartened to hear extremely mixed things, mostly negative, about the direction of the film. Because of this, I was very reluctant to give this a shot as to ruin my love of the franchise, but am I glad I gave this a fair shot. I may be in the minority here, but I had an absolutely blast watching The Predator. When I read some of the negative reviews, almost all contain some mention of the viewer not believing Olivia Munn’s character, a scientist, could fire a gun, or that the story revolves around a kid who was able to figure out the Predator technology. I’d really like to know what film they were watching, because thinking Olivia Munn’s character went from scientist to Super Soldier must have missed the fact she ran away at the beginning, shot herself in the foot accidentally, or never hit anything she shot at. Moreover, it seems the majority of people wanted the exact same premise we’ve been spoon-fed since 1987. A Predator picks off a group of people one by one. This has been the same story over and over, even in Predators, which I genuinely enjoyed. The fact that this is different than the status quo of Predator films was such a breath of fresh air to the series, something it needed very badly, and it was a direction that I believed was well thought out and executed well for the most part.

The original Predator wasn’t really a science fiction film. Although the main baddie was an alien from outer space, this was pure adrenaline filled action. As the films have progressed, the science fiction has become more prominent, even more so in The Predator, something that any fan of the genre should enjoy. The reasoning behind the collection of spinal fluid and the evolution of the Predator species seems perfectly logical and sets the groundwork for some really cool stuff that could come about. I think this may have been beyond the comprehension of some viewers, who screamed plot holes at things that were reasonably inferred or even referenced. Shane Black also injects his sense of humor into the film, which I really enjoyed; if you’ve seen Kiss Kiss Bang Bang or The Nice Guys, you’ll understand what I mean. He’s got a very subtle but silly sense of humor, and if you’re a fan of those films I mentioned then you’d definitely appreciate it here.

Shane Black’s biggest contribution to the film was the camaraderie between The Loonies. As they begin to function as a new unit, we learn so much about each one of them in such a short amount of time and find connections to them. Each one is so unique with their backstory, my favorite being Keegan-Michael Key and Thomas Jane’s characters. Their bond with each other was heartwarming and hilarious, with their gift to one another at the end equally emotional. Not since his involvement in the first has there been a group of people to have that connection that translates so well on screen when facing a threat such as this. It was one of my favorite parts of the movie, it was done well, and each of the actors did a fantastic job portraying their particular quirks and insanities.

The Predator Dogs. A lot of people have issue with that, and it’s honestly one I can understand. These are much different than the ones we saw in the previous film, which given the Predator level of technology and DNA manipulation, makes total sense. Why the behavior of one of the dogs changes is mentioned in the film, but is chosen not to be believed by viewers. I don’t know if Shane Black has a thing for dogs, but you’ll notice a large number of regular dogs in the film for no apparent reason. Whether or not he was biased in the decision of the Predator Dog, I don’t know, but I do agree it needed a bit of work to clear up just what was happening with this creature.

As much as I thoroughly enjoyed the movie overall, the third act felt as though it was lacking something. Things were a bit more confusing, even for me to follow, and it takes a few liberties with the final battle that just seemed a bit odd. This may be due to the fact that the new and even larger threat is now into play, which doesn’t seem to go down well with almost anyone.

It seems as though I spent most of this review trying to defend The Predator, which I do think deserves to be given a fair chance by viewers to form unbiased opinions and judge the movie for themselves. Most importantly, not let a critic, podcast, or even friend talk you into feeling one way or another before you even see the thing. With Rottentomatoes seeming to have an enormous influence over the success of films, it’s important now more than ever to have a mind of your own and not be afraid to admit you like something. I’m not afraid to admit that I really enjoyed The Predator. It wasn’t the perfect follow up to Predators that I would have wanted, but it was different, and with so many things getting remade and rebooted, different is a great thing.

Video

The Predator is presented in 2160p 4k Ultra HD Widescreen 2.39:1. This film takes on a lot of different settings, but the large majority of them are at night. This makes it a bit hard to see the brilliance of the HDR and the brilliant brights and balance in color, but the deep darks are definitely present and make the film look spectacular in these nighttime sequences. The 4k looks very clear and detailed, with no issues with the transfer noticed. The CGI, while looking really good overall, does have a few moments with the larger Predator where it doesn’t look the greatest. Thankfully, these are very quick sequences that I personally didn’t think were too noticeable and didn’t detract from my attention.

Audio

The audio is presented in Dolby Atmos and is one of my favorite things about this set. There are several sequences that take advantage of this mix, with lots of atmospheric sounds, gunfire, explosions, and of course the Predator theme song we all know and love. It all sounds fantastic!

Special Features

The set boasts over an hour of extras, so if you’re wanting to know more about something you may not have understood or wanted to hear Shane Black’s take on everything, it’s here for your enjoyment.

• Deleted Scenes
• A Touch of Black
• Predator Evolution
• The Takedown Team
• Predator Catchup
• Gallery
• Theatrical Trailers
• Sneak Peek

The Predator has gotten its fair share of bad reviews, but don’t let that scare you. If you’re a fan of the franchise who doesn’t want to see the exact same thing over and over, give this one a shot. If nothing else, form your own opinion because this is one of those that I wish I didn’t listen and was able to catch it in theatres.