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Prey Day

The alien from 1987's Arnold Schwarzenegger romp "Predator" - all battle armor and dreadlocks - has always been a favorite among movie monster aficionados, right up there alongside (okay, maybe a bit below) Ridley Scott's "Alien". But the Predator's screen appearances (like those of the Alien) have been, shall we say, lackluster. 1990's Danny Glover starrer, "Predator 2", had its moments, but the two "Alien vs Predator" movies have done neither franchise any favors. (And don't get me started on the botched Predator make-up in those films). The best "Alien" sequel - indeed, some would say it trumps the original - was clearly James Cameron's 1986 "Aliens". So it makes sense that someone (cough, Robert Rodriguez, cough) would make a pluralized sequel titled "Predators". Of course "Aliens" had a great script, killer action scenes and it took the Alien "character" itself to very new places (also: Sigourney Weaver). "Predators" has none of that. It does, however, have an intriguing setup, good pace and a surprisingly not annoying Adrien Brody.

"Predators" opens with a bunch of strangers literally dropped in a jungle (seriously, the movie cheekily opens with them in mid-free fall). They're all killers, rapists and vigilantes. You know, the pick of the litter. Well, all except Topher Grace's Edwin, who's cleverly an everyman to give the audience someone to root for. They're all also armed to the teeth. It's a good thing too because something else is in that jungle. How they got there, where they are, how they'll get out? Well, that's the fun.

And it is fun, for a while. Director Nimród Antal, working from a script by newcomers Alex Litvak and Michael Finch (Mr. Rodriguez produced), does a good job setting up the key players and doling out information piecemeal. Naturally, the audience is always a few steps ahead, but not annoyingly so. And there are enough twists to make this stand-out from "just another 'Predator' movie".

The film is specifically a sequel to the first film, which is a nice touch. Mr. Brody is no Ahnuld, but the script wisely sets him up as a thinking man's mercenary. The actor feels far more comfortable in these action trappings than he did as a romantic lead in "King Kong". There aren't many other characters to get attached to - except Alice Braga ("Repo Men") as the lone female. There is, however, a raucously good cameo by an actor I won't name who, I swear, is doing a William Shatner impression. You be the judge.

The plurality alluded to in the title is not as many as you'd think. There are three Predators hunting our heroes. This, naturally, should amp up the tension. The problem with the film is: it doesn't. In fact, it does the opposite. The original "Predator" was great because the creature was so hard to kill; it took Arnold the whole film to do it. With three Predators, this film's misfit army should be woefully outmatched. So in order to pad out the movie, the writers need to dumb-down the aliens. There are long stretches where the humans are just standing around and the audience is left thinking, "why don't the Predators just kill them now?"

And that's the difference between "Aliens" and "Predators". Aliens are fairly easily killed (especially with massive chain-guns) but they overwhelm you with numbers. Predators are, well, predators. It's what they do. And they're very, very well armed. These humans don't stand a chance. That they do is a letdown (the climactic showdown is particularly painful). The writers should have gone further with the premise. But there are some nice surprises and even some Predator-on-Predator (and Predator-on-Yakusa!) action. And hey, at least they got the make-up right.