Predators

An obvious improvement over the two Alien vs. Predator movies, Predators follows a group of grizzled strangers, including Adrien Brody’s Royce, Topher Grace’s Edwin, and Alice Braga’s Isabelle, as they’re forced to put aside their differences and work together after they find themselves hunted by the titular creatures. There’s little doubt that Predators establishes itself as a superior follow-up virtually from the word go, as the inherently compelling premise is heightened by both Nimrod Antal’s appreciatively restrained directorial choices and by the efforts of a uniformly engaging cast. It’s just as obvious, however, that the movie is at its best in its opening half hour, with the mystery surrounding the protagonists’ perilous situation far more engrossing than the series of fight sequences that come to dominate the film’s latter half. Predators‘ shift from captivating sequel to passable actioner is triggered by a disastrous stretch detailing the survivors’ encounter with a slightly insane veteran of the human-predator war (Laurence Fishburne’s Noland), as the talky, rather pointless nature of the character’s appearance effectively brings the proceedings to a dead stop. The film basically recovers for its propulsive final act, this is despite the inclusion of an utterly needless last-minute turnabout for one of the surviving humans, yet it’s more than clear that Predators would’ve benefited from a few additional rounds through the editing process.

**1/2 out of ****