Nouvelle critique,vu par le modérateur su site AVPgalaxy.
Predators AvPGalaxy Review Posted by Corporal Hicks on July 6, 2010 (Updated: 06-Jul-2010) We
all know why we’re here. We’re fans of Aliens, we’re fans of Predator.
So it goes without saying that everyone reading this review will be
knowledgeable in the Predator franchise and have seen the previous 2
movies more times than they can count. I know I can’t count. Predator
is a brilliant film and Predator 2 is also a good film – not as good as
Predator, let down by hammy acting and not so amazing characters but
the actual parts of the film with the Predator in are just plain
awesome.
We’ve all suffered through the recent Aliens vs Predator films which
have also managed to slap the individual franchises in the face as well
as being bad films all around. We’ve been waiting for a decent Predator
film for a while now.
I didn’t think Predators was going to be it. I’ve read Robert
Rodriquez’s original draft and it was awful. Just plain awful. I also
read that leaked draft of Alex Litvak and Michael Finch and wasn’t that
keen. At all. But I walked out of the cinema a very happy man.
So much in Predators works. The acting in particular is great. All
of the actors portray their characters with the weight and gravitas
that is deserved for killers like these. I remember there being some
concern when Adrian Brody was cast but he carries the role and the
movie. I completely bought into Brody as a mercenary and really liked
his character. Walton Goggins was a favourite of mine. He brought the
laughs to the film through his deadpan comments and humour. I really
enjoyed Stans.
Isabelle, as played by Alice, offers a sympathetic character for
those of us in the audience who aren’t able to relate to the other
killers. I did find it somewhat stereotypical that the less monstrous
character would happen to be a female. And, of course, Topher Grace. He
plays Edwin, an unassuming character who shows no reason as to why he’s
with this group. I found him wonderful. He overplayed nothing and
really came across as this innocent and the odd man out.
Laurence Fishburne, like in the leaked script, doesn’t have much
screen time but he provides the exposition that we need. But more than
that Fishburne portrays him as a schizophrenic which was not in the
original draft by Litvak and Finch and it really brings Nolan into
another area. So instead of being the “exposition character”, the
audience and characters can see what the options for this hunting
planet are. You can die by the blade of the Predator or you can hide
and live and turn into this crazy person who talks to himself. Not much
of an existence and it only goes to further Royce’s determination to
get off the planet.
As an ensemble, it’s easy to believe in the characters and actors.
They’re not in this for the team activities, they’re in this to
survive: Royce especially. One particular moment I loved was when Stans
pulled a blade to Mombasa’s throat, demanding a gun. It was believable
and resonated with the panic the character was feeling. I also liked
the small relationship Edwin and Nikolai struck up. Oleg Taktarov
really played Nikolai as this sort of innocent but deadly bear. It’s an
interesting contrast.
What I think really makes Predators stand up as a better film is
that it takes itself seriously. It would be too easy to slip into that
80′s feel to pay tribute to Predator and make it way to cheesy.
Thankfully none of that happens. There are no ridiculous one liners. No
stupid characters like Tony Pope. This is life or death and the film
does not detract from the severity of the situation these characters
find themselves in.
There are two situations that I didn’t really like. Nolan’s death,
in particular, as he is killed by a shoulder cannon blast. Where
everyone else had a wound or a blast hole in them, Nolan literally
explodes in a shower of CGI gore. Stans’ death was also too over the
top for me. The way it is cut looks like Beserker just leans over Stans
who is still alive and just rips his spine and skull out. It seemed
completely out of place. I wasn’t keen on how they were handled.
There are hardly any homages! There are so few in the film that I
think this deserves a huge shout out. Alien vs Predator and AvP Requiem
ended up being theatrical montages of the best bits of the previous
films. There is none of that here. No forced dialogue from the first
film. The few that are in Predators are extremely small: The chaingun,
Nolan whispering “over here” and of course, the big macho, topless
fight at the end of the movie but that is played out so differently you
can hardly even call it a homage. This is its own film.
In fact, it was John Debney’s score that contained the most material
from the original film. He’s there and he’s telling you “This is a
Predator film!”. I really missed the Predator theme from the AvP’s but
it feels so right in Predators. A lot of motifs and themes from Alan
Silvestri’s score are used in Predators but Debney also adds his own
twist to the material and creates his own unique pieces that really add
to the tension and danger that is being shown on screen.
I’d also like to address the uproar regarding Rodriquez saying he
was ignoring the past 3 films. It feels a lot like Predator and I can
certainly see where he’s coming from in making this a spiritual sequel
to Predator but absolutely nothing in Predators contradicts anything in
Predator 2 or the AvP movies. It fits in perfectly within continuity.
So Predator 2 fans fear not, it hasn’t been erased and completely
negated.
The film takes its time and doesn’t rush into anything. The pace is
steady as the characters discover each other and start to figure out
just how bad their situation is. Antal doesn’t rush into showing us the
Predator but when he does we find the classic Predator strung up. He’s
in the same situation as our characters. Really goes to deepen just how
dangerous this new group of Predators is.
And I have to say, Howard Berger and Greg Nicotero from KNB FX have
done a brilliant job with the new suits. The Predator’s face no longer
looks like rubber, those ridiculous upper teeth are gone. They’ve made
ADI’s efforts look amateur in comparison. The new Super Predators’
designs also looked fantastic on screen.
Their armour and masks are different enough to differentiate them
from the original design but also not overdone like the heavily
armoured linebackers that were Paul Anderson’s Predators. We do only
see the unmasked face of one of the new Predators, the Berserker
Predator who is the leader.
The basic appearance is the same but they do look different. If
you’re willing to accept that the Super Predators are not the same as
the originals then you will not mind the appearance. Thankfully, the
Super Predators are no longer mutants like in the early draft. Their
blood is still green, there is absolutely no mention of them cutting up
prey and genetically altering themselves to become better hunters.
Nolan describes it as “the difference betweens dogs and wolves”. They
are simply a different Predator race/clan or a sub-species.
Due to the number of the Predators, they are not given much chance
to be individualized. They are all portrayed as sadistic, more so maybe
than Anytime from Predator. Traps are set for the characters, they
don’t rush the kills, they take their time and seem to savour the fear.
Carey Jones, Brian Steele and Derek Mears all do a great job in
portraying the patience and grace of the Predators.
The film is more about the humans, the title relating to the
characters more than the group of Predators, I feel. We see just how
determined the characters, Royce in particular, are to survive this and
how they all react under the understandably stressful situations.
The FX are minimalistic and not overdone in the slightest. I can see
how Troublemaker got this done on a small budget and it doesn’t detract
in any way from the film. Certain aspects of the FX are given a touch
up, the cloaking effect has a slight touch up and looks different, as
has the shoulder cannon’s blasts. But none of it seems out of place or
completely ridiculous.
In terms of how the film adds to the existing mythology of the
Predator, we have the concept of preserve planets, this new subspecies
of Predator and additional alien lifeforms: In an attempt to bait out
the Predators, the group actually take out another alien who is being
hunted by the Predators. We know him as Stickman but his design is more
beefy than the concept art we’ve seen.
The Predator Hounds are also introduced and used to test how the
characters react to the situation. The Super Predators use a single
scythe-like blade instead of wrist-blades. This is used to great effect
during the Hanzo duel. One thing I did think that seemed underused was
the “falcon”. It didn’t appear to look like a bird but came across as a
tracking device that didn’t see much screen time. I don’t think it
would have harmed the film if it was removed. Berserker’s shoulder
canon isn’t a mini-gun like in the original draft, it’s back to basics
but it does have a different method of charging up where a component in
the canon whirls up and charges.
Now the climax. A lot of reviews have cited some issues with it. The
film goes from that steady, heart pounding, tension oozing pace to a
relentless action piece. Event after event happens until we get to the
much awaiting Classic vs Berserker fight. It was an extremely brutal
and primal fight but I did find the editing slightly confusing but then
again, the Dutch vs Predator fight in the original also has several
confusing cuts. It also seemed too short to me but more than anything I
think it was done to show just how dangerous these new Predators are. I
really enjoyed the fight but I can’t help but get the feeling that
hardcore fans of the original Predator and Anytime will not like the
fight.
I absolutely loved the end fight with Royce and the Berserker.
Having been told how Dutch defeated the first Predator (Isabelle
somehow knows about the events in Predator. I must admit I was curious
as to how a member of the Israel Defense Force knew about it), Royce
takes the idea, runs with it and completely fucks up Berserker. It was
amazing and once again, I could completely buy into Brody as this
intelligent and ruthless man.
But it’s not all substance, what about style? Nimrod Antal has a
great eye in this. Many of the shots are brilliant, Antal brings some
lovely camera movements into play and it’s this style and eye that
makes Predators stand above the previous entries and rival the original
Predator.
You know, I travelled 4 and a bit hours on a bus, paid £20 on
transport to go see it (hardly free) and had to traverse a confusing
city to get to the cinema. And it was completely worth it. I’m still
excited to go see it again on opening day, I really am.
Don’t get me wrong, I love both original Predator movies but for
acting, story and direction, it blows Predator 2 out of the water and I
consider it just as good as Predator. Despite minor gripes, it’s a
solid action film but more than that, it’s a proper Predator film. It
feels like a true sequel in every sense of the word and for once, I’m
not disappointed.
Rating: