The Predator - Yes, it - sort of – works

Yes, everyone loved the 1987 action/sci-fi classic, 'Predator,' (or at least every male!), but ever since then, the franchise has kind of wobbled between one lukewarm offering to the next. 'Predator 2' lost the irreplaceable Arnold Schwarzenegger, the two 'Alien vs Predator' films felt like missed opportunities and the most recent 'Predators' just seemed to be covering old ground.  No one wanted a reboot, so 'The Predator' makes sure it doesn't overwrite anything that came before it, while at the time trying to expand the lore and keep everyone happy.  Well... it's reasonably entertaining.

Apparently, it went through 're-shoots.' Now, I'm reliably informed that most films do, however, 'The Predator' seemed to have its entire final act reshot.  And it shows.  It's a bit choppy to say the least.  We have a soldier who comes across some 'alien tech' while on a mission and he then posts it home to his autistic son to keep it safe.  Now, if you're thinking this is an odd thing to do then you're probably not alone.  And this is an example of how the story progresses.  Most films, especially ones about head-hunting aliens, require a certain amount of disbelief to be suspended in order to gain maximum enjoyment from them.  However, you do need to suspend your disbelief on numerous occasions to come close to enjoying this latest instalment.

Anyway, those nasty aliens don't take kindly to us humans getting our little pink hands on their finest intergalactic hunting equipment and decide they want it back (and so kill anyone that stands it their way).  This time round the action takes place in the suburbs.  I guess this was because jungles had been done.  As had the city, an alien planet and the arctic.  This doesn't recreate the 'claustrophobic' feel of the initial Predator film.  However, if you're simply looking for a fun film with plenty of killings, a few aliens and gore then you could probably sit through this.

Just don't expect much in the way of anything new, plus, like I say, you have to ignore major logic points (most of which I'll leave out due to 'spoilers'), but characters (both human and otherwise) seem to change motivation without any real reason.  Plus there's more humour than any of the previous films.  We're not just talking about the odd one-liner here and there, but full-blown 'Marvel-style' gags amidst supposedly tense and dangerous scenes.

The Predator' is what it is.  Which is basically a B-movie with a major cult following who still hang out hopes for something that even comes close to the original.  This doesn't, but it's not as bad as it could have been.  And, that's seemingly all us Predator fan-boys can hope for these days.  Oh, and excuse the final scene - it's clearly tacked on by what feels like a completely different writer all together.  Definitely a re-shoot (and, if you'll believe the internet rumours, only exists to overwrite the scene that the film-makers hoped would have seen Schwarzenegger reprise his iconic role of 'Dutch' - apparently he said he didn't want to appear in such a small role!).

7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that