The Predator (VIDEO SCRIPT)

Today on Film Friday, I take a look at Shane Black’s “The Predator.” Let’s begin.

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/The Predator is the latest in the the Predator film franchise from 20th Century Fox, released in 2018. Chronologically taking place after Stephen Hopkins “Predator 2” and before Nimrod Antal’s “Predators,” it tells the story of a group of mercenaries, scientists and civilians trying to survive a Predator marooned in an American suburb, who in turn is trying to stop the plans of a bigger threat./

Readers, I’ve been a fan of the Predator film franchise since I was a kid.

My first Predator movie was Predator 2, and I will defend the legitimacy of that movie till the day I die.

When this movie was initially announced, I was legitimately excited because I was excited to see what Shane Black could do with the franchise after Iron Man 3, and felt that the quality of Predators was a bit lessened because even when he’s only producing, I don’t really trust Robert Rodriguez to do the right thing.

But when I finished watching this movie, and headed to my car after leaving the theater, the thought that immediately came to my head was:

Y’know, Predators was actually pretty good.

Because this movie was garbage, and I hate that it was garbage

Can you imagine? A movie so bad that it made you reevaluate the quality of a previous installment in the same franchise that you initially thought wasn’t up to snuff??

I had no idea that could happen until I saw this movie

As I stated before, what initially made me have faith that I’d really enjoy The Predator was what I would come to realize was actually one of its biggest hindrances; writer and director Shane Black

Now this isn’t me saying that he’s a shitty writer and director, because he’s not. Not by a longshot

After all, it was Shane Black that gave us the initial screenplay for 1987’s Lethal Weapon

He gave us The Nice Guys and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

/And despite various opinions of it regarding the overall use of The Mandarin, he co-wrote and directed Iron Man 3, which raked in the most box office profit earnings out of Marvel Studios’ 3 solo Iron Man films/ Iron Man 3 Trailer

The thing about all of those stories, however, is that they’re all at heart buddy cop movies.

Despite director Richard Donner bringing Jeffrey Boam on board to re-write some of the “too dark” bits, Shane Black’s Lethal Weapon script was pretty much part of the Golden Age of the genre, up there with 48 Hours.

The Predator...was NOT a buddy cop movie. And it SHOULD have been.

/You see, The Predator was Shane’s attempt to recapture the same lightning in a bottle he felt from starring in the 1987 movie when he played Rick Hawkins, as he explained in this interview/ The Predator | The Rundown with Shane Black | 20th Century FOX https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWmc8XlybSk

...Monster Squad? MONSTER SQUAD!

That makes SO MUCH SENSE NOW!

You see, Shane Black and Fred Dekker’s roles were actually REVERSED working on The Predator as opposed to Monster Squad

In Monster Squad, Shane and Dekker wrote it together while Dekker directed. Monster Squad came out two years after one of its main inspirations-slash-competitors the Goonies.

/It was a campy late 80’s story about a group of pre-teen boys taking down Count Dracula and the other Universal monsters from trying to take over the world. It rightfully so became one of those cult classics later on down the line upon home video release, favored by movie audiences but not necessarily so by reviewers and critics./ The Monster Squad Trailer

In The Predator, Shane and Dekker wrote it together while Shane directed. Yet despite Shane directing The Predator instead of Dekker, it still feels pretty much like an adult version of the Monster Squad.

He may have intended it to have the same feel of comradery as the ensemble cast of the 1987 movie, but Shane Black and Fred Dekker pretty much made an 80’s kid adventure flick for adults with elements of a buddy cop movie.

That’s why despite his intention, Shane Black’s The Predator doesn’t really work as a Predator movie.

Yes, there’s action and TRACES of the buddy cop dynamic commonly present in his films, and could’ve been worked to fit the Predator’s formula just like it was worked to fit Iron Man’s.

But Fred Dekker’s brand of camp and comedy is honestly JUST as present

(Show cringe worthy scenes of the human villain)

*Deep Breath*

And despite how interesting the plot is and how well its seamed into the established lore of the film franchise, this obvious that despite Black and Dekker’s collabs in the past, these two styles don’t really mix well together when it comes to Predator.

See, the idea that there are tribes of Yautja on Yautja Prime that want to self-enhance themselves from the traits of the strongest species that they hunt throughout the universe is pretty on brand considering Predators is still canon in the solo movie franchise.

/The ones that were hunting Royce and co. in said movie were bigger and more efficient than the ones we’re accustomed to seeing on screen, after all./

And it’s ALSO on brand that there are tribes of NORMAL Yautja that want to keep things traditional; that believe becoming the ultimate killing machines either ruins the sport of the hunt, or just throws everything off in general.

/It makes the fact that the hunting party in Predators beating up and leaving an OG Predator to die before siding with Royce and Isabelle to take down the Alpha all the more palpable./

And while this plot definitely brings more to the overall established movie mythos of the Predator movies, its overall execution (nnnnnmmmmm) wasn’t it, fam.

What made the 1987 movie work outside of the Yautja hunting the ensemble was establishing a situation that made us care to a certain degree about the majority of the characters it was hunting.

That included Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Dutch, Carl Weathers’ Dillon, Bill Duke’s Mac, Sonny Landham’s Billy

The same can be said about Harrigan, Danny, Leona and Jerry from Predator 2, and Royce, Isabelle, Edwin and Hanzo from Predators

Each of those movies had characters within the ensemble that worked together well, had dynamics and personalities that got properly fleshed out with the overall gravitas of the stories they were in, and were able to help out either the performance or the overall exposition and development of the main character when either one was lacking.

The Predator severely lacks all of that.

First there’s the main character, Mr. Generic White Military Man.

What? That’s his name!

It’s his name, because there is nothing memorable about this character AT ALL

/You could kinda make that argument with Dutch, but Dutch had Dillon to bounce off of as far as establishing what his moral code is to the audience (I Woke Up. Why Don’t You) and the ensemble helped show us that he was the best choice for a leader in their situation when the Yautja started hunting them (If it bleeds, we can kill it)/

/The same could be said of Danny Glover’s Harrigan in Predator 2, just solely from how much he cares about his team (He killed Danny, so he’s gonna fall), how much they care about him in return (I miss Danny too) his overall want to stop the Yautja from killing anyone else (he sees the goddamn light) and how driven he is to see the killing end (Alright, who’s next?)./

Generic White Military Man -- aka Quinn -- is just as bland as the unseasoned boiled chicken breast you eat while you’re on Keto

Like, the movie gives him a track record of him getting things done, but we’re never SHOWN it.

We’re only TOLD it in the most gobsmacked exposition scene I’ve ever seen for a character in the history of visual media

(plays scene in question)

*Looks at screen, then at camera* Yep. That...actually happened.

Trevante Rhodes’ Nebraska is SUPPOSED to be the Dillon to his Dutch in this regard.

/But the difference between Dillon and Nebraska is that Dillon’s purpose is multi-faceted. He provides a way for us to see that Dutch has morals of his own, and we see that not only be USEFUL to the team by the movie showing off his own talents, but the situation in question with the Yautja causes him to question his own merits and ethics from before its appearance in order for him to develop on his own before his eventual demise./

Nebraska, on the other hand, only exists to try and make Quinn feel like a character. I mean, they FAIL at it, but that’s his entire existence.

/Which sucks, because there was definitely something there in both Trevante Rhodes’ performance and in the subtext of his character, that if they just reworked or gave a bit more focus -- just like Dillon -- Quinn and everybody else would have benefited from it. Instead, he’s reserved as Quinn’s own personal Magical Negro./

The only characters I really cared about out of the four to five this movie WANTED me to care about were Coyle and Baxley, played by Keegan Michael Key and Thomas Jane respectively.

/Because not only could I genuinely tell from the writing that there was a sense of comradery there, but I could feel it in their performances from the beginning to their very ends./

I feel that if Shane truly wanted this movie to work, help better establish this new lore about the Yautja, AND both recapture his overall nostalgia of filming the first one and make it truly feel like a Predator movie

He should’ve played into his strengths when it came to writing it, and only focused on the dynamic between one to two of the main human characters; three at max.

Like I stated before; I’m not knocking him down in any regard. I think he’s a great director and storyteller. He’s good, but as this film has proven, he’s not Ridley Scott “Alien” good.

By him and Dekker going back to their Monster Squad roots for this film by creating “The Loonies” -- which sound very close to “The Goonies,” and only proves my point further

They thought they were giving us a chance to POSSIBLY get emotionally attached to these characters so that we could feel it when and if they were offed, and make it feel more like the first Predator.

When in actuality, the movie would’ve been a lot more effective in accomplishing that goal if Shane just played to his strengths and the only protags were just Quinn, Nebraska, and Dr. Bracket, real talk.

Not only would it have given us a better chance at seeing Quinn be an actual and a more interesting character without sacrificing Nebraska’s potential

/But not only would Dr. Bracket play a larger role like her introductory scenes implied she would, but her overall usefulness could’ve been spread out over the course of the entire movie instead of just certain parts of acts 2 and 3/

It also would’ve made the humor in it more natural and less forced because certain members of “The Loonies” had to deliver their trademarked brand of crazy.

(tourettes guy scenes)

Readers, Shane Black has shown me that being IN a Predator movie is not the same as MAKING a Predator movie, and unfortunately, nor does it mean you SHOULD.

Especially if you’re doing so just for the purpose of re-living nostalgia and aren’t willing to completely put your own stamp on a franchise you love so much.

Good premise, decent plot, bland protagonist, too many main characters, and not enough focus or development for the ones that matter. That’s, unfortunately, The Predator in a nutshell.

Right now you can rent The Predator on YouTube, Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes and Vudu for as little as $6 bucks

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So with that being said Readers, your homework assignment for the day. Write in the comment section what you thought of The Predator if you’ve seen it.

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But until then, this is Readus 101. Class dismissed.