Predators

Director: Nimrod Antal (2010)

Starring: Adrien Brody, Danny Trejo, Laurence Fishburne (occasionally)

Find it: IMDB, Amazon

Taking a break from the relatively crappy Alien Vs Predator franchise, the Predators strike out again with their own movie - a bit like Avatar and definitely the best Predator movie since, well, the last proper one (I actually love Predator 2). This time there's a twist. The Predators, rather than stalking around Earth's jungles or cities, kidnap themselves some humans and dump them on a jungle gaming reserve. See, just like Avatar. Only with an infinitely better plot, better acting, no 3D and actual thrills and entertainment. I hated Avatar but I love Predators.

As part of his rebirth as Mr. Action McSci-Fi, Adrien Brody plays it tough as leader of the humans. Obviously he wouldn't stand a chance against Arnie, but he could very likely kick Danny Glover's ass (insert "too old for this shit" joke here) and whoever was in those Alien Vs Predator shitlumps. Other tough guys include Danny Fucking Trejo (who looks like he could take not only Arnie, but Brody and a planet full of Predators too) that creepy guy from Justified and, uh, Topher Grace. Laurence Fishburne, by the way, is barely in this movie. I think he filmed his bit on a break from the CSI lab.

Director Nimrod Antal shows remarkable restraint in keeping the Predators offscreen for the movie's first quarter. It's even more so remarkable when one considers how good the aliens look this time around. They're big, menacing ugly motherfuckers that - for perhaps the first time - don't look even slightly goofy. The action is very well handled with a number of big fight scenes and fun skirmishes. Producer Robert Rodriguez's influence is well felt here, although Predators feels a little less disjointed than some of the director's own movies.

While Brody's hardman act occasionally wears a bit thin, Trejo and Fishburne are wasted. The former goes out like a punk, whilst the latter is barely around for twenty minutes. It's a shame and a disappointment. I wanted Danny Trejo going toe-to-toe with a Predator and Larry Fishbone making with his Assault On Precinct 13 awesome self. But we can't have it all, and the rest of the action is perfectly fine. Better than fine. In an age of crappy remakes and missing-the-point sequels, it's nice to see a franchise find its feet again as Predators does here. It could have done with being a bit less in awe of McTiernan's original, but Predators ultimately does that movie justice and stokes a craving for more. I'm a-havin' me some fun tonight.