The Predator * (2018, Boyd Holbrook, Olivia Munn, Trevante Rhodes, Jacob Tremblay, Thomas Jane, Alfie Allen, Keegan-Michael Key) – Movie Review

Co-writer/ director Shane Black’s The Predator is just no good, telling a plodding, uninvolving new story boringly set in the streets of small-town suburbia, with uninteresting, underdeveloped characters, a motley crew of unfascinating actors, sadistic violence, crappy, bad-taste slapstick comedy and shockingly unconvincing, low-grade CGI.

The no-good screenplay is written by Shane Black and Fred Dekker, and based on characters created by Jim Thomas and John Thomas. The story and dialogue could do with a complete re-write.

Though he cannot fill Arnold Schwarzenegger’s shoes, Boyd Holbrook is okay as the hero Quinn McKenna, but there is way too much stuff involving Jacob Tremblay as his son Rory, who takes the Predator mask out of a package and uses it as a Halloween mask, accidentally triggering the Predator’s return to Earth. This is a shockingly weak premise, by the way.

It happens that Quinn has encountered the Predator down Mexico way, in a first scene that plays like a remake of Arnie’s version, or homage maybe. Quinn runs like the wind from the monster, ends up with the mask and sends to himself at his separated wife and son’s place.

Quinn is arrested for something or other, seeing the Predator maybe, and ends up on a prison bus with other ex-soldiers. They break loose, form a foul-mouthed jokey ragtag crew, are joined by a disgruntled science teacher (Olivia Munn), who conveniently turns out to be an action hero, and set out to save the boy and, less importantly, prevent the end of the human race. Of course, the boy is so resourceful, he doesn’t need saving.

There is plenty of CGI-driven action, and lots of the Predator, but no edge-of-seat excitement, nor any shocks and scares, nor intensity nor suspense. It all goes on over there, out there, up there, but does not get to you.

The movie makes the mistake of bringing on the Predator monster immediately, and keeping him there on screen throughout. The monster should lurk in the darkness and the shadows, a mostly unseen threat till the thrilling slap-up conclusion. But the Predator (2018)’s conclusion is complete bonkers, losing all touch with reality. Monster movie or not, we have to believe every word of The Predator, and this film has not one ounce of believeability or credibility.

Among the crew, Thomas Jane is dreadful as the jibbering Baxley and Alfie Allen has nothing to do as Lynch, though makes him better off, but Keegan-Michael Key comes off better as Coyle.

I don’t care that The Predators have genetically upgraded themselves with DNA from other species. I liked them just the way they were back in Arnie’s 1987 Predator.

Just to save you five minutes of your life, there are no extra scenes during or after the final credits.

The film contains strong bloody violence, strong language throughout, and a nasty jokey tone very crude sexual references.

It was made in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on a relatively small budget of $88,000,000. The one thing I really liked about it is its tacky, low-budget B-movie feel. Predator was always an Eighties version of a Fifties monster movie.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Movie Review

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