Predators (10/19/2010)

Rated R for strong creature violence and gore, and pervasive language.

Directed by Nimrod Antal (Armored and Vacancy)

Starring Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Danny Trejo and Laurence Fishburne

If this was your way of apologizing for making Alien vs. Predator: Requiem…consider yourself forgiven.

Chosen for their ability to kill without conscience, a group of killers, some trained and some who are not, must endeavor the alien race of predators that have set out to target them as prey. Dropped into the vast jungle of a distant world, these human predators must learn just who, or what, they are up against, and that their ability, knowledge and wits are tested to the limits in the battle of survival of kill or be killed.

I was 14 when the first Predator movie was released and when Arnold said, “If it bleeds we can kill it”, I was hooked. The franchise’s next film was a total dud with Danny Glover and Gary Busey chasing the prolific killer through the streets of LA…Ridiculous. Fourteen years later Alien vs. Predator released in the theaters and I loved it. Then (just like last time) they got a little greedy and released Alien vs. Predator: Requiem which was disappointing and embarrassing. So I walked into the theater with a little fear and trepidation.

But when Predators opened with Adrien Brody freefalling…while unconscious; I knew it was going to a FUN movie.

Speaking of Adrien Brody, he doesn’t exactly scream action hero movie star, but after this role, he may earn a spot in The Expendables 2. Seriously, he holds his own throughout the film and I have no complaints about his performance. The rest of the cast is just as good. You may not know their names (Danny Trejo, Alice Braga, Walton Goggins, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali and Oleg Taktarov) but I’m pretty sure you would recognize their faces. Either way they were all outstanding.

Two more surprises were Topher Grace and Laurence Fishburne; Topher was amazing but Laurence was a little disappointing. Not enough for me to not like the film or even lower the rating, just enough for me to wish they used someone else.

The story is strong and reminiscent enough of the original to pay homage, but new enough to be fresh. Which leads us to the coolest part of the film – and honestly the reason why we go see a movie like Predators– THE ACTION. Words like: “Awesome”, “jam-packed”, “over-the-top” and “really cool” all come to mind. See that’s why Jonathan calls me a movie geek and not a professional Movie Reviewer. Because we all know “real” movie critics don’t use words like that.

If you want a fun movie that is loud, crazy and bloody…you’ll love Predators – It’s a Theater Worthy action movie for me!


SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
Predators is rated R for the violence and language. With this movie if the characters aren’t killing something or someone, they are talking about it. So besides what you see on film, there is plenty of death that you don’t see, but hear about. There is no nudity or sex scenes.

Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):

Q: What was the theme (or the message) of this movie?

A: This is a movie about aliens…so let’s not look too hard for a serious message. The clearest lesson I see in the film is the need for us to work together. Throughout the movie, the humans could not get along, even when they faced alien predators who wanted all of them dead. Granted, the humans were not the best representatives of our kind, but they were still human! Their mistrust and double-crossing of each other is something we should strive to avoid.

Q: How should we – as serious Christ-followers — react to this movie?

A: For Christians, teamwork is a crucial. We have a really big job to do – saving the world. We will definitely need each other’s help. We must treat each other the way the Apostle Paul instructed in 1 Thessalonians 5:9-13.

9God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

12Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.

Q: How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?

A: If we make it a point to build each other up, like Paul says, then teamwork will flow naturally from our lives. We have to serve one another, encourage each other, support each other, and love each other. We must always keep our fellow Christians at the forefront of our minds.

Mark Twain once said, “Great things can happen when you don’t care who gets credit.” If we live by this truth, we will definitely have teamwork.