The Most Underrated Film in the Predator Franchise Climbs to Netflix's Top 1 Spot
You should definitely see this one.
Any action involving cult films must be handled with extreme caution, otherwise the public will not forgive it. The Predator released in 2018 had almost perfect timing: we had already forgotten the spectacular failures of the Alien crossovers, and survived the disappointment of the less-than-successful Adrien Brody version.
Hiring buddy movie master Shane Black to direct the Predator reboot was the best decision 20th Century Fox has made in years. He values the Predator legacy as much as we do, not only because he grew up on the '80s movies, but also because he made his acting debut in the original with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Shane Black’s Unique Vision of the Predator Wasn't Appreciated at the Time
Instead of a pompous "Tough Guys vs. Predator" thriller, we got a rollicking comedy that's just pure fun: a soldier father mistakenly sends his son a Predator suit of armor, which the boy dresses up in for Halloween.
The super-commandos are replaced by criminal freaks, and a small town becomes a battleground for the Predator and his creepy alien dogs.
Black brings the story to a postmodern chaos, while maintaining the aesthetic spirit of the old school and the charm of a B-movie. Unfortunately, not many viewers forgave the director for this trick when the movie was released – now The Predator has a score of 34% and 32% on Rotten Tomatoes.
However, the movie unexpectedly became a hit on Netflix – it is now the most watched film on the platform. And Shane Black's The Predator definitely deserves it.
The Predator Is a Postmodern Reinvention of the Cult Franchise
Shane buried the ideas of the producers, who decided to follow the beaten path and simply make a remake of the 80s Predator, and wrote a full-fledged continuation of the story, taking into account the events of the first and second parts.
That is, everyone is already prepared for a clash with the alien, they know that his favorite pastime on Earth is tearing people's heads off, and they even argue whether it would be more correct to call him "hunter" in this case, because predators hunt to survive, and this one is just for fun.
The Movie Brings New Ideas While Staying True to the Legacy
The legacy of the original part is preserved, but at the same time no one is going to mark time. The Predator has been made faster, bigger, stronger, equipped with a super purpose that will be enough for three more parts and a spin-off, they even gave him dogs so that the protagonists do not relax too much.
If you try, you can find fault with the movie, but do we really want to? It has everything you need for a nostalgic reboot of testosterone-fueled sci-fi: jaw-dropping action, cool military guys, and a female biologist who is even cooler.