"If It Bleeds, We Can Kill It". PREDATORS Trailer Review

"Fear is Reborn"

For the first time in a long time, I feel like a tagline rings true. Let me just get this out. FUCKING ROBERT RODRIGUEZ IS PRODUCING A PREDATOR MOVIE!!!!!!!!

Alright now that, that bit of fandom is out of the way, we can continue. The first image we are given with this trailer is of space, I get chills every time I see it. I'm hoping to see that alien craft fly past earth, but then we cross fade into trees to indicate that we are back in the jungle. We are off to a good start. The rest of the trailer as you've seen is a series of shots that are introducing all these killers/mercenaries and warriors as they realize the planet they are on is a "game preserve" and they are the game.

We all know that after Predator 2 with Danny Glover there was talk of a Alien vs. Predator movie and we eventually got two. AVP and AVP: Requiem are the movies that have unfortunately filled our Predator void. AvP was good enough for a PG-13 movie, but still not that good. AvP: Requiem attempted to get back to the hard R of the series making the Predator his lethal self again. In addition to that, the Predator was also made into this detective as he hunted a hybrid Alien/Predator (predalien) that was born at the end of the first AvP. It was cool to an extent but there is just one problem, since when did the Predator become fucking Sherlock Holmes!!

Enter Robert Rodriguez; director of El Mariachi, Desperado, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Spy Kids Trilogy, Sin City, Grindhouse: Planet Terror and the upcoming Machete. In 1994, Rodriguez had written a script for a new Predator movie which ended up going no where. Now on July 9, 2010 we will see what a Rodriguez produced Predator movie will look like. The movie is essentially his script/treatment of what he wrote in 1994 with a script by Alex Litvak & Michael Finch.

Unless you had been following that Rodriguez was producing a Predator movie, you would have never known from the trailer until 3/4 of the way through when its revealed to be a new chapter in the series. The timeline for this movie is that it happens after the events of the first Predator.

This trailer really tips its hat to the first Predator, not only because we are back in the jungle, but because there is fear re-established with the images in the trailer. The quick edits and high pitch sound work, give back the Predator his horror street cred. The daylight images of wreakage all around the jungle and closed spaces with only a lighter as our source of light also make it known that once again we are no longer safe in the daytime or in the evening.

Rodriguez chose Nimrod Antal, director of the movie Armored as the director, based on watching a cut of Armored. I was first puzzeled as to why Antal was chosen. Given that I had seen Armored and that I thought it was alright B-movie fun. But Armored had such a versatile group of actors working together and Antal's work as a director to make all those characters work and believable proved that he could handle assembling and directing the wide array of actors for Predators.

My finals thoughts are just everything looks and feels right for this trailer. I mean that final shot with all the targets all over Adrien Brody's body...that's got classic written all over it! My only wish is that they would come out with a more extended trailer. Then again I applaud Antal and Rodriquez for not wanting to spoil the goodies.

As always the final review will be when the house lights come up and the credits roll.

Predators hits theaters July 9th, 2010

Dueces,
StuntmanBob