'Predators'

'Predators' (PG-13) (2 stars)

Writers: Alex Litvak and Michael Finch
Director: Nimrod Antal
Starring: Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Walton Goggins, Laurence Fishbourne, Oleg Taktarov, Danny Trejo

"Predators" would like to infuse a bolt of fresh energy to an old tired series but to me it is the same stuff all over again. There is nothing new to explore and deep down the movie borrows from not only the other "Predators" but steals from other movies as well. This is a step up on the "Alien vs. Predator" films but so would a movie shot in someone's back yard. Compared to the trashy but very effective first movie this is very much inferior. I thought adding someone more human like Adrien Brody to the mix would make this a smarter action thriller but he can't add anything to this either. Not only does this borrow a lot from the other Predator films but it also seems like a very bad episode of "Lost". A bunch of different warriors are dropped into a jungle and have to coexist or the scary monsters might eat them. The movie also tries to make us guess where these characters actually are. Is it purgatory, hell or a new planet? None of the characters register except for two, one played by Topher Grace and the other played by Walton Goggins (The Shield). Laurence Fishbourne does make another impact half way through the movie. His storyline and character seem interesting at first but the movie ruins it by pretty much steering the interest in a disappointing way.

In the final half hour it just comes down to a bunch of fights with the monsters and I became really bored. What you have here is a weaker version of the first "Predator", the only movie that counts to me in the series, and a waste of a promising start. Goggins and Grace have some very funny lines and the movie does start out well but turns into the same old material of battles by the end and they are not that exciting. The movie also rips a lot of stuff from "Aliens" which was James Cameron's sequel to "Alien". It also rips off "Aliens" surprise bad guy turn and it's claustrophobic battle as these warriors are locked in an enclosed area and are picked off one by one. Adrien Brody is a smart actor but this is the first time he has seemed cold and flat on screen. "Predators" is a movie you have seen before many times and there is no reason to see it. This is a stale, boring and ordinary thriller without thrills or excitement.