The first reviews for The Predator are in and they’re viciously mediocre.
Shane Black’s reboot promised to bring us predators that are “stronger, smarter and deadlier” than ever before. 31 years after the original, reviews confirm that the predators have certainly evolved. The writing and execution of the concept, on the other hand, seems to have done the opposite.
Variety brutally slated the film, concluding that Predator is: “an exhaustingly energetic mess in which a coherent plot and credible characters aren’t even on the cluttered menu.”
The critics at Digital Spy, on the other hand, pointed out that the film was flawed but at least allowed that the movie is ‘fun’ in spite of this: “Half-heartedly tapping into some ‘hot-topic issues’, it’s sometimes silly and doesn’t show us much we haven’t seen before, but it’s rarely boring… The Predator is a flawed actioner, but a strong cast and some Shane Black magic give it a sparkle that has been lacking from recent attempts to revive the killer aliens. It’s not Black at his best, but it’s a fun diversion as long as you don’t think about it too hard.”
Hollywood Reporter gave it a similar review, concluding: “Whether the world actually needs [a sequel], and whether this reboot was necessary at all, is probably a question worth raising, but at least Black’s take on it is to never take it too seriously while keeping us duly entertained.”
All in all, The Predator is clearly not going to win any Oscars but if you can take the movie with a big enough pinch of salt, you might end up entertained. If you rate action over quality writing, then head to the cinemas from September 13th for the high energy reboot.
