For all the excitement there was for Shane Black to be writing and directing a Predator sequel, the result is slightly disappointing, according to the first wave of reviews. Currently at 63% with 16 somewhat mixed reviews, critics so far say The Predator isn’t bad, but it’s not great, either. While some are prepared to accept its over-the-top approach as pure black comedy, others say the humor ruins the tension of the action-horror property and complain that there’s just too much movie here, with imperfect spectacle.
Check out what the first round of critics are saying:
The Predator is like the Thor: Ragnarok of the franchise… so far removed from 1987’s Predator that to compare them would be unfair.
– Chris Evangelista, Slashfilm
Starkly different from any other film in the series…all of which, while occasionally tongue-in-cheek, took themselves seriously. This one doesn’t — not for a second.
– Chris Bumbray, JoBlo
The Predator has a few cheekily on-the-nose references…but thankfully, it doesn’t stray into parody.
– Hugh Armitage, Digital Spy
There’s such a furious procession of jokes that, inevitably, not all of them fly, and at times the miss rate outnumbers the hits quite considerably.
– Benjamin Lee, Guardian
Black always feels the need to be winking at us with his hyperactive dialogue.
– Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out
Humor is the most constant factor here. And it doesn’t always work.
– Chris Evangelista, Slashfilm
Black’s movie is so cleverly over-the-top that it’s easy and pleasurable enough to watch, though never exactly scary or suspenseful.
– Jordan Mintzer, Hollywood Reporter
[Black’s] script is irreverent one moment and cold-blooded the next.
– Simon Abrams, The Playlist
(Photo by Kimberly French./20th Century Fox)
There’s ridiculously gory action horror, as the Predators brutally shred endless anonymous army goons.
– Jonathan Hatfull, SciFiNow
Black ramps up the gore considerably… though it’s notable how much less viscerally satisfying the copious amounts of CGI blood here are compared to the truly nasty physicality of the carnage in the 1987 original.
– Jake Cole, Slant Magazine
Unapologetically hard-R, it’s the goriest installment in the series so far, although curiously the abundance of gore is undercut by the jokey tone, making it seem tamer than it actually is (not unlike Deadpool).
– Chris Bumbray, JoBlo
The kill count’s close to infinity, yet only a few of the deaths are truly memorable.
– Matthew Leyland, Total Film
Black revels in the gore. Limbs fly, guts splash, and heads roll. It sounds ghastly, but almost all of the violence is played for laughs.
– Chris Evangelista, Slashfilm
Were it not for the hard-R violence and a generous amount of computerized splatter, The Predator would play like a slightly naughtier Independence Day or Armageddon.
– Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out
Black, who also made an appearance in the 1987 original, has entered the franchise with love, and there’s a determination to please fans while also avoiding overly smug fan service.
– Benjamin Lee, Guardian
Black’s streak of puckish nihilism… makes him a perfect fit for this franchise, which lost its thematic viciousness after the anti-imperialist original.
– Jake Cole, Slant Magazine
Black may be a part of this franchise’s origins, but as the messy, chaotic, and convoluted The Predator proves, he’s not the right filmmaker to shepherd this property to its next evolution.
– Katie Walsh, Nerdist
(Photo by Kimberley French/20th Century Fox)
Overall the movie’s computer effects are disappointing… the big action moments feel too much like watching an animation.
– Simon Abrams, The Playlist
Suffers from weak effects moments.
– Jonathan Hatfull, SciFiNow
The action is relatively nonstop yet despite this, or maybe because of this, the film lacks a genuine jaw-dropper of a set piece.
– Benjamin Lee, Guardian
Well, he’s, um, big (11 as opposed to seven feet). And that, disappointingly, is about it.
– Matthew Leyland, Total Film
Outside of his strength and size, this new Predator doesn’t seem particularly better or more cunning than his smaller counterpart.
– Jim Vejvoda, IGN
Tech contributions are solid in all departments, particularly the designs for the brand new predator-on-steroids who leaves so many mutilated bodies in his wake.
– Jordan Mintzer, Hollywood Reporter
Sterling K. Brown is deliciously over-the-top.
– Simon Abrams, The Playlist
[Boyd] Holbrook and [Trevante] Rhodes are the buddy action movie duo you never knew you wanted.
– Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com
The powerfully magnetic Rhodes should have been the lead, and he steals every moment he’s on screen.
– Katie Walsh, Nerdist
Jacob Tremblay once again proves he’s one of the best kid actors working.
– Jim Vejvoda, IGN
(Photo by Kimberly French/20th Century Fox Film Corp.)
There’s way too much going on here that simply is not needed and it feels like the majority of it is done to pad an already overly long runtime.
– Jonathan Barkan, Dread Central
My only issue here is that the ending doesn’t feel on par with the rest of the film and seems like it might have been reconfigured at some point.
– Chris Bumbray, JoBlo
Everything crashes down during its frenzied, messy final act.
– Jim Vejvoda, IGN
It nosedives quickly.
– Katie Walsh, Nerdist
By the time The Predator gets to its climax, it has lost a little bit of steam. Some of the final scenes are a bit messy.
– Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com
This is an action-filled, popcorn movie with no aspirations for anything more.
– Simon Abrams, The Playlist
Nothing [matters] in this expensive toy of a film, which ultimately works on the level of a disco ball. It’s shiny, it moves, and is accompanied by much noise.
– Dennis Harvey, Variety
It’s not Black at his best, but it’s a fun diversion as long as you don’t think about it too hard.
– Hugh Armitage, Digital Spy
Chances are that, at some point, you’ll get what you want from The Predator.
– Jonathan Hatfull, SciFiNow
The fact is that this is what you want from a movie called The Predator.
– Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com
[It] doesn’t build much anticipation for what the franchise might have in store should this movie gain enough traction to relaunch it.
– Jim Vejvoda, IGN
The Predator premiered on Thursday at the Toronto International Film Festival, and it opens everywhere on Friday, September 14. Read all the reviews for it here.
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