Black’s “The Predator” preys on your nostalgia

Landon Roberts

Contributing Writer

Reviving ‘80s action hero classics seems to be the new norm in Hollywood. Many of these revivals, however, fail to garner the same admiration the originals earned.

So when Shane Black, screenplay writer for 1987 sci-fi thriller “Predator,” was set to helm 2018’s soft reboot “The Predator,” many expected a return to form.The finished product, however, feels like a mixed bag of ‘80s action and modern blockbuster filmmaking that fails to meet its full potential.

“The Predator” follows Boyd Holbrook’s Quinn McKenna and a band full of misfits played by Trevante Rhodes, Keegan-Michael Key and Olivia Munn in their attempts to protect McKenna’s son from The Predator, a high tech alien bent on hunting down the best human kind has to offer.

Holbrook plays the perfect ‘80s action hero, proving to be the film’s biggest success. He encapsulates everything you need for a strong hero figure with his witty one-liners and unwavering confidence following his every encounter. On top of all this, he brings the film a little more character and heart through his constant mission to protect his son from the looming predatory threat.

The creature effects for the predator are stellar — when they are practical. The realistic effects tap into the nostalgic feeling brought on by classic action movies. However, later on in the film, when the set pieces and suspense increase, Black shys away from the practical roots and tends to focus on computer-generated imagery. These moments, designed as spectacles, miss the intended effect because of the uncanny valley-like effects comparable to a late PlayStation 2 game.

Many of the action set pieces before the film’s final act are still exhilarating. The tight interior set pieces make the action easier to follow, allowing Black to focus on longer takes instead of the constant hardto-follow editing seen later in the film.

Pacing of earlier scenes in the film is very breakneck, sometimes going from point A to point C without covering B. This is mostly because of certain editing choices and the film’s desire to get into the action and one-liners as quickly as possible.

Yes, the one-liners from the original Predator do make an appearance and some are handled well, but many fail to land — much like the rest of the humor and characters.

Besides McKenna, most of the characters are flat and one-dimensional. They rely solely on defining characteristics which tend to be some type of mental disorder like Tourette’s or PTSD. Instead of delving into these characters and their psyche, the film makes their disorders the butt of a joke in a distasteful way.

Even with some mishandled characters and foolish conflict, “The Predator” succeeds at being a somewhat fun, entertaining action film with heart at its core — and an enjoyable two hours spent if you’re in the mood for some mindless action.

Quote of the week

Kayleigh Fitzpatrick

Online

Editor

“Don’t ask if your dreams are crazy, ask if they are crazy enough.”

It’s a phrase that has been echoing through my head.

It’s from a commercial. It’s the inspirational one, in honor of Nike’s 30-year anniversary of the “Just Do It” advertisement campaign. It’s the one showing athletes competing and overcoming incredible odds: the wrestler with no legs defeating able-bodied opponents; the soccer player born in an African refugee camp starring for Canada’s men’s national team at age 16; the one-handed football player not just making an NFL defense, but starting in one; the homecoming queen that’s also a linebacker; the “girl from Compton” becoming arguably the greatest athlete ever and the high school basketball phenom turned legend opening a school to better his community.

I’m sure you’ve seen the commercial. The one with Colin Kaepernick.

In 2016, he was the NFL quarterback that kneeled during the Star-Spangled Banner in silent protest of multiple acts of racial injustice throughout the United States. The NFL quarterback that opted for free agency following the 2016 season. The NFL quarterback left without a contract offer.

Now, he’s the NFL quarterback suing the league owners for collusion in refusing to sign him.

He’s the man who sacrificed everything, because he believed in something. He’s the man who forever altered the role athletes play in society.

Throughout its history, sports helped people forget. World Cups united broken, civil-warring nations. Baseball helped America begin to heal after 9/11. The New Orleans Saints marched back into town and resurrected their city after Hurricane Katrina. The story was always the same: sports provided a temporary distraction from reality.

What is a good way to break it off when he keeps calling after one awkward date?

First, there’s no real ‘good’ way to break it off. Nine times out of 10 it’s probably going to be a tad uncomfortable. Second, keep cool and actually sit down

But, occasionally, sports are transformed from a distraction to an agent of change. Athletes like Muhammed Ali, John Carlos and Tommie Smith, Billie Jean King and Arthur Ashe risked their sporting careers to speak out against major social injustices.

Colin Kaepernick reminded us all that this kind of athlete is still possible. As he took a knee, he figuratively made a stand. He reminded the nation — and the world — that professional athletes are more than people being paid ridiculous sums of money to play a game. He freely acted with bravery during the song that reminds us that the U.S. is the “land of the free and home of the brave.”

The U.S. needs Kaepernick and athletes like him. We have an egocentric and embarrassing president who has made demeaning and discriminating against others fashionable. We have a president that outwardly calls journalists, our nation’s truth-seekers, “the enemy;” a president that has a senior member of his administration publicizing that there “are adults in the room;” a president that demands athletes “be fired” for engaging in freedom of expression, the very first “inalienable” right of the United States Constitution.

The racist violence and police brutality that prompted Kaepernick to kneel has continued. In late July, a white man shot and killed an unarmed black man outside a convenience store in Clearwater, Florida., and used the state’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” law as his defense. The shooter was arrested nearly a month later by the Pinellas County state attorney, only after