| The Predator | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Shane Black |
| Written by |
|
| Based on | |
| Produced by | John Davis |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Larry Fong |
| Edited by |
|
| Music by | Henry Jackman |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox[1] |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 108 minutes[2] |
| Country | United States[3] |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $88 million[4] |
| Box office | $160.5 million[4] |
The Predator is a 2018 Americanscience fictionaction film directed byShane Black, who co-wrote it withFred Dekker. It is the fourth inthePredator film series. The film starsBoyd Holbrook,Trevante Rhodes,Jacob Tremblay,Keegan-Michael Key,Olivia Munn,Thomas Jane,Alfie Allen, andSterling K. Brown. It follows a group ofPTSD-afflicted soldiers and a scientist who must team up to fight off an invading pair ofPredators and discover their plans for humankind.
Development of the film was announced in June 2014, with Black being confirmed as writer and director. Much of the cast signed on between October 2016 and January 2017.Principal photography took place inBritish Columbia from February to June 2017, with the climax being re-written and re-shot in July 2018 following poor test screenings.
The Predator premiered at theToronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2018, and was released in the United States on September 14, by20th Century Fox. The film received generally negative reviews from critics and grossed $160 million against a budget of $88 million. It was followed by a prequel,Prey, released in 2022.
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APredator ship crash-lands on Earth.U.S. Army Rangersniper Quinn McKenna and his team are attacked by the Predator while on a hostage retrieval mission inMexico. Quinn incapacitates the Predator and has parts of its armor sent off by mail to prove the existence ofextraterrestrial intelligence. Government agent Will Traeger has Quinn captured and held for examination. Traeger also takes the Predator to a lab for experimentation and observation, recruitingevolutionary biologist Casey Bracket to study it, who discovers that the Predator's genetic makeup containshuman DNA. The Predator awakens, breaks out of its restraints, and kills the lab workers and armed guards, but spares Casey, as she is completely naked and unarmed, before escaping.
Quinn is bussed off with a group of other captives, including formerMarines "Nebraska" Williams, Coyle, Baxley, Lynch, and Army helicopter pilot Nettles. Witnessing the Predator's escape from the lab, they hijack the bus. Taking Casey with them, they head over to Quinn's estranged wife, Emily, where he unexpectedly finds the Predator armor he'd previously mailed to aPO box. This was because he hadn't paid for the PO box so the postman had delivered it to her house. However, Rory, Quinn'sautistic son, has gonetrick-or-treating in the armor in hopes of avoiding detection from bullies.
Quinn and the others find his son in time to stop a pair ofPredator Hounds from ambushing the boy. Quinn blows one up by shooting a grenade into its mouth while Nebraska unintentionally lobotomizes the other dog after shooting it in the head. The Predator chases them into a nearby school and corners the group, strangling Quinn, but when he tries to give it its equipment back, a larger and more powerful Predator, the master of the Predator Hounds from earlier, arrives and ambushes the second one. The group flees, while the second Predator easily kills the first by bashing its head in and then removing its skull and spine, before setting off to locate its stolen technology.
Casey concludes that the Predators are attempting toimprove themselves with the DNA of humans and, presumably, other planets' inhabitants. She also suggests that Rory's autism enables him to translate and understand Predator technology. The team flees to an abandoned barn, but Traeger finds and captures them, and shares his theory that the Predators anticipate that climate change will end their ability to retrieve human DNA for further hybridization, and as such are scrambling to retrieve samples before it is too late. Seeing Rory drawing a map to the spaceship, Traeger takes the boy to the ship, and instructs his soldiers to execute the team. The team escapes and goes after him with the help of the now docile, brain-damaged Predator Hound.
Once everyone has arrived at the crashed ship, the second Predator arrives and blows off Lynch's arm, causing him to die from blood loss, although not before he launches a flare to signal a firefight between the group and Traeger's men. The Predator then uses Traeger's translation software to communicate with the humans, telling them that it will destroy the ship, and it gives them a head start to flee, with Quinn and his group striking up an uneasy truce with Traeger's men while the Predator destroys the ship. The Predator quickly kills several of Traeger's soldiers while mortally wounding Baxley and Coyle, who then kill each other in an act of mercy. Traeger tries to attack the alien with a Predator plasma weapon, but accidentally blows off his own head.
The Predator then kidnaps Rory, assuming his autism to be an advancement in human evolution which makes him a worthwhile subject for hybridization, and flies away in his ship. Quinn, Nebraska, and Nettles land on the ship's exterior, but the Predator activates aforce field shield that envelopes the ship and slices off Nettles' legs, and the latter falls off the ship to his death. Nebraska sacrifices himself by sliding into the ship's turbine, causing its engine to explode and crash into the forest. Quinn sneaks into the ship as it crashes and attacks the Predator. After the crash, Casey arrives, and the three manage to overpower and kill the Predator with its own weapons. They pay their respects to their fallen comrades with trinkets representing each one before heading off.
Later, Quinn and Rory are seen in a science lab watching the opening of cargo from the first Predator's ship, which a scientist reveals was ejected before the ship was destroyed. A piece of technology floats out and attaches itself to a lab worker, working as a transformative "Predator Killer" suit, before deactivating. Realizing the first Predator was trying to pass it on to humanity for a fair fight against the larger Predators, Quinn indicates he will be the one to operate the "Predator Killer" suit.
Other cast members in smaller roles includeR. J. Fetherstonhaugh as Agent Church,Peter Shinkoda as Dr. Yamada,Lochlyn Munro as Lieutenant General Marks, Nikolas Dukic as Derek,Gabriel LaBelle as E.J.,Niall Matter as Sapir,Mike Dopud as Dupree, andGarry Chalk as a postal worker.The Predators were portrayedin-suit and viamotion capture by stuntmen Brian A. Prince and Kyle Strauts,[12] with vocal work by Brian A. Prince.
Françoise Yip has a brief, non-speaking role (credited as ‘Tracking Supervisor’), after previously playingMs. Yutani inAliens vs. Predator: Requiem. Stuntwoman Breanna Watkins, in scenes that were filmed but not used, portrayedEllen Ripley in onealternate ending, and an adultRebecca "Newt" Jorden in a second alternate ending, meant to tie in to theAlien franchise in which those characters first appeared and set up anAlien vs. Predator-focused sequel film, depicted as havingtravelled back in time as the "Predator Killer".[13][14]Edward James Olmos had a supporting role as General Woodhurst, but his scenes were cut due to time constraints.[15]
In June 2014, Fox announced a sequel.Shane Black, who also starred as supporting characterRick Hawkins inPredator, directed, and co-wrote withFred Dekker, whileJohn Davis produced.[16] Davis has said of the film that he thinks it is fresh and reimagines the franchise in a "different, interesting way".[17] In February 2016, Black stated that the title of the new sequel would beThe Predator.[18] He has referred to the project as an event film which aims to elevate thePredator series: "It's an attempt to 'event-ise' the Predator again... [An attempt to] make it more mysterious."[19][20] Black also expressed that the film would mark a return to the "intimate" scale of the original film and that the filmmakers hoped to achieve “the same sense of wonderment and newness thatClose Encounters had when that came out.”[20]
The film is set in the present day and the titular character has upgraded armor.[21][22][23][24] Black confirmed that the film takes place between the events ofPredator 2 (1990) andPredators (2010).[25][26]Jake Busey was cast as Sean Keyes, the son of Peter Keyes (a character who was portrayed by Busey's fatherGary Busey inPredator 2).[27] In February 2016, the studio revealed a teaser image of the film, confirming the titleThe Predator.[28]
Chief-executive-officer of 20th Century FoxStacey Snider shared her thoughts onThe Predator and Shane Black and Fred Dekker's script:
We've got aPredator film coming out that is unexpected and utterly fresh. I just imagined that it would take 500 hours to read the script—that it would be interior jungle, exterior more jungle and then fighting happens, but Emma [Watts] went out and recruited Shane Black. From the first page, it didn't read like aPredator film. It's set in suburbia. There's a little boy and his dad at the center of the action.[29]
Arnold Schwarzenegger talked with Black about reprising his role asDutch Schaefer from the firstPredator film, but declined the cameo due to the short role.[30] Rapper50 Cent also spoke of the possibility of being involved in the film but ended up dropping out.[31] By September 2016,Benicio del Toro had signed on to star.[32] The following month,Boyd Holbrook replaced del Toro, who departed due to scheduling issues.[33] In November 2016,Olivia Munn joined the cast.[34] In January 2017,Trevante Rhodes,Keegan-Michael Key,Sterling K. Brown,Thomas Jane andJacob Tremblay joined the cast.[7][8][35][36][37][38] In February,Alfie Allen andYvonne Strahovski were added.[9][39] In March, the last main role was filled byAugusto Aguilera[10] whileJake Busey was also cast in a supporting role.[11]
In March 2017,Edward James Olmos was cast as Sanchez, a military general.[40][41] In August 2018, Olmos announced that his role had been cut from the final film, to reduce the film's running time, as his character was not integral to the plot.[42]
Filming was scheduled to begin in February 2017 inVancouver,British Columbia.[43] On November 21, 2016,Larry Fong was confirmed hired as cinematographer for the film.[44] Black announced that filming had begun on February 20, 2017.[45] Additional photography in Vancouver took place in March 2018.[46]
The visual effects were provided byMPC, Atomic Fiction, Raynault VFX,Rising Sun Pictures and Proof.[47]
Henry Jackman provided the musical score for the film,[48] which incorporatesAlan Silvestri's themes from the 1987 film. The film'ssoundtrack album was released byLakeshore Records on September 28, 2018.[49]
The Predator was originally scheduled by20th Century Fox for a March 2, 2018, release date,[50][51] until the date was moved to February 9, 2018.[52] It was then delayed to August 3, 2018.[53] In February 2018, the released date was delayed to September 14, 2018.[54] On May 10, 2018, the first trailer was released. A television spot was released on June 9,[55] while a second full trailer was released on June 26, 2018.[56] The third and final theatrical trailer was released on August 31, 2018, featuring the song "One Shot, One Kill" byJon Connor featuringSnoop Dogg.[57] The film's world premiere was at theToronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2018, at theRyerson Theatre.[58] The film was later released in the US on September 14, 2018.
The Predator was released onDVD,Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD formats on December 18, 2018, in America, alongside short filmThe Predator: Holiday Special, in whichSanta Claus andhis elves andreindeer encounter a Predator at the North Pole.[59] The film would eventually be released onDVD,Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD formats on December 18, 2018, in the United Kingdom.[60]
The film's third act was originally set during the day; after the resulting sequences were deemed ineffective, they were largely reshot at night. Black wanted the home media release to include both versions of the film,Predator AM andPredator PM, but the studio declined, not wanting to pay to complete the daylight version's digital effects.[61]
The Predator grossed $51 million in the United States and Canada, and $109.5 million in other territories, for a total worldwide gross of $160.5 million, against a production budget of $88 million.[4] It ranked the fourth-highest-grossing film behindPredators, the originalPredator andAlien vs. Predator, at the domestic box office.[62]
In the United States and Canada,The Predator was released alongsideWhite Boy Rick,A Simple Favor andUnbroken: Path to Redemption, and was projected to gross $25–32 million from 4,037 theaters in its opening weekend.[63] It made $10.5 million on its first day, including $2.5 million from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $24 million, finishing first at the box office but marking a lower start than the2010 film ($24.8 million).[64] It dropped 65% in its second weekend to $8.7 million, finishing fourth.[65] In its third weekend the film grossed $3.9 million, finishing eighth.[66]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 34% of 296 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.0/10. The website's consensus reads: "The Predator has violence and quips to spare, but its chaotically hollow action adds up to another missed opportunity for a franchise increasingly defined by disappointment."[67]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 48 out of 100, based on 49 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[68] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of C+ on an A+ to F scale, those onPostTrak gave it a 66% positive score and a 55% "definite recommend", and social media monitor RelishMix noted there were "mixed reactions" about the film online.[64]
Writing forThe Hollywood Reporter, Jordan Mintzer called the film "bigger, meaner, gorier, funnier" than previous installments, writing, "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."[69] Brian Tallerico ofRogerEbert.com praised the ensemble, pacing and Black's direction, writing, "Black is assisted greatly by an incredibly charismatic cast, and he knows how to use them to amplify their strengths."[70] A. A. Dowd ofThe A.V. Club wrote "The Predator, which Black penned withMonster Squad co-writer and director Fred Dekker, makes a few concessions to modern blockbuster filmmaking, including an overabundance of CGI, a blatantly franchise-thirsty ending, and some winking references to the original. But the movie's values are more 1988 than 2018, and that's what makes it fun, at least in spurts: Black has captured the spirit of that bygone era of adrenaline-junkie junk without getting all retro-fussy about it." He graded the film a B−.[71]
In a negative review, Dennis Harvey ofVariety called it "an exhaustingly energetic mess in which a coherent plot and credible characters aren't even on the cluttered menu".[72] Writing forNerdist, Katie Walsh called the film "messy, chaotic, and convoluted", adding that its "comedy and action are at war with each other. Characters spew rat-a-tat quips, while tussling with Predators and their pets, essentially neutralizing the effect of both the humor and the action."[73] Jonathan Barkan, writing forDread Central, gave the film two out of five stars, saying, "Poor story choices and strange, if not outright silly, character decisions result in an experience that will ultimately leave audiences feeling a great amount of 'meh'."[74] Jim Vejvoda ofIGN gave the film a 6.5 out of 10, saying, "The Predator does a lot right to reinvigorate the 31-year-old series. But everything crashes down during its frenzied, messy final act, a disappointing conclusion to what had largely been a fun romp up until that point."[75]
In 2020, Boyd Holbrook looked back on the underperformance ofThe Predator and what he learned from the experience: "I just think the first one [Predator] caught lightning in a bottle [... and] with people wanting to do more, maybe you should just let a sleeping dog lie, sometimes."[76]
In 2022, director Shane Black blamed himself for the film's failure: “I’m not going to take the road of blaming anyone – including the studio – for a failed movie. We tried something different. In retrospect – talking of finger on the pulse – I guess we just didn’t have that finger.”[77]
Director Shane Black hired his longtime friend Steven Wilder Striegel (known professionally as "Steve Wilder") for a minor, un-auditioned role inThe Predator, in which his character repeatedly tries to flirt with Bracket (who rebuffs him), played by Olivia Munn.[78] Wilder has been a registered felony sex offender since 2010, when he pleaded guilty to "enticing a minor by computer" after he attempted to lure a 14-year-old girl into a sexual relationship via email.[79] A few days beforepicture lock on the film, Munn became aware of Wilder's history and approached Fox executives, insisting that the scene be removed.[80][81]
Black defended his casting decision and his friend, until later issuing a public apology and rescinding those comments during backlash.[82][83] Fox released a statement saying that they were unaware of Wilder's status and confirming that the scene had been cut from the film.[84] Co-starSterling K. Brown tweeted in support of Munn, but initially, most other actors on the film remained silent, releasing statements after mounting public pressure.[85][86][87][88]
The Predator also suggests not only that autistic persons who exhibitsavant qualities and other forms ofneurodiversity are or were advantageous, but that they represent a forward step on thehuman evolutionary path. According to the scientific opinions reported bySyfy Wire, such a thesis would have some issues.[89] ANew York Post review ends by stating: "But worse is a plot line involving autism and a dubious scientific theory that will leave parents fuming."[90] In a review forUproxx, Emma Stefansky called the film's depiction of autism "maybe the worst thing I have seen in a film this year" and scolds the filmmakers for their depiction of these issues, especially the idea that "autism = really smart".[91]
John Davis said thatThe Predator would set up two direct sequels that he hoped Shane Black would return to direct. Concerning this, Black stated that "I would love to say we've been planning a trilogy, but I take one day at a time, in motion-picture terms that's one movie at a time."[92] With the sale of21st Century Fox's assets, including 20th Century Fox studios, toThe Walt Disney Company the future of the series was called into question, thoughBob Iger confirmed that certain properties would remain R-rated.[93]
In December 2019,Dan Trachtenberg was announced to be developing a film under the working title ofSkulls, with a script from Patrick Aison, set during theAmerican Civil War and following "a Comanche woman who goes against gender norms and traditions to become a warrior".[94][95][96] In November 2020, it was revealed that the project would actually be a fifth film in thePredator franchise. Trachtenberg indicated that he had been working on the film since 2016, while the original intention was to market the project without any references toPredator.[97] The Walt Disney Company produced the project through their20th Century Studios banner.[98]
In May 2021,Amber Midthunder was cast in the lead role of Naru in the film,[99] officially titledPrey, which began filming in June.Prey premiered atSan Diego Comic-Con on July 21, 2022.[100]
The video gamePredator: Hunting Grounds continues the narrative ofThe Predator, withJake Busey reprising his role as Sean Keyes from the film.
The Predator received anovelization co-written byChristopher Golden andMark Morris, with the audiobook narrated by James Patrick Cronin.[101] It also received aprequel novel titledThe Predator: Hunters and Hunted written byJames A. Moore, the audiobook also narrated by Cronin.
A cross issue titledArchie vs. Predator II features an appearance of the Predator Hounds portrayed inThe Predator.[102]
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