Predators

(PG) * * * *

Kill Zone!

By ROBERT WALDMAN

Prepare to be taken on the ultimate thrill ride in Predators.  A remake of sorts to the Arnold Schwarzenegger hit of the 80s the 2010 version of this cult classic comes out of the 20^th Century Fox canon.  Guilty pleasure seekers will be left sweating bullets while this 106 minute suspense ordeal unfolds at Tinseltown (on Pender, free parking), Empire Studio 12, Colossus and Famous Players Silver City cites across B.C.

No, it doesn’t matter if you saw the first Predators to understand what’s going on here. Put simply seven people at random wind up in a jungle in the middle of nowhere.  Hold onto your seats as it’s a fight for survival with some mysterious force out to get the “humans.”

Tension abounds in this movie that starts off with an unexpected bang.  Everything here happens in the thick fauna of a jungle.  Once we meet up with these strangers they have to bond to survive.  Director Nimrod Antal (Armoured) has chosen his cast wisely as it’s a good representation of various ethnicities that populate our world.  Too bad for them they’ve been let loose in a territory that’s anything but common on Earth.

Friction abounds in Predators.  Whether it’s the humans not trusting one another and getting itchy trigger fingers or some monster or monsters on the loose you can’t help but get caught up in the ordeal.  To survive it helps if you have a leader and tough guy Royce seems a good candidate for the job.  Going a bit against type Adrien Brody (Cadillac Records) proves he’s got the macho thing down pat as the gung ho warrior trying to make sense out of the predicament this group has found themselves in.  Along with Royce are a rag tag team of low lives who all have particular talents they bring to the party.  Each one of the men and women are tested to the limit as one by one they fall prey to this evil force.

Smart writing and excellent special effects makes these monsters real scary.  Good thrillers need no advance warnings of what’s going to come next and Predators achieves this high level of suspense.  Tension engulfs this gripping tale of desperate people trying to stay alive while fighting some unbelievable (and some would say unworldly) enemy.

Part of the rag tag team of humans in survive mode include Alice Braga (Crossing Over) as a woman on a mission, Topher Grace (Spider-Man 3) as a medical man and Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix) as a late arrival.  Atmosphere plays a big role in the believability of these type of movies and director Antal does a good job showing the elements arrayed against the humans.  Quick thinking and a bit of luck are needed by the good guys (and gal) to stay alive and their instincts prove invaluable to weather the inevitable storm of terror about to descend on them.

Grown up scares don’t happen too often in most modern movies.  Predators delivers the goods with chilling performances from Brody and co and some evil alien monsters sure to go down good with science fiction fans and thrill seekers ready for a little warfare on screen.

Read more reviews by Robert at www.moviereviewssite.com