The new trailer for Shane Black’s upcoming “explosive reinvention” of the Predator series is finally here. And if we learned anything from the trailer it is this;
1.) Don’t open mystery packages you get in the mail.
2.) Don’t let your kids play with foreign Alien artifacts
3.) The trailer didn’t get me excited
From the outer reaches of space to the small-town streets of suburbia, the hunt comes home. Now, the universe’s most lethal hunters are stronger, smarter and deadlier than ever before, having genetically upgraded themselves with DNA from other species. When a young boy accidentally triggers their return to Earth, only a ragtag crew of ex-soldiers and a disgruntled science teacher can prevent the end of the human race.
One thing I often don’t like about remakes and reboots is how glossy they tend to make things. Yes it is an alien from space. Yes they use heat signatures to track people. I get it. Tech and gloss go together like PB&J. I do think if done poorly it can make it look cheap. When done well, like in J.J. Abrams films, it works. When you are just expecting a popcorn movie to turn your brain off like a Dwayne Johnson film it always works. But most of the time, in my opinion it cheapens things. This remake falls into the popcorn movie category and that is completely fine – if you approach it with those expectations.
What I would have LOVED is a more indie approach to the film. Look at the sci-fi western PROSPECT for instance. Simple, authentic and hand crafted unique elements brought the world to life without the use of a big budget. It brought a true authenticity to the environment and story. This isn’t really an indictment on PREDATOR – but on large big budget sci-fi films as a whole.
Nevertheless…I don’t want to contribute to a generation that seemingly hates everything – or – over hypes everything. So check out the trailer below and let me know in the comments what you think of the reinvention of the Predator series!