In a comparison that I’m sure will delight everyone involved, The Predator (Shane Black, 2018), reminded me of that other recent sci-fi sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence. Sure, The Predator is bloodier, smaller, and most mercifully of all, shorter, but it shares three of ID:R’s worst traits: paper-thin and inconsistent characters, a pace that races over any opportunity for emotional connection, and a sequel-baiting ending so simultaneously awful and disappointing that it actually left me angry.
The cast are largely blameless, Boyd Holbrook and Jacob Tremblay doing their best with underwritten parts, but the usually superlative Sterling K. Brown gives a tick-laden performance that pales in comparison with so much of his recent work (including in the criminally underseen Hotel Artemis). Easily doing the most with the least is Olivia Munn, who breaks like sunlight into any scene she graces.
It is not that the film is without pleasures. There are moments of real promise, ideas I won’t spoil that must have sounded promising in a pitch-session, but that are executed terribly. Without wishing to impune the work of any below-the-line craftsman, this is easily the worst edited film I have seen in recent years. Moments integral to the plot are rushed past, and at this pace Black’s trademark unpredictable violence at best feels lost in the mess, and at worst feels incompetent.
The real mystery is how Black can, after the superlative run of Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang; Iron Man 3; and The Nice Guys; produce such a shoddy piece of work. With its inept approach to mental health, contrived reason for getting Munn to strip, and awful visual effects, Black’s attempt to revitalise the 80’s action movie has simply reheated its worst elements, and reminded us why we left them behind.
