Whether The Predator is a good film or not really depends on what you expect from it. If you’re expecting a serious sci-fi action film similar to the previous instalments, then you may be disappointed. However, if you’re expecting a fresh take on the Predator premise with some references to the other films, then you might enjoy it.

This new film has two Predators landing on Earth; one is a rogue carrying stolen technology while the other is a new, genetically upgraded Predator whose mission is to kill the rogue and retrieve the stolen items. When a sniper finds himself, his family and a squad of misfit ex-soldiers between the two aliens, he uses all his skills and experience to stop the super Predator from getting the stolen tech.

The Comedy

I think that anyone who’s seen all the Predator films to date, will know that they’re all pretty formulaic. They’re all about groups of people in restricted settings getting hunted by single or multiple Predators. It worked beautifully in the original and quite well in Predator 2 but after the AVP films and Predators, there’s not much more that can be done with the formula.

The series needed refreshing and, in my opinion, The Predator does that. It’s more of an over-the-top comedic action film similar to The Meg or the book Daniel X: Lights Out. The humour is dark, witty and very immature at times.

For me, who isn’t a fan of comedies, it’s a mixed bag. For most of the film I appreciated the comedy when it was good, as it was charming and demonstrated that the film was trying to be more original compared to the previous films. However, when the comedy was bad it was really hard to watch. There’re scenes similar to some in 2016’s Ghostbusters, where characters simply banter for minutes on end.

The Plot

The Predator has subplots, a quality that is quite new to the series. One plot follows the sniper and his action-packed journey to his hometown with the fugitives, another features a boy who finds the Predator technology and is able to access it due to his Asperger’s syndrome and a third follows an evolutionary biologist who is called into a research base to study some Predator technology as well as an actual Predator.

It still has the action and gore you’d expect from a Predator film but unlike the previous films, this one has a larger scale and more stakes as it doesn’t just centre around a single group of people trying to survive. Once again whether or not you enjoy these plots depends on your expectations. Don’t expect anything as serious or as grounded as the 1987 film. If you take this film too seriously then you’ll misunderstand it and see it as something that it isn’t.

Similar to its predecessors however, the film expands on the Predator mythology. In the subplots concerning the research base and the boy with the stolen tech, we get a brief insight into the Predator hierarchy and, most importantly, the reasons behind their frequent visits to Earth.

In conclusion, if you’re a Predator fan and are ok with a fresh new interpretation of the franchise then I recommend this one, just prepare yourself for some hit-and-miss comedy.

I give The Predator a decent 5 out of 10.