This is a nearly perfect summer treat! 
Now I should state that the last time I have seen the original “Predator” was probably a bit over a decade ago. I remember though that it was an instant classic!
Every sequel, reinvention, re-imagining, re-hashing of the franchise since, was crap to me. Absolute shit. So in my mind, this is a direct sequel to the first. I simply pretend that they didn’t touch the franchise since the original. Much like the Terminator franchise, ended with the second one to me. Everything since, never happened.
First and foremost, this movie solidifies the fact that Adrian Brody makes for a kickass action star. The remaining cast were equally impressive. You get to love each and every stereotypical son of a bitch in the flick.
Trejo, as the bad ass Mexican, The Yakuza member, is by far one of my favorites, and has an absolutely epic scene in the movie, which you guys absolutely need to see to believe. The Russian was fantastic, reminding me a bit of Arnold’s character in the original. Big, Bulky and Brave. Triple B is always winner winner chicken dinner in my book.
The character of Isabelle was also very well done, complimenting Brody’s character Royce. I remember her from the Television series Heroes, and she did a fine job in this movie. Also the African Badass Mombasa, was the shit. I just wish I could have seen him in action a bit more.
Laurence Fishburne’s Noland turns out to be probably my favorite character next to Royce. He is a major badass in the movie, and the sole survivor on the planet for ten straight hunting seasons. And this is where my only gripe with the movie lies. His character is so wise, so badass, so seasoned and skilled and yet, you never see him do anything impressive in the film, his entrance was much much more epic than his departure, and I feel like they could have done more with the character. Personally, I would have loved to see him take on a predator one on one. That would have been epic, and a shiny red cherry on this perfect little pie. But alas, I suppose, some things weren’t meant to be.
They even pay homage to the original, referring to the incident, and speaking a bit about Arnold’s character, and touching on the aftermath a bit.
When it comes to the alien planet and the race of the predators themselves, Rodriguez did a fine job fleshing them out, which is one of the driving forces behind why this movie is so great. You see other kinds of predators, including predator hounds, something no one bothered to do since the original. The planet itself was very well done, not over the top, just right. Filmed in forests and jungles around our very planet, with a touch of CG here and there, brought this believable alien planet to life.
All in all, if you ever liked predators, watch this, this is what all predator fans have been yearning for for a very long time.
And if you like action, look no further. This is it.
Absolutely fantastic movie, that just might find it’s way into my impressive movie collection.
Bravo Rodriguez, you did it again. But then again, when don’t you bring home the bacon?
9/10.
