Chiasmus cult cinema trailers - "Predators" (2010). *These will be ongoing posts, courtesy of the A.Glass DVD collection. As I offer via Chiasmus Cult trailers, my summarized overviews*

"Predators" (2010) directed by Hungarian director Nimród Antal, is a sort of what if movie reboot of the 1987 action classic "Predator", yet with its 2000s esque mood serious delivery, rather than muscles, explosions, blood and violence that the 1980s action blockbusters portrayed with such cult appeal.  Instead, we have that 2000s post Generation X globalization mania, in all its angst and inner turmoil, which also included the ubiquitous explosions, blood and violence.

And it is the characters which make up the bulk of the story that say it all, lead by roguelike, self sufficient mercenary "Royce" played by Adrien Brody, Israel Defense Force sniper with a conscience "Isabelle" (Alice Braga), Russian special forces "Nikolai" (Oleg Taktarov), pucked out of the bloodbath of Cheya (carrying the 1987 original Predator homage, yet impractical, minigun) with Los Zetas cartel enforcer "Cuchillo" (Danny Trejo), RUF solder "Mombasa" (Mahershala Ali), San Quentin death row inmate, added for his 'dark' comic relief, yet a serial killer, and rapist on death row, "Stans" played so well by Walton Goggins, the Samurai like, live by the code, oozing sex appeal, Yakuza member "Hanzo" (Louis Ozawa Changchien), and psychopathic, but not caught yet, serial killer and physician "Edwin", portaged with a nerdy, and seemingly nerve wreaked disposition by Topher Grace.  All forcingly taken from Earth, pachuted, unconscious, onto a massive jungle game reserve planet, used by the Predators, to hunt and kill their prey.  Also in the mix, is U.S. Air Cavalry soldier (yes, an "Apocalypse Now" easter egg) "Noland, played with proficiency by Laurence Fishburne, as the "one that got away" holed up in disused alien mining machinery, but has gone insane, after 10 years stuck on this jungle planet.  Now a scavenger, and maybe a hint that he was also a cannibal.  Watch for the scene where he tries to smoke out and kill the ensemble of characters, as he wants their equipment, and their bodies.  He runs away, before being killed by a Predator with what looks like a human leg bone.

Originally written by director Robert Rodriguez in 1994 as a rebooted sequel to the original Predator, then later revoked in 2009, by screenwriters Alex Litvak and Michael Finch, when 20th Century Fox decided to greenlight the project in September 2009.  Produced by Rodriguez and his production company "Troublemaker", so that he could have creative control over the project, and if you know Rodriguez cultish appeal with his own movies, you'll see it in the dialogue and in  the comic book like character interactions within the movie.  The Predator jungle planet sequences were filmed in Kolekole, Hawaii, with some absolutely striking cinematography by Hungarian cinematographer Gyula Pados. Giving the film a broader more expansive feel within the Predator franchise, as the characters are picked off one by one by the Three newer types of Predators, a kinda sub species from the original Predator in the 1987 version, as meaner, bigger, and armed with an updated array of killing technology. 

As each character, as Alice Braga character "Isabella" decrees, are also Predators on Earth, are either impaled onto Predator spears and daggers, used as bait (dead of course) to lure the characters onto a killing field, or have their full spinal column ripped out, happens to be "Stans" the death row convict, but he actually puts up an impressive all out psychopathic rage fight onto one of the Predators, before being ripped open.  With our spiritual tuned Samurai, Yakuza warrior "Hanzo" attempting the quintessential, 'I'll face the Predator alone, last stand, but I'll die', with an ancient samurai sword, taken from Noland's scavenger pile.  Which is one of the standout scenes in the movie, watching him face off with the Predator and yes, he does die, but kills the Predator too. Leaving the serial killer Doctor, armed along with a surgical blade tipped, unpronounced to Isabelle and of course Reece,with a neurotoxin earlier on from a fictional plant (found on Earth too apparently) "Archaefructus lianoningensis".

Suffice to say, the good doctor "Edwin" who was actually injured, with Royce saying to the Isabelle to leave him (he wants to set free the 1987 style Predator chained to a monument by the other Predators, so that he can have it program a cloaked ship to fly back to Earth), as he would be "dead weight", she ends up showing her redeemed side, and decides to assist him, as he goes all serial killer on her at the end of movie, cutting Isabella with the blade, while the neurotoxin temporary paralysis her, and makes her go into a LSD like trip, great visual effects, as he claims that he likes it on this Alien planet, and feels at home with the Predators.  Royce, who on an 11th hour change of mind, loses his rogue like, out for myself persona, and decides to rescue Isabella, yes, he likes her, stabbing Edwin, with his own blade, underneath his jaw, then booby trapping him (with a bunch grenades), assisting Isabella out of her dugout trap.  As the main, badass Predator arrives on the scene, triggering the booby trapped Edwin, not before casually impaling him with his Predator 'sword', leaving Royce and the Predator, drawing from the 1987 homage to "Dutch" (Arnold Schwarzenegger) covered in mud, can't see me with infrared,  and I'll use everything I can, to kill the Predator scene.

And the conclusion, Royce and Isabella live, everyone else, Predators and all are dead, ship blows up, without them on it, but, alas, they are now both stuck on this Jungle planet, as they limp off into the ending of the movie, only to see more parachutes falling as another season begins, with fresh victims, for another set of fresh "Predators", will return.  Ad infinitum.

The cult appeal here is, as mentioned, a reversed version of the original, with the cast representing all those not very nice 21st Century humans that we see in the news a lot these days, rather than our beloved 1980s mythical heroes.

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(A.Glass 2025)

All CHIAMUS Cult Cinema trailers/commentary to date: chiasmusmagazine.blogspot.com/search/label/Chiasmus%20cult%20cinema