The Predator is a different movie to what you expect

THE first entry in the Predator franchise in almost a decade is a solid action romp that’s even kind of … goofy?

If you’re looking to be heart-thumpingly scared with slow stalking shots or be cowed by the presence of a terrifying monster, The Predator isn’t that movie.

Instead, it very much reflects the sensibilities of its director and co-writer Shane Black, best known for Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, Iron Man 3 and The Nice Guys, which means it’s quippy, funny and has a jumpy energy. And then there’s that air of smug masculinity that seems to hangs around Black’s projects.

The action kicks off straightaway with a predator crash landing in the middle of an American operation against some Mexican drug lords. US Army Ranger sniper Quinn McKenna (Boyd Holbrook) is the only person to survive the initial contact and he pilfers some alien gear, mailing it back to the US “as proof”.

A few months later, evolutionary biologist Dr Casey Brackett (Olivia Munn) is brought to a government facility by government agent Will Traegar (Sterling K. Brown) where the authorities have captured the predator.

Strapped down on an exam table, surrounded by people in white lab coats (because that always ends well in a movie, right), the predator is somehow activated and escapes in a bloody rampage.

Just outside, Quinn is thrown into a military prison transport with a group of other highly trained but volatile rejects with names like Nebraska (Moonlight’s Trevante Rhodes), Coyle (Keegan-Michael Key), Baxley (Thomas Jane), Lynch (Alfie Allen) and Nettles (Augusto Aguilera).

Soon, this ragtag group of disaffected soldiers and the perpetually frustrated Dr Brackett are the only ones who can stop the predators from killing Quinn’s son, super genius spectrum kid Rory (Room’s Jacob Tremblay) while trying to keep the nefarious government agents on their tail from putting a bullet in their eyes.

As far as the story goes, it’s kind of ludicrous and the final act is still a bit baffling despite extensive last-minute reshoots after the original tested badly. But The Predator really isn’t about the story, and it’s barely about the characters.

It’s taken a lot of its cues from the original 1987 movie and keeps its focus primarily on the propulsive action setpieces, which are pretty captivating. Plus, there are lots of violent deaths, all depicted in full gory detail. The body count on this movie is staggering.

Black, who was an actor in the 1987 Predator, has left lots of little nods to the film’s predecessors — there are references to the other “visits” and masks and weapons left behind. Also, Jake Busey plays a character who is supposed to be the son of Peter Keyes, a character played by his real-life father Gary Busey in Predator 2.

That kind-of-loose ’80s vibe is strong here and sometimes The Predator feels more like an adventure tale than an action flick. When the ragtag group hops on a fleet of motorcycles, with those headlights shining in the night like bicycle lamps, it has a distinctly playful Goonies vibe.

The movie has been dogged by controversy in the lead-up to its release after Munn lobbied the studio to cut a scene which featured Steven Wilder Striegel, a small-time actor and friend of Black’s, who is also a registered sex offender.

In 2010, Striegel pleaded guilty to luring a 14-year-old girl into a sexual relationship via the internet. The scene is gone but incredibly, Black has reportedly not spoken to Munn since.

In theory, these external scandals shouldn’t influence the actual viewing of the film too much but you can’t help but wince when someone says to Munn’s character, “Are you ready to meet a predator?” Well, she kind of already did. That line now plays very awkwardly.

But that shouldn’t detract too much from a movie that mostly succeeds in being entertaining.

Rating: ★★★

The Predator is in cinemas from today.

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