The magazine Predator: join the hunt for visceral action and black humor

If it bleeds, we can kill it. And there is a lot of bleeding and murder in The Predator, the fourth film of the Foreign Hunters franchise.

The series has always struggled to surpass the glorious original Predator of 1987, which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger at the pinnacle of his star-studded career.

This last film does not reach these dizzying heights, but it is surprisingly close, ranking second in the series. It's better than Predator 2 and the slightly dull Predators, and infinitely better than the two spinoffs of Alien vs. Predator. If you are a fan of the 80s action movies and the macho stupidity that speaks fast and you do not want to think too much about the plot, you will want to see The Predator.

Director Shane Black – of Iron Man 3 and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang – realized his style on the whole film, making a film of his own instead of sticking too much to the intense tone of the original (in which he played Hawkins, the unfortunate radio operator).

It means a lot of black humor, mainly in the form of a smart dialogue and a stylized violence.

A brief series of computer-generated space lawsuits nicely installs the incessant rhythm of the film, ending with a crash on Earth and featuring our hero, the mercenary Quinn McKenna (played by Boyd Holbrook, of Logan) as he meets the incumbent hunter for the first time.

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This battle sees the Predator captured and fall into the hands of a stereotypical clandestine government research organization. From there, we quickly meet a civilian biologist (played by Olivia Munn) who has inexplicable gun skills and who does not develop almost any character, but has many fun moments. Many of them come from his interactions with the team of former soldiers burned by Trevante Rhodes, Keegan-Michael Key, Thomas Jane, Alfie Allen and Augusto Aguilera.

This dysfunctional team is the heart of the film. Their dialogue is as fast as what Black fans were waiting for, and easily the best aspect of the movie, with Rhodes, Jane and the delightful Key (known for his comedy in Key & Peele) offering the most laughs. This last pair has a surprising and delicious relationship that will remain long after the launch of the final credits.

Thanks to these regular doses of lightness, The Predator is never lost in its mythology or takes itself too seriously.

Unfortunately, this is to the detriment of the general plot, which focuses on a vague quest to recover elements of Predator technology and that never settles enough to engage. There is also a half-cooked comedy thread centered on a canine ally that never reaches the goal or makes a lot of sense.

The soldiers soon find themselves in conflict with an unethical government agent played by the incredible Sterling K. Brown, who alternates between friendly and venomous. Brown, who is best known for playing rather stoic characters in The People v. OJ Simpson and This Is Us, have fun.

The public takes a little more time to breathe while the film is improbably placed in a suburb. McKenna's exiled son, Rory, with Asperger Syndrome, is brought to the attention of the Predator after a series of extremely unlikely coincidences. The excellent Jacob Tremblay portrays an Asperger child with nuances and sensitivity in a noisy and silly film and is easily coping when older charismatic actors come to town.

The Predator itself remains as striking and timeless as it has been since 1987 – with its cool armor, deadly gadgets and terrifying physique – and feels like a serious enemy throughout the film. We have startling revelations about his race as the threat level increases.

Most of the action is kinetic and fun; the show's signature violence is still present and fans will undoubtedly find it viscerally satisfying. The breakout and laboratory breakout sequences in the suburbs are the highlights, each distinguished visually and visually.

Unfortunately, the final action sequence is surprisingly messy and confusing because of some too bright CGIs and too fast cuts. It's a pity after the tight action of the rest of the film.

It may be a bit obvious to know who will survive, but the main and secondary characters who die usually receive the shipments that they deserve. There are a lot of brutal deaths and disastrous deaths, but Black keeps the fans pretty mischievous (only lingering a few seconds) so that the public is not really disgusted for a long time.

The score of Henry Jackman renders an appropriate tribute to the militaristic originality of Alan Silvestri, inspired by the horns, and is appropriately exaggerated for the many pieces of macho.

Black also manages to find a good balance between reinventing himself and giving in to the history of the franchise. Jake Busey plays a small role as a scientific son of the NSA agent played by Predator 2's real father Gary Busey, but it's more of a good Easter egg for fans than a plot major. There is also a very smooth reference to the most quoted line of the original.

We also get an intriguing sequel configuration that could see major changes in the next installment of the series.

The Predator opens in the United States on Friday, in the UK on Wednesday and in Australia on Thursday.

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