The Predator Franchise

[Jawafive]

With the new film coming I figured maybe we should discuss the franchise. P1 and P2 are great to me. Sometimes I like P2 better (probably because of the change of scenery). I thought AVP and AVPR were just horrid films that did nothing and offered nothing. Mindless "entertainment". I am skeptical of this new Predators movie, but I will remain cautiously optimistic.

What do you think about the movies?

 

[Mados]

I'm with you on P1 and P2, sometimes I can't really pick a favorite. The AVPs were a letdown, although I still like watching the first one every once in a while. I'll go see Predators, but like every new movie from a franchise I love, I won't get my hopes up.

 

[Jedi2016]

I read a script of this new one, not sure if it was legitimate or not, but it sucked. Hard. The franchise is dead.

 

[TheMechanic]

Topher Grace and Adrian Brody fighting Predators? It sounds too absurd to be real.

 

[Polsnulspace]

Loved P1 & P2. AVP was serious meh but it was cool getting to see Alien and Pred kick each others asses. AVP2 I didnt even bother with as it looks crap!

 

[Art Andrews]

Am I the only person who liked AVP2 over AVP? AVP2 was still a train wreck, no doubt, but I at least felt like the Predator was a "real" Predator instead of the silliness we got in AVP. Yeah yeah... I know about the whole "they are teen predators" but regardless... they were terrible. I really liked the Predator in AVP2. It was just the whole human element that was unwatchable.

 

[cayman shen]

Oh man, don't even start me on what a raw deal people give the AVP movies. The AVPR Predator (the Wolf) was the best one yet. I could go on and on and on about how the AVP films were better than anyone gives them credit for, but I've done it here (and at the hunter's lair) ad nauseum, so...

...see you at Predators this July!

 

[Jawafive]

Am I the only person who liked AVP2 over AVP? AVP2 was still a train wreck, no doubt, but I at least felt like the Predator was a "real" Predator instead of the silliness we got in AVP. Yeah yeah... I know about the whole "they are teen predators" but regardless... they were terrible. I really liked the Predator in AVP2. It was just the whole human element that was unwatchable.

I can't make myself watch AVP at all. I thought the designs were neat, but that's about it. The predalien I thought was lackluster. I wonder why the preds in this movie killed a kid but wouldn't in P2? Was it because he was hunting with a gun?

 

[Minder Thr33]

Am I the only person who liked AVP2 over AVP? AVP2 was still a train wreck, no doubt, but I at least felt like the Predator was a "real" Predator instead of the silliness we got in AVP. Yeah yeah... I know about the whole "they are teen predators" but regardless... they were terrible. I really liked the Predator in AVP2. It was just the whole human element that was unwatchable.

No, I preferred AVP2 over the AVP. I don't think anyone would dare compare to the original Predator or Alien/Aliens movies, but this was a fun movie with merciless violence. The red-band trailer for that movie sold me already.

 

[CessnaDriver]

P2 was the last Predator movie far as I am concerned.

Heat and battle attract them, one warrior takes on multiple warriors to prove himself.

Pretty damn simple you would think.

I didn't even bother to see the last mess.

 

[Paracord Junky]

 

[d_jedi1]

I can't make myself watch AVP at all. I thought the designs were neat, but that's about it. The predalien I thought was lackluster. I wonder why the preds in this movie killed a kid but wouldn't in P2? Was it because he was hunting with a gun?

I'd have to re-watch AVP2 but IIRC the only "kid" killed by Wolf was done more on an accident (she got in the way of his alien killing "shuriken" thingie)
Call it "Collateral damage".

 

[Solo4114]

I like P1 and P2. AVP1 I think is pretty weak. Mostly because I hate how quickly dispatched the predators were. I dont' give a damn if they're "teenage" predators. They still went down like bitches.

Neat toys, though.

AVPR was a step up from AVP, but still fairly weak. The Predalien thing does't do much for me, but it's been around for a while as a concept, so it made sense to see it. At least the Predator in this one was tougher.


I think the biggest problem with the AVP/R films is that they just don't have enough time to do much with the potential tehy have. People recognize this and take them to task for it. You'd think that melding the Predator and Aliens franchises would be untold amounts of awesome, but given the relative brevity of the films (90 min? 2hrs?) and the need to check off certain boxes, pretty much EVERYONE gets underdeveloped and shafted as a result. Predators come off like wusses, aliens seem like mere cannon fodder, humans even moreso. You don't really give a crap about anybody.

Compare that to even the rather 2-dimensional mercs in P1, or some of the cannon-fodder troops in Aliens. Even the cannon fodder in those films were more interesting than those in the AVP/R franchise.

Ultimately, I think that what these franchises really need is more time to develop things. The original AVP comic was, what, a 12 issue series? That's a LOT of time to make characters feel real. Even their 3-issue shorter runs handle characters better. They seem less disposable, and even the disposable ones are more interesting.


You know what the AVP series needs? A TV series on something like Showtime. Somethign that can give it a budget, develop the characters, really make the threat of the aliens and the predators come alive.


Dammit, I wish SyFy wasn't just a joke of a network and didn't have to deal with censors.

 

[ghostryder]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljEC7HKbP0g

 

[cayman shen]

I like P1 and P2. AVP1 I think is pretty weak. Mostly because I hate how quickly dispatched the predators were. I dont' give a damn if they're "teenage" predators. They still went down like bitches.

Neat toys, though.

AVPR was a step up from AVP, but still fairly weak. The Predalien thing does't do much for me, but it's been around for a while as a concept, so it made sense to see it. At least the Predator in this one was tougher.


I think the biggest problem with the AVP/R films is that they just don't have enough time to do much with the potential tehy have. People recognize this and take them to task for it. You'd think that melding the Predator and Aliens franchises would be untold amounts of awesome, but given the relative brevity of the films (90 min? 2hrs?) and the need to check off certain boxes, pretty much EVERYONE gets underdeveloped and shafted as a result. Predators come off like wusses, aliens seem like mere cannon fodder, humans even moreso. You don't really give a crap about anybody.

Compare that to even the rather 2-dimensional mercs in P1, or some of the cannon-fodder troops in Aliens. Even the cannon fodder in those films were more interesting than those in the AVP/R franchise.

Ultimately, I think that what these franchises really need is more time to develop things. The original AVP comic was, what, a 12 issue series? That's a LOT of time to make characters feel real. Even their 3-issue shorter runs handle characters better. They seem less disposable, and even the disposable ones are more interesting.


You know what the AVP series needs? A TV series on something like Showtime. Somethign that can give it a budget, develop the characters, really make the threat of the aliens and the predators come alive.


Dammit, I wish SyFy wasn't just a joke of a network and didn't have to deal with censors.

Oh my god, a predator TV show!? I'd have a geekgasm.

 

[Mr Fett]

I like the Predator race, so I'll see anything featuring them. I could care less about plotline, really. Just show me some Predators doing some cool sci-fi type stuff and I'll always be happy. Sure, some of the movies were better than the others, but I still like all Predator movies.

 

[CTF]

John McTiernan is the reason Predator is so awesome.

With credit to Stan Winston, Ahhnold, Shane Black... and even Jim Cameron.

Everything since, well, sucks!

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

I liked the two originals and the AVP movies to a lesser extent. I think the AVP movies had way too much human stuff and not enough alien butt-kicking. I wish they would just give us what we want, like the games, a three way fight with Colonial Marines, Aliens, and Predators!

 

[berger]

avp was pure ****, i couldnt get over the whole "buddy cop" routine, lets high five and slow mo run out if the explosion gag, and wtf was up with the cross eyed ****** predator?!?

i saw it at the dollar theater, and still felt ripped off, you couldnt pay me to watch it again, and i refuse to watch avp2

hopefully this new movie dosent suck

 

[Jeyl]

AVP. Oh, boy. Where do I start?

1. On Earth. That killed it for me right there. Aliens on Earth? Ok, Earth is screwed. Wait, no. This takes place on modern day Earth.... And here's a bonus point. Aliens have been on Earth before humans even knew how to build stuff. Are you telling me that Aliens have been on Earth for thousands of years and we never knew a darn thing about them? bullsh**. The number one thing that always made the aliens dangerous was that they couldn't be contained. They always found a way out. Not only is putting them on Earth and having Earth survive eliminate the threat they've posed in the movies, but having it be modern day Earth is a slap in the face.

2. Predators are a**holes. I remember reading the original Aliens Vs. Predator comic that had Machiko Noguchi and really liked how it depicted both the Predators and the Aliens. It showed our main predator as someone who loved the thrill of the hunt, but didn't consider humans as prey. He even went as far to save a human's life from another predator. This sort of thing kind of made me aware of a tope that many writers seem to delve on. If we see one Alien being that does something, we now have to make every gawd dang member of that race act the same way.

How they handled the hero predator in this film was just awful. Not only did he kill needlessly, but he also killed characters that our main human character developed with. Now at the end they're working together like nothing happened? Way to add depth by convenience.

3. Predators are even bigger a**holes. AVP/R may have had an awesome looking Predator, but the makers decided to once again generalize the Predators by being heartless bada**es. Everything that Wolf did made no sense. He's supposed to eliminate the Alien threat, but he also goes out of his way to needlessly kill humans. I assumed he did this to keep his presence from being known, but skinning and hanging them from trees can sort of contradicts things. Why can't the Predator just help the humans a little? They had the means to at least kill some Aliens, so wouldn't that make his job a bit easier?

Here's hoping PREDATORS adds a little something to our favorite alien hunting race. I for one would like to see a Predator who isn't hell bent on killing, and perhaps a female predator.