Robert Rodriguez's entry into the series, though he considers it a "reboot" of sorts, though the series has always been loosely connected anyway.

Behind the scenes sneak peak.

Trailer.

International trailer

Wow, I didn't know that Robert Rodriguez was directing. (Either I didn't see your March 12 post, Josh, or I just forgot about it.)

Interesting to see Adrian Brody in an action role as a tough guy. It's also interesting to see how they reversed it, having humans kidnapped and deposited on an alien world, with each one being an expert in some way in hunting, fighting, military, etc., in a Magnificent Seven-sort of way.

Rodriguez is not directing; he's producing. A Hungarian director named Nimród Antal is directing.

Looks like an interesting movie. I love Walton Goggins & Danny Trejo.

I saw this movie yesterday and thought it was pretty good! My biggest complaint is that it was too much like the first one, with character similarities and even the music, but that didn't at all ruin the film for me. I thought it was also fairly short with an hour and forty-some minutes, but the only slow scene IMO was the part with Larry Fishburn(?).

There were some large leaps of reason by the characters throughout the movie to figure things out, such as the main character (Royce) quickly realizing they were "in a game preserve, and we're the game." He also very quickly knew where most everybody had come from, even though many of them could've qualified for any number of things. The only woman in the movie, Isabelle, has evidently read the report by Dutch from the first movie as she quotes some of it. Apparently in this report it says the hunters see in infra-red and that mud masked his heat signature, but there's little chance he would surmise that and probably just think he was camouflaged.

A couple of the characters, specifically Fishburn's and the guy who used to play Eric Foreman on That 70s Show, were practically useless to the plot and could've easily been replaced by found writings for the former and some other type of suspense for the latter. The Russian Spetsnaz(?) character carries around a mini-gun, ala Blaine from the first movie, and although it was nice to see one in action again no solider would ever carry one around. The Japanese Yukuza(?) character doesn't look at all Japanese, more like Phillipino or Vietnamese.

In this movie we learn that there are different races of Predators and that they occasionally hunt each other. We also learn that they have been bringing people and other aliens to this world to hunt for some time and call them seasons, which judging by the end of the movie end when one side is defeated and start again the very next morning!

It sounds like I'm complaining alot about this movie but I really did find it quite entertaining and recommend seeing it. This movie especially reminded me of the Hirogen from ST: VGR.

A few things that occurred to me when I, too, saw the film yesterday. (Weird coincidence, eh?) Number one, since the Predators use infra-red, wouldn't you think they'd make their game preserve a darker world, one with less sunlight? And their base one without all the fires that would interfere with their infra-red vision?

After Fishburne's character, Noland, locks the main group up, Royce causes an explosion to signal the Predators. Ain't it just a helluva coincidence that one of the Super Predators just happen to be nearby?

Am I the only who knew just what kind of person Topher Grace's character, Edwin was? The reveal was only partially surprising to me.

I'm not sure, but when Hanzo stayed behind to confront the Super Predator in a sword fight, I swear I counted four people continuing onwards. As it turns out, there were only three that left Hanzo behind.

Oh, and am I the only one who thought it was going to be revealed that the game preserve was an artificial planet? I thought that was the whole point of showing us how the leaf spun around in the rivulet and the long lasting day? Not to mention Noland's comment that he couldn't find the edge of the world/land.

I like this movie a lot, btw. I've only seen three films so far this year and this was the best of the 3.

Oh, and weren't some of those planets awfully close to the game preserve planet? And a couple of them looked like they might've been gas giants. (Not to mention they looked they were grouped a little too close together astronomically. A collision should be happening any day now.)

One more thing: Why was the Classic Predator kept alive at the base? I mean, other than to give Royce a reason to go back to the camp and to have the Classic Predator vs. Super Predator fight? It looks like the Super Predators are in the habit of killing their quarries, yet the Classic Predator was not only left alive, but his armor was kept close to him.

Oh, and if they whole purpose of the game preserve is to allow the Predators to learn from their mistakes, so to speak, if all three Super Preds die, how do they learn from that? Are the hunts being recorded?

Hey Benn, maybe we were in the same theater

I didn't get the feeling that the planet was artificial, but I do agree that those other planets were way too close, and I thought their combined gravity was the reason the leaf was spinning. I took Noland's comments to mean that the entire planet was the preserve, but maybe that's just me. As far as not choosing a darker world for the hunt; they seem to put a lot of honor in these hunts, maybe that would've given them too much of an advantage.

Topher Grace is his name! I'll have to remember that. I figured Edwin was some sort of serial killer, considering his company, but what I didn't see coming, or understand, was why he wanted to kill Isabelle at that particular moment, instead of use her to escape.

Maybe learning from his mistakes is why the others didn't kill the classic Predator? I too thought it convenient all his gear was in the camp. Another thing that I'm curious about is if all the hunters died how did the others know to start a new season?

Interesting, you got the serial killer part right. On the other hand, I guessed (Spoiler. Highlight to see): that Edwin was going to betray the others in some way.

As far as not choosing a darker world for the hunt; they seem to put a lot of honor in these hunts, maybe that would've given them too much of an advantage. AWhite

I've thought of that. On the other hand, what's the point of dropping their victims from a plane? Especially since the parachutes do not always work. (As in the case of the U.S. Army guy we see at the beginning of the film.) Moreover, it didn't look to me that any of the group we saw landed without injuries. Except, I think, Hanzo. How fair is it if you're opponents are already injured at the start of the hunt?

Unless you live near Mattoon, Illinois, it's doubtful we went to the same theater. Still, helluva coincidence, eh?

I used to live near Chicago but not anymore. Funny coincidence though yes.

I never thought any of the hunts were all that fair, even against the Aliens, so the Preditors must not be all that good at hunting if they still fail with their camouflage and other technology With that reasoning I suppose it is strange they didn't pick a perpetually dark planet; but maybe they didn't pick it, perhaps it was random or chosen for them. I obviously have no idea, just guessing. I was late to the movie, I missed the first five or so minutes; what kind of injuries did they have?

Admittedly, the injuries were minor scratches and bruises, but keep in mind that for one thing, a U.S. Army soldier died because his 'chute didn't open. Royce fell through trees which could have caused more severe injuries than they did. (Actually, I thought his chute opened much too late in the fall to do him any good.) Keep in mind, that everyone who are dropped into the preserve are unconscious at the start of their falls to the ground. If they don't wake up before they hit the ground... (I'm not sure how much control the prey have over the opening of the parachutes. Royce did seem to hit the button repeatedly before his chute unfurled.)

Pretty enjoyable, though I was disappointed that two confrontations with excellent buildup, the Yakuza vs. Super Predator duel and the Predator vs. Super Predator fight, were a bit disappointing in their execution. It ended up being mostly what I expected, though, with plenty of cool moments and crazy, fantastical violence.

I was wondering at the end why the Super Predator wasn't just removing his mask when Royce was using the fire to confuse his sensors, but he finally switched visions and it made sense. Though one wonders why he waited so long to switch away from infra red.

Quite a bit from the trailer was cut or changed. Danny Trejo's line about working as a team didn't make it. Hanzo didn't identify himself as Yakuza, Royce figured that out. Royce also only gets targeted by a single tri-laser rather than the multiple some of the trailers showed.

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inblackestnight: The Japanese Yukuza(?) character doesn't look at all Japanese, more like Phillipino or Vietnamese.

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Benn: A few things that occurred to me when I, too, saw the film yesterday. (Weird coincidence, eh?) Number one, since the Predators use infra-red, wouldn't you think they'd make their game preserve a darker world, one with less sunlight? And their base one without all the fires that would interfere with their infra-red vision?

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Benn: After Fishburne's character, Noland, locks the main group up, Royce causes an explosion to signal the Predators. Ain't it just a helluva coincidence that one of the Super Predators just happen to be nearby?

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Benn: Am I the only who knew just what kind of person Topher Grace's character, Edwin was? The reveal was only partially surprising to me.

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Benn: Oh, and weren't some of those planets awfully close to the game preserve planet? And a couple of them looked like they might've been gas giants. (Not to mention they looked they were grouped a little too close together astronomically. A collision should be happening any day now.)

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inblackestnight: Another thing that I'm curious about is if all the hunters died how did the others know to start a new season?

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That made the paralysis plant a really obvious Chekhov's Gun. I just wondered if it would be him or the Predators that used it. - Josh M.

I pretty much thought the same thing, except I thought it'd be one of the Super-Predators who it would be used on. But, yeah, you're right. It was a VERY obvious "Chekhov's Gun."

Chekov's gun?

Playwright Anton Chekhov was famous for saying that if you introduce a loaded gun on the mantelpiece in the first act of the play, you better use it by the third act. Chekhov's gun. In other words, what Josh and I are saying, that with the introduction of the poison, we both knew it would play a role later in the film.

Thank you.

Chekov's gun. You mean Chekov's phaser

Anyway, I purchased the DVD of this movie and I liked it. The premise makes sense. The Predators have been coming to Earth for centuries, and no doubt, they realize our technology has advanced enough so that they could be discovered. Removing a group of humans to game preserve planet makes sense.

One thing I wonder, how did they get the prisoner guy? I assume Adrian Brody's character was taken from some remote part of the world, as were the others. However, the prisoner was in San Quentin? How did they get him out without being seen? Did they sneak in at night with their cloaks on and grab him?

Funny hearing the term "cloaking device" in a series outside of Star Trek.

I wonder how long Lawrence Fishborne's character was there. He says "ten seasons" I wonder how that translates to years. Clearly he's been there long enough that he's not playing with a full deck.

Adrian Brody's character, Royce, wants to take the ship and fly back to Earth. How can he do this? He has no idea how far Earth is or even what direction.

Good movie.

Chekov's gun is just another term for a narrative setup, or foreshadowing.

Uh, I was making a joke, hence the smily face.

Any comments on what I said about the movie?

Are you directing your post to me? My post was made in answer to ScottN, much as Benn's post was.

As for the movie, I didn't see it.

Got this movie as a gift and rewatched it the other day. I got to see the initial five-or-so minutes I missed at the theater and I agree Benn, it isn't all that honorable/fair how the prey are introduced to the hunt, and the Predators seem to have almost all the advantages to begin with considering they know the terrain, technology, group of three... Practically the only way to beat them is teamwork. The parachutes seem to be automatic, the device on the left shoulder just glows red when it's time to deploy.

Tim: Royce wants to take the ship and fly back to Earth. How can he do this? He has no idea how far Earth is or even what direction.
I am under the impression that the classic-Predator set the ship's navigation system to go there automatically, as he was searching his start charts and found Earth, then pressed a button to get the ship going.

At the end, when Royce was setting up the final Predator in their camp, he was taking advatage of all the fires by running around and stricking him in the head with something. All the Predators very clearly have helmets on, so why was he hitting there? It had a sharp edge on it, chop his legs or arms off, or get him in the neck!