The Predator (2018)

[Papenbrook]

Here's a message from the victim herself.

Originally Posted by Paige Carnes

My purpose in making this statement is to reclaim my identity.

Sexual abuse makes people uncomfortable. It should make you uncomfortable. This discomfort is nothing compared to the psychological and physical suffering of those who have dealt with it.

I was not able to speak for myself when I was 14. The consequences of this abuse are profound and permanent for some. When the abuse takes place with a child, it is even harder to overcome. You lose trust in everyone around you, and mainly yourself. Your abuse does not define you. With support from others and strength from within, you can overcome the label of victim and reclaim your identity.

Support can come in many forms. Sometimes all it takes is one person speaking up for you, acknowledging your worth as a human being. I am extremely fortunate to have a Father and Mother that love me unconditionally. My Father has supported me in my healing and growth in ways I cannot thank him enough for.

I am also eternally grateful for Olivia Munn’s action. She spoke up for me. She took a stance for me. In turn she stood for all who have suffered like I have. To be acknowledged by a stranger, on a public platform about this issue is incredibly empowering. The positive feedback from social media towards Olivia Munn is uplifting and feels incredibly supportive for me personally.

I have no shame for what was done to me. I am not the one who needs to carry that shame. My name is Paige Carnes, former Jane Doe.

I hope anyone who has suffered like I have regains their voice and their humanity.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Allio

as well as well as the name drop of yautji

Yautja, you mean. And did I miss that? Who said it and when?

My review:

Oh dear. There's some really funny stuff in here and overall it's a better movie than "Predators"... but I'm pretty sure I just watched the end of the franchise.

Spoiler:

The first 2/3s of the movie meshes together well. We meet the cast, we like the cast (and as much as I'd like to say Olivia Munn sucked in it because of her best efforts to kill the movie in the press, she's not terrible in the movie), we even get to learn a bit more about Predators and their tech, there's lots of GOOD R-rated laughs (and a few misses) and wow, a pretty staggering body count and amount of gore. The last third... it doesn't feel quite right. Everyone is rushed into the woods to battle the Super Predator and it feels like another movie (thanks, Fox). You can totally see where the "Big Reshoots" stuff started, too, because suddenly the little kid looks noticeably older and taller. It still works, but the magic of the rest of the movie is gone. Though unlike Predators, this one actually has a climax that is exciting. Knowing a lot of Shane Black's other material, Fox should have trusted his original vision and not forced whatever they forced here. The final action bits in the woods are also very confusingly shot and lit. There is one character, like the "main human bad guy," who I have to assume died during it, but the way it's edited together it's impossible to know who it was or when it happened. I mean, I *think* it was the guy standing there who got hit with a Predator flechette and exploded, but I have no idea if that's true.

And man oh man, though, they should never have put that final scene in there, with the pod that opens up to reveal the "Rogue Predators"' gift to mankind. I mean, wow. It's SO BAD. It's like, end of "Independence Day: Resurgence" bad. Cringeworthy. For a second -- and I knew he wouldn't -- as soon as they said "it's a Predator Killer" and the pod began to slide open... I wondered, damn, how cool would it be if it's going to be Arnold decked out in Predator gear, lighting a cigar? Maybe that was even in the original script before Arnold turned down the cameo, who knows (they should have just smashed cut to black as its opening and leave it a mystery, if the only alternative is what it turns out to actually be). What it does scream is, "Get ready for the rest of the trilogy, folks!" There won't be one. The budget of this movie is twice what it was for "Predators" and it's opening weekend numbers are even lower than that movie's opening weekend numbers... and that one didn't get a sequel.

[Allio]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

Yautja, you mean. And did I miss that? Who said it and when[/SPOILER]

The super predator before he died, at leat it sounded like it.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Allio

The super predator before he died, at leat it sounded like it.

Ohhh... you might be right. He was literally asked, "What are you?" so maybe.

[ProactiveMan]

There is some good stuff in the movie, but I don't think they landed the tone. The comedy was funny, but I think there was too much and the timing was off - probably because of the way it was edited.

The kid (and this is a Shane Black thing) created a bit of an uncomfortable vibe in some of the scenes, which is something I also didn't like about The Nice Guys. It's not the inclusion of the kid per se, but the presence of the kid in scenes with graphic violence. His dad murders a couple of people right in-front of him, and we are still supposed to accept this guy as the hero.

[Andrew NDB]

Apparently Ripley was going to be in the ending? Somehow?

https://theplaylist.net/ripley-preda...ding-20181231/

Also, I notice Shane Black hasn't taken a single interview since the movie came out.

[Egon1982]

The worst film of 2018 in my book! an insult to the character and such bad direction, characters that suck with no charisma and personality, terrible CGI blood, laughable giant predator, the predator being a joke, a "WTF" ending, an idea that autistic people are the next step in evolution (such an insult to those with Asperg and autism) and horrible script.

I admire Fred Dekker for Monster Squad, Night of the Creeps, Tales from the crypt episodes and House (1985) and Shane Black for his 80s/90s stuff but lately they made terrible comebacks and this one just like Predators and AVP 1 and 2 are hurting the legacy of Predator. To me the last worthwhile Predator movie was 2 and i never get the flack it got as i love Predator 2. Now Fox is hurting Alien as well after Aliens and turning them into jokes. Put this franchise to bed already before you hurt it's legacy.

Zero stars.

[Krutch]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

Apparently Ripley was going to be in the ending? Somehow?

Yeah, that's the part my friend leaked to me. I was so curious to see how that would even work and then it wasn't even in the movie.