'The Predator' Review

When a young boy accidentally triggers the universe's most lethal hunters' return to Earth, only a ragtag crew of ex-soldiers and a disgruntled science teacher can prevent the end of the human race.

Directed by Shane Black, The Predator features a screenplay co-written by Black and Fred Dekker and is the latest addition to the Predator franchise. As a fan of Black's work and someone intrigued by the potential of its star-studded ensemble cast, The Predator peaked my interest after its announcement. However, my interest waned as reports surfaced that the film would be undergoing extensive reshoots after poor test screenings and the high-profile blockbuster became surrounded by a troubling controversy regarding an actual sexual predator weeks before its release. For all intensive purposes, this behind-the-scenes drama didn't significantly color my perception of the film itself. 20th Century Fox removed the scene in question from the finished film where Olivia Munn unknowingly acted opposite a sex offender whom Black had cast in a number of his movies as a friend of his. However, the reshoots were relatively noticeable, my heart aches for everything Munn went through, and I've lost plenty of respect for Shane Black.

Controversies aside, I had a blast watching The Predator! Black's latest project is flawed for sure, but it's a fun blockbuster nevertheless. While there are structural problems, the dialogue is sharp, witty, and the whole affair is an amusing throwback to cheesy '80s action. Black's twisted sense of humor has already likely offended several audience members, but his quips land regardless of poor taste. Otherwise, the action sequences are entertaining, but nothing special. They're riddled with excessive jump-cuts and often set in dark environments which made it difficult to keep track of character deaths and the flow of the fight. The action does deliver lots of gruesome violence though. A reliable indicator of whether you should see The Predator or not is if you think you can handle Black's dark humor coupled with instances of brutal action. I didn't find any of the humor to be offensive since the one-liners were in jest, but I'm emphasizing it as a make-it-or-break-it dilemma because you all know how people are nowadays...

My primary concern was that it went on for too long and the third act regressed into a series of generic sci-fi action tropes. At that point, you could tell studio-meddling completely interfered with Black's creative vision. Also, the ending stood out as really stupid sequel bait, and the CGI was somewhat inconsistent but looked reasonably good for the most part. Another weird thing I noticed is that Henry Jackman's score only has three tracks on it, totaling for four minutes and fifty-six seconds. The score didn't stick with me, and this must have been part of the reason why. 

The Predator's main draw is undoubtedly its cast, and they certainly did not disappoint. Boyd Holbrook, Olivia Munn, Jacob Tremblay, Trevante Rhodes, and Keegan-Michael Key have a charismatic comradery while Sterling K. Brown was a definite stand-out, showcasing some hammy acting chops whenever he entered the picture. Though much of the ensemble is underwritten, the actors compensate with a delightful screen presence. 

The Predator shows signs of a troubled project riddled with studio interference but manages to be entertaining enough so that its shortcomings are ultimately insubstantial. You can probably wait till The Predator's available to stream before you hunt it down, but the famed franchise extra-terrestrial has still got its edge after thirty-one years. 

Film Assessment: B-

'12 Strong' Review

12 Strong declassifies the incredible true story of the first Special Forces deployment in Afghanistan after 9/11 where a total of twelve U.S. soldiers are sent on a daring mission to help the Northern Alliance rid the area of Taliban. Outgunned and outnumbered, the team of twelve must face overwhelming odds in the fight of a lifetime. 

12 Strong is directed by Nicolai Fuglsig and features a screenplay from Ted Tally and Peter Craig which adapts Doug Stanton's book Horse Soldiers. When watching 12 Strong, other Afghan war flicks may come to mind such as Lone Survivor and the similarly titled 13 Hours. This is largely because it's difficult to distinguish Fuglsig's film from the modern selection of movies focusing on the War on Terror. While I don't necessarily expect every war film to be as immersive as Dunkirk or as character-driven as Saving Private Ryan, it's disheartening to see how disposable films in this genre can become when they're lacking a clear objective. The dialogue's full of the typical military jargon and the soldiers do little more than pal around with one another so there aren't any fleshed out individuals to invest yourself in. 

You're much more likely to gravitate towards characters based on what recognizable actors are portraying them rather than anything Tally or Craig do as writers to earn your interest. You'll probably think, "Hey, that's the guy that plays Thor! I like him!" or "I remember seeing that guy in that one movie that won that Best Picture at the Oscars last year... What was it again? Oh yeah... Moonlight." That's the extent of how little the writers develop these characters, which is kind of sad in considering these men are war heroes and couldn't even be depicted as anything beyond surface level soldiers... I'm sure someone reading this review is thinking, "But David... Dunkirk didn't do much to develop its characters either, and you praised THAT film!" Well, you are correct. However, there's a HUGE difference between the two. Nolan chose to focus on the experience of war and essentially made his film a heart-pounding pressure cooker. Fuglsig doesn't really focus on the experience or the characters. Instead, all he offers is visual noise. 

While the combat sequences are quite exhilarating, they all blend together and begin to feel repetitive so the film quickly loses its luster and grows rather tiring. In fact, 12 Strong comes to mind as one of the most exhausting theatrical experiences I've had in recent memory. The film feels overlong and just wears on your patience after awhile, even at a respectable runtime of two hours and ten minutes. Towards the tail-end of the film I kept wondering to myself when it would all be over, but was disappointed time-and-time again to see the events further prolonged.

Not everything is mediocre though, as Chris Hemsworth proves to once again be a likable lead in the role of Captain Mitch Nelson. Hemsworth rarely gets to flex his acting muscles in the Marvel movies, so it was really reassuring to see him demonstrate some acting range here. Despite Nelson's lacking characterization, Hemsworth's charisma and dedication are able to carry the character all the way to the finish line. Strategizing opposite Hemsworth, Navid Negaban portrays General Dostum as an insightful warrior and leader willing to impart wisdom whenever possible. 

12 Strong flourishes most whenever capturing the convincing camaraderie between its focal brotherhood though. While the A-list talent are largely responsible for this, the actors filling in for the remaining twelve soldiers aren't half bad. Respected actors Michael Shannon, Michael Peña, and Trevante Rhodes each elevate their stock soldiers with a captivating screen presence while the other actors joke around with one-another in an effort to remain relevant. It works in the moment, but you'll find it difficult to remember anyone who wasn't billed on the poster afterwards. 

12 Strong should have galloped into this weekend championing a harrowing and inspirational true tale of heroism and bravery, but instead, it stumbled and wound up being a dispensable military motion picture. Don't let my criticism discourage you from watching the film if you had your heart set on seeing it though. I still think the story itself is truly remarkable and actually deserving of a better translation to the big screen. If war films like Lone Survivor and 13 Hours are your thing, then by all means, go and see it! I'm sure you'll be more blown away than I was. 

Film Assessment: C+

'Moonlight' Review

Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Director; Barry Jenkins, Best Supporting Actor; Mahershala Ali, Best Supporting Actress; Naomie Harris, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Score.
Won: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor; Mahershala Ali, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Moonlight follows the coming-of-age story of a reserved youngster who gets bullied on a day-to-day basis and his search to discover himself. Moonlight is similar to the vein of Boyhood where it seeks to explore making a path for yourself but a little less gimmicky considering Moonlight didn't take twelve years to make (and if you click on the Boyhood hyperlink, you can visit my original review that was actually one of my first and see how far my reviews have come... I plan to revisit those down the line in some Recollection Reflection Reviews). 

Barry Jenkins writes and directs Moonlight based on the screen story penned up by playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney that splinters Chiron's life into three parts entitled "i. Little", "ii. Chiron", and "iii. Black" in correspondence to how he identifies himself at that respective stage of life. Jenkins manages to put forth a screenplay that doesn't share too much information with the audience, leaving them the responsibility to infer and fill in blanks and gaps left in Chiron's story, but also walks the fine line of showing significant events that aren't cliché and how those shape Chiron. 

Cinematographer James Laxton utilizes some great hand-held camera work and luminescent lighting to capture picturesque images that fit Chiron's story like a glove with both intensity and intimacy while Nicholas Britell's sweeping orchestrations paired with vulgar pop songs also hit the mark of auditorily juxtaposing Chiron's blissful and visceral experiences. 

Alex R. Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, and Trevante Rhodes each portray Chiron in different phases of his life as Little, Chiron, and Black respectively and each manages to bring a slightly different take on the same character that remains true to Chiron as he's grown. Hibbert plays the shy child, Sanders gets to grapple with teen angst and emotional instability, and Rhodes puts up a hardened exterior that's been built up by childhood trauma but underneath that maintains the soft-spoken demeanor of Little and Chiron's sensitivity. Each actor adds another layer on top of the younger predecessor's work amounting to complex showing from young talent (Hibbert and Sanders) and incredible turn from Rhodes.

The film's supporting cast bestow a solid foundation for the three actors playing Chiron including Mahershala Ali, Janelle Monáe, Naomie Harris, Jaden Piner, Jharrel Jerome, and André Holland as the father figure and neighborhood crack dealer, sweet supportive mother figure, troubled mother, and three phases of the love interest respectively. Ali in particular stands out and I wouldn't be surprised to see him scoop an Oscar nomination for his work here.

Moonlight is certainly a well-made character study and performance piece that thoroughly examines identity, development, and black culture, but didn't personally resonate with me, and as a result, I was neither invested in the characters or the story at hand. Moonlight will likely appeal to a wide audience who find common ground with the protagonist, but the film's simply wasn't my cup of tea.

Film Assessment: B