2010 * 15 * 102 mins * £19.99 * 1 November 2010
Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Also available on Blu-ray (£24.99)
Director: Nimród Antal
Cast: Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Walton Goggins, Laurence Fishburne

Like Fox’s other great extra-terrestrial beasties, the Predators are impervious to conventional critical weapons. Indeed, how many other creatures could emerge from the wreckage that was Aliens vs Predator: Requiem and still live to fight another day? Unlike the xenomorphs that made Ripley’s life hell, however, the finest hunters in the universe (allegedly) only have one classic movie behind them – and now, in their fifth big-screen outing, they’re looking pretty tired.

Producer Robert Rodriguez and his team do at least get the little things right, realising that the jungle is a Predator’s natural habitat, that the CGI should be kept to an efficient minimum, and that laser sights, infra-red POV shots and luminous green Predator blood look really cool on screen. Beyond that, though, Predators is uninspired stuff.

This time the prey are anything but helpless, a random assortment of killers (mercenaries, death row residents, Yakuza and so on) plonked in a tropical forest on an alien world for the Predators’ sport. It’s an obvious nod to Arnie’s crack commando unit in the first movie (the events of which are referenced here), but while it’s fun guessing who’ll be the next to be killed off, it’s also difficult to care. The group is made up almost exclusively of  unpleasant people, and the chemistry between them is virtually non-existent. Only Adrien Brody (vying with Christian Bale for the most ludicrously raspy voice in cinema), Alice Braga and Topher Grace stick in the memory beyond the credits, and that’s mainly by default.

You could argue that the Predators are supposed to be the stars, but even with a new species of super hunters making the old model look very 1987, they have nothing new to say (or growl). So while a (very predictable) twist does its best to jazz up the last act, this really does feel like game over for the franchise. Unless the Predators fancy taking on Freddy next time. Or Jason. Or even Kramer.

Extras:

You’re effectively being penalised if you buy the movie on DVD (rated), such is the paucity of extras. Aside from a commentary from Rodriguez and Antal, all you get is an amateurish motion comic revealing how the old-school Predator got crucified, and “De-Cloaking The Invisible: Alien Terrain”, an 11-minute featurette about the movie’s jungle location. The reward for going Blu-ray isn’t all that, mind: you get a few more motion comics, “De-Cloaking The Invisible” is restored to its rightful place in a 41-minute doc, and there’s a bunch of deleted and extended scenes, plus some Blu-ray Live material.

Richard Edwards

So, here they are – over the next few pages, the results of round two of the Big SFX 200 poll! These are the Top 20s in each individual category as you lot voted for them.

And remember there’s still a round to go. The winners of each round are now going forward into The Ultimate Best SF or Fantasy Character Ever poll, which you can vote for by going here.

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15 • 110 mins • 8 July 2010
Distributor: 20^th Century Fox
Director: Nimród Antal
Cast: Adrien Brody, Danny Trejo, Topher Grace, Alice Braga

Predators is a great film whenever the actors aren’t actually required to deliver any lines. It‘s amazing that a movie with such relentlessly pish dialogue can overcome that handicap and proudly stake its claim as the best Predator movie since, well, Predator.

One thing that needs to be made clear from the outset is that this isn’t a reboot or a reimagining: this is a sequel. There‘s an extended reference to the original film to make that patently clear. It also shares a similar tone and lack of pretension to the Arnie-starrer; there‘s almost a nostalgic charm to the jungle setting, the one-line-pitch set-up, and the Ten Little Indians plotting.

Not that it feels like a trite retread, either. It‘s amazing how much a couple of unashamedly cheesy conceptual sleights of hand can make the basic set-up feel fresh. So this time we’re in an alien jungle, and the group of laser-cannon-fodder characters are as much predators as their hunters. Seems the Predators like to hone their skills by pitting themselves against Earth’s greatest killers.

Here that includes a yakuza, a mercenary, a black ops guy, a member of an RUF death squad, a mass murderer and various other hard-bitten, gun-toting scum with limited vocabulary. They soon work out they’re the hunted rather than the hunters. Well, that’s pretty obvious when they all start getting skewered; you hardly need an A-level in assassination to work that out.

It’s an easy film to mock. Aside from the cliché-marinated dialogue (“Are you prepared to die? I am!”) and threadbare characterisation there’s also Adrien Brody inexplicably channelling the spirit of Maximus Decimus Meridius throughout. And yet, it’s a hell of a lot of fun. The Predators themselves are in fine fettle, making mincemeat of the humans in deliciously gruesome ways. There are a few intriguing additions to Predator mythology, tons of pulse-pounding action set-pieces, a couple of genuinely tense moments of Alien-style horror and a cameo from Laurence Fishburne that’s so bizarre you forgive how under-used he is.

Predators is a rarity: a dumb action movie that’s fun without resorting to sending itself up. Though you’ll probably be sending up Adrien Brody’s performance in the pub afterwards.

Dave Golder

MONDAY 5 JULY

• Catch top Brazilian comic book artists Fábio Moon & Gabriel Bá at a discussion and Q&A on at the Udderbelly on London’s South Bank. It kicks off at 10pm.
• Chuck returns on Virgin 1 at 9pm, while Being Erica is on E4 at 10pm.
• A busy day down the video shop (or whatever you call them these days) with Percy Jackson And The Lightning Thief, Stargate Universe: season one, the last series of Ashes To Ashes, vintage ITV series Chimera out on DVD and the Predator: Ultimate Hunter Edition out on Blu-ray.

TUESDAY 6 JULY

• Tuesday’s used to be so packed with sci-fi but now the flag’s just carried by Smallville on E4 at 9pm.

WEDNESDAY 7 JULY

THURSDAY 8 JULY

• Robert Rodriguez attempts to banish the memory of AvP: Requiem with long-awaited sequel Predators.
• Today’s new books include Rhys Thomas’s On The Third Day, Christopher Ransom’s The Haunting Of James Hastings, Christopher Farnsworth’s Blood Oath, Rowena Corey Daniels’s The King’s Bastard and a trio of Eleventh Doctor novels: Gary Russell’s The Glamour Chase, Una McCormack’s The King’s Dragon and Oli Smith’s Nuclear Time.
• Painkiller Jane continues to inflict suffering and misery on Syfy at 10pm.

FRIDAY 9 JULY

• Squeeeee! The latest instalment in the Twilight Saga, Eclipse, gets the nation swooning in cinemas. But are you Team Jacob or Team Edward?

SATURDAY 10 JULY

• How To Survive A Zombie Apocalypse comes to Buxton for a long weekend.
• Fancy a Medium catch up? Go all the way back to the start of season one on CBS drama from 10pm.

SUNDAY 11 JULY

• Football haters rejoice as the World Cup Final brings a month-long celebration of soccer to a close.

Some beautiful images to look at today, along with some great new trailers.

Scott Pilgrim Vs The World Track Listing

The soundtrack for Scott Pilgrim Vs The World was slowly released by Edgar Wright over Twitter, and the guys over at Pitchfork have posted it up for all to see. Quick, get the Becktionary!

Predators Trailer

20th Century Fox have made a new trailer available for Predators. There’s a few new scenes, and this time they’re hinting at the sort of violence we’d expect from a Predator movie. It’s nice to know it hasn’t been watered down.

Timothy Olyphant For Escape From New York?

Movieweb reports that Breck Eisner has been dropping hints that Timothy Olyphant is to be taking the lead role in the remake of Escape From New York. With his recent role in Justified, this could be perfect for Olyphant. Thanks to sister site Total Film for the heads up.

Red Trailer Online

Warren Ellis DC Comic book adaptation starring Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, and more as Ex-CIA Agents that get a bit bored with being retired, has a trailer up online today over at Yahoo. Not strictly SFX material, but it has Helen Mirren as an action hero, what’s not to love?

Studio Ghibli PS3 Game

Studio Ghibli has been working with Level-5 (Professor Layton) on a DS game for several years now, but latest news is that a PS3 game is also in development. Kotaku nabbed shots from the game, and it looks stunning.

Hi-de-hi campers. So the weekend has been and gone, but the news is still coming. Here’s the latest:

Ronald Neame Dies
Ronald Neame, director of ‘70s The Poseidon Adventure, died after a fall in Los Angeles. He was 99 years of age. Neame also directed 1979’s Meteor.

Imogen Poots for Fright Night remake
Heat Vision reports that Imogen Poots (the sister in 28 Weeks Later) has been cast as Anton Yelchin’s girlfriend in the Fright Night remake, being directed by Craig Gillespie. It’s good to see some fresh British talent getting some good roles.

Blomkamp for The Hobbit?
As with last week, the rumour mill is still churning out possible directors for The Hobbit. Peter Jackson, David Yates, and now Neil Blomkamp. Who’d have thought the loss of del Toro could cause so much trouble?

Knight And Day playable trailer
It might not strictly be SFX territory, but new Tom Cruise action movie (also staring Cameron Diaz) Knight And Day has a new trailer up and running. The cool thing? You can play it like a first person shooter. Whether or not the film will be any good is up to you.

Images from John Cusack’s The Factory
Whilst Warner Bros have yet to announce a release date for the film, Bloody Disgusting have managed to get their hands on a few stills of Cusack wearing a coat. Frowning at people. And standing in the snow.

New Predators TV Spots
New footage from the Predators movie is now available, including footage of the Predator de-cloaking. The spots don’t reveal much else new about the film, but it’s always nice to see more of Predators.

Puss In Boots site is up
Just when we all finally think the Shrek films are over and done with, they announce the Puss In Boots movie. Now the site is up and running, and we’ve been introduced to a new character. Just how long can they milk this franchise?

Thanks to Andy King for compiling today’s news. Spotted anything else interesting happening in the world? Join us on our forum to talk about it. See you tomorrow…

US cover variant

Don’t worry dear readers, you’re not going mad, those are two completely different covers you see before you. We’ve gone all variant for SFX 197 and made a special Twilight cover for certain US retailers to celebrate vampire month. Only the Predators cover will be available to UK readers – whether that’s a good or bad thing we’ll let you decide!

Value pack

You might have noticed in select retailers you can now buy a bargaintastic value bundle of SFX and sister magazine Total Film for a mere £5.99, not bad eh? We don’t have to tell you how great SFX is but if you’re craving a non-SF fix (it’s ok, even we get them sometimes) it’s the perfect pairing.

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The SFX Hot 50

It’s sizzling back into action – the SFX Hot 50 has returned for its second year to sear a hole through the heart of the science fiction industry. This isn’t your average “most powerful” list though, only the most electrifying talents working in sci-fi today made the cut, and we were brutal. Megan Fox? Yesterday’s news. Robert Pattinson, who he? Want to know where your favourite actors, writers, directors and developers came in our list? Check out issue 197 to find out.

Game Time

Let’s face it, apart from a couple of ace computer games, the humble Predator has been messed about ever since the powers that be decided to pit the universe’s deadliest killer against Danny Glover. And have Glover win. We’ve always liked to pretend AvP 1&2 never happened and that’s going to be a whole lot easier when Robert Rodriguez takes the dreadlock assassins back to their roots for Predators. Find out why it’s going to rock from the mouth of producer Robert Rodriguez in our huge behind-the-scenes feature.

The Summer Of SF Reading

It’s the second month of bonus books coverage in SFX to celebrate The Summer Of SF Reading including The 100 Writers Who Shaped Science Fiction: Part 2, a look back at the life and works of H P Lovecraft and Bookclub: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Whether you’re Team Edward, Team Jacob or Team Bella (were not sure that team actually exists but were all about equal rights here) you’ll love our in-depth preview of the latest instalment in Stephenie Meyers’ phenomenally popular franchise. We chat exclusively to writer Melissa Rosenberg and producer Wyck Godfrey.

Heroes & Inspirations: Ronald D Moore

Ever wondered what makes the Battlestar man tick? Curious how classic rock, The Sopranos and Lawrence Of Arabia have shaped one of this generations shining beacons of sci-fi. Then look no further as we delve deep and probe the mind of Ron D Moore (and find out what that “D” stands for!)

Retro Features

We Rewind back to 1978 for a nostalgic look back at Blake’s 7 and take the TARDIS back to Stanley Kubrick’s controversial 1971 classic A Clockwork Orange, even though most of you probably didn’t see it till the ‘90s!

Profiles

True Blood’s shaggy shapeshifter Sam Trammell tells us about his (dog’s) life on the set of True Blood season three, Josh Brolin talks Jonah Hex and the wild, wild west and Carter USM’s Jim Bob tells us about his new book. Yep, Jim Bob wrote a book!

Don’t Miss:

Wishlist: Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides – Everything Disney needs to know about how to transport the Pirates franchise back to the glory days of Curse Of The Black Pearl in one cheeky spread.

Spoiler Zone: Doctor Who! Lost! Ashes To Ashes! Stargate Universe! Medium! FlashForward! Ghost Whisperer! Smallville! Supernatural! Fringe! The Vampire Diaries! And breath…

Big Shot: Inception – no we have no idea what it’s all about either. Warning: picture may make you dizzy.

• Futurama’s back from the dead…again! We get the first word on what’s in store for the crew of the Planet Express from show runner David X Cohen.
• Shambling off the page and onto a screen near you this autum the potentially brilliant adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead. He tells us what to expect.
• Stephen King might be one of the most revered authors in the history of horror fiction but adaptations of his work on the small screen generally range from watchably bad to torture material. We’ve got high hopes for Haven though based on King’s The Colorado Kid. Find out what it’s all about inside.
• Big blue Thundercats, Ho! Ahem. What we meant to say was James Cameron isn’t finished with Pandora and the Na’vi just yet. The King Of The World talks Avatar 2 re-releases, special editions and sequels.
• The toys are back in town. Oh hang on, wasn’t that the tag line for Toy Story 2? Either way the toys are back in town for Toy Story 3 to terrorize a nursery no less. They should be ashamed of themselves.
• Could Cloverfield 2 be on the cards? Matt Reeves tells us it’s closer than you think, only in Red Alert
• Clarke nominated author Marcel Theroux heads Far North into a future Siberia turned Old West by global warming, and writes a book about it. Read his harrowing account in SFX 197.
• Could web series Riese “pull a Sanctuary” and make a leap to the small screen? Co-creator Ryan Copple tells us what to expect.

Rated: Iron Man 2, Prince Of Persia, The Wolfman, Heartless, the new Charlaine Harris Dead In The Family, Astonishing Spider-Man And Wolverine and Alan Wake.

Next issue: SFX 198, on sale Wednesday 30 June. Why not subscribe?

Cuchillo

Predators is released in the UK on 13 August. By which time we’ll have had videos on the director, the caterers, the key grip, the unit insurance manager…

Predators is a bold new chapter in the Predator franchise, produced by Robert Rodriguez, directed by Nimród Antal, and starring Adrien Brody as Royce, a mercenary who reluctantly leads a group of elite warriors who come to realise they’ve been brought together on an alien planet… as prey. With the notable exception of a disgraced physician, they are all cold-blooded killers – mercenaries, Yakuza, convicts, death squad members – human “predators” that are now being systemically hunted and eliminated by a new breed of alien predators.

Predators is released in the UK on 13 August 2010.

Edwin

By the power of Greyskull. Columbia has hired Predators scribes Mike Finch and Alex Litvak to write the screenplay for the in-development big screen version of Masters Of The Universe, according to The Hollywood Reporter’s Heat Vision Blog.

But this doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll be seeing He-Man, Battlecat, Skeletor and Man-At-Arms in 3D (as it would no doubt be) at your local fleapit any time soon. According to the report, “The addition of the rising writers is the first major move on the property and signals the project is being rebuilt from the ground up. While at Warners, Masters went through several writers and in latter stages had John Stevenson, who co-helmed Kung Fu Panda, attached to direct. Getting the go-ahead to tackle any major toy-brand film can be tricky. Depending on the property, writers and directors need to get a thumbs-up from the studio, which then has to win approval from the toy company. In the case of Masters, Mattel has story approval.”

Then again, how hard could it be to get approval from Mattel, the company that presumably said yes to the script of the 1987 movie version of Masters Of The Universe. One of cinema’s all-time turkeys, it starred Dolph Lundgren as He-Man, Frank Langella as Skeletor and Courtney Cox as Julie Winston. Julie who? That doesn’t sound much like an Eternian name. Well, no, because in one of those dire Hollywood cost-cutting decisions, He-Man and co were transported through dimensions to contemporary America, and spent their time battling in parks in school gyms. Let’s hope Finch and Litvak keep the action in Eternia this time.

Special bonus non-points if you can name all the characters above from left to right without Googling and Wiki-ing. Not that we can stop you, but the only person you’ll be letting down is yourself.

Live Videos by Ustream

The poster for the new Nimród Antal-directed, Robert Rodriguez -scripted Predators has been unleashed. It’s simple, but kinda stylish. Then again, so was the Aliens versus Predator: Requiem poster. But it’s Rodriguez, so you hope the film might put the franchise back on course. Predators is due to be releases in the UK on 11 August.