Tag Archives: Predator
Vids I Dig 617: Midnight’s Edge: ‘The Predator’ Postmortem – How Not to Revive a Franchise
Vids I Dig 570: Cartoonist Kayfabe: ‘Predator’: The Earliest Dark Horse Mini-Series Highlights Chris Warner’s Artwork
Vids I Dig 382: Razörfist: Rageaholic Cinema: ‘Predator 2’
Video Game Review: Predator (NES)
After playing Rambo for the original Nintendo, I figured that I’d revisit that system’s Predator game as well.
While this is similar to Rambo in that it is a side-scrolling shooter and platformer based on an action franchise starring an action movie megastar of the ’80s, it doesn’t quite play as well as Rambo and it has some strange elements to it.
The strangest thing about this is that there are two game modes. I’m not really sure why they did this, other than trying to maybe blow kid’s minds with two modes but both are essentially side scrolling shoot’em up situations.
The only really difference is that the second mode makes the sprites bigger and more detailed but it also forces you to move as the screen scrolls on its own. The second mode Predator alien looks superb, especially for the 8-bit era, but it doesn’t save this mode from being annoying as hell and terrible to play through.
I much prefer the regular mode of the game, which is basically just a run and gun platformer with a multitude of baddies to blast and evade.
One problem with this game’s design, is that it looks like it is trying to emulate the aesthetic of the original Contra. However, it fails to have the great, smooth mechanics of that game and the graphics aren’t really up to snuff. Also, the level design is shit and pretty annoying.
Predator also features a weird final boss battle where you take on the gigantic, disembodied head of a Predator alien. This never happened in the movie but whatever.
This is actually better than I remembered it but even then, it is still a mostly bad game with a secondary mode that kills it.
Rating: 5.5/10
Pairs well with: other action side scrollers of the 8-bit era, especially those based on action movies.
Vids I Dig 275: The Critical Drinker: The Drinker Recommends – ‘Predator’
From The Critical Drinker’s YouTube description: We’re taking on a classic 80’s action movie this time. Grab your minigun and get to the chopper as I review Predator.
Vids I Dig 245: Razörfist: Rageaholic Cinema: ‘Predator’
From The Rageaholic/Razörfist’s YouTube description: A review that will turn you into a goddamned sexual tyrannosaurus.
Vids I Dig 079: MauLer: ‘The Predator’: An Unbridled Rage
Taken from MauLer’s YouTube description: Well, well;
Who could have predicted that this would be a disaster? The script was leaked and I honestly didn’t believe the ideas that Shane Black came up with BUT it looks like a few of them got dialed back.
That didn’t change the fact that he royally destroys Predator and another corpse has been shoveled onto the franchise pile.
Comic Review: Predator Vs. Judge Dredd Vs. Aliens: Splice and Dice
Published: February 6th, 2018
Written by: John Layman
Art by: Chris Mooneyham
Based on: Predator by Jim Thomas and John Thomas, Alien by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett, Judge Dredd by John Wagner, Carlos Ezquerra and Pat Mills
Dark Horse Books, 101 Pages
Review:
Well, this was underwhelming. But most Alien Vs. Predator crossovers that include other franchises don’t ever seem to deliver.
The thought of Judge Dredd fighting Predators and Aliens got me excited. It looks damn good on paper but the execution here was pretty shoddy.
The biggest problem with the story is that there was too much strange shit going on. The main villain was a mad scientist that made animal/human hybrids and called them Ani-Men, which I’m pretty sure is the name of a supervillain team that Marvel has used as far back as the 1960s.
My gripe about this part of the plot is that it takes up most of it. This story arc is made up of just four single issues, there isn’t room to dillydally. We didn’t need this and while it was used to introduce the alien xenomorphs to the story, the plot didn’t need to get fixated on this other, unimportant stuff.
All you need to do to kick off this story is have a Predator ship crash in Mega-City One. The crash releases alien xenomorphs and Predators that were fighting on board. Judge Dredd shows up to investigate the crash site and BOOM! you now have Predator Vs. Judge Dredd Vs. Aliens. It writes itself.
The comic dumps all this side story crap in your lap early on and it takes too long to get to the good stuff in a comic without a lot of room the breathe. Once the cool stuff starts, it feels incredibly rushed. There’s no real build of suspense or terror. Plus, Dredd and the Predators team up rather quickly and don’t have much of their own conflict.
This wasn’t a total dud but it just doesn’t live up to what one should expect from from these three badass franchises coming together.
I think that crossovers like this are typically rushed and looked at as a good way to make a quick buck but if the editors actually put a bit more care into these events, we could have better stories, slicker art and something that balances out multiple franchises in a way that makes more sense and respects their spirit.
Rating: 6/10
Pairs well with: any Alien Vs. Predator comic series or Judge Dredd crossover.
Film Review: The Predator (2018)
Also known as: Predator 4 (informal title)
Release Date: September 7th, 2018 (TIFF)
Directed by: Shane Black
Written by: Shane Black, Fred Dekker
Based on: characters by Jim Thomas, John Thomas
Music by: Henry Jackman
Cast: Boyd Holbrook, Trevante Rhodes, Jacob Tremblay, Keegan-Michael Key, Olivia Munn, Thomas Jane, Alfie Allen, Sterling K. Brown, Jake Busey, Yvonne Strahovski
TSG Entertainment, Davis Entertainment, 20th Century Fox, 107 Minutes
Review:
“Fuck me in the face with an aardvark.” – Baxley
I’m always game for a new Predator movie and as long as they aren’t mixing it up with xenomorphs from the Alien franchise, the results are usually pretty good.
I didn’t get to see this in the theater a few months back, as life was busy as shit. I wanted to but then a lot of the negative comments I read and heard about the film kind of snuffed out the motivation I had to see it on the big screen.
I guess I’m the odd man out though, because I didn’t think that this was terrible. While it is worse than the three previous Predator films, it is still better than both of the AvP movies.
Ultimately, I want Predator films to just be mindless fun with a lot of badassery mixed in. This film has that but it could have used a bit more of the badassery element, as the Predators came off as weak and there was more drama and comedy than actual ass kicking.
However, the action scenes were pretty good. Although the flow of the film was a bit messy and the motivations of the Predators and the humans were fairly confusing.
There’s a whole bunch of science-y shit about Predators stealing human DNA and making themselves adapt to human conditions so they can steal our planet as their own once we all die from global warming. I don’t know, that’s all pretty stupid and the film didn’t need some genetic plot twist with environmental alarmism tossed in but Hollywood’s gonna Hollywood.
Anyway, I’m not a fan of larger Predators, which is something they’ve done in the last two films. In Predators, it was just done to show that there are different types of Predator tribes but here, it was a genetic manipulation thing. I guess the large Predators in Predators could have also been genetically modified but when each of these movies has had different creative teams with lots of years between each release, its like each film, other than Predator 2, is trying to be some sort of reboot for a new trilogy that never actually happens. And that is exactly what this is, it’s the first part of a trilogy or multi-part story where there probably won’t be another sequel for another decade and then it’ll be another soft reboot.
And frankly, I don’t want a sequel to this film, I’d just prefer a badass Predator movie regardless of whether or not it has direct ties to previous films. Although, a true sequel to the first film that involves Schwarzenegger would be the best possible scenario, in my opinion. But I’d also check back in with the Adrian Brody character from Predators, as well.
This film had a lot of issues and I could fixate on things like Olivia Munn seeing a Predator ship leaving her behind, at least a mile or so away and then it crashes after traveling for a few more minutes but suddenly she arrives on foot to help kill off the alien. Or I could just try really hard to ignore that type of stuff and focus on the fact that this was pretty fun, even with its flaws.
Rating: 7.25/10
Pairs well with: Predator, Predator 2 and Predators.
Talking Pulp 
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