Predators

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, John McTiernan, who helmed the original Predator back in 1987 (starring future governors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jesse Ventura), should feel complimented, because director Nimród Antal displays little originality in this sci-fi sequel, aside from the opening scene in which an unconscious man freefalls from a great height, then awakens mid-air, screaming, and grabs for the ripcord on his parachute. Special Forces operative-turned-mercenary Royce (Adrien Brody) is the leader of a motley band of professional killers who have landed on what appears to be a terraformed world where they can breathe the air, drink the water, and move about normally; but the sun always stays in the same place, and several huge moons hover above. Royce's companions include an Israeli sniper (Alice Braga), an African warrior/warlord (Mahershalalhashbaz Ali), the FBI's most wanted mass murderer (Walton Goggins), a Russian soldier (Oleg Taktarov), a Japanese hit man (Louis Ozawa Changchien), a Colombian drug cartel enforcer (Danny Trejo), and a mild-mannered doctor (Topher Grace). It doesn't take long for the motley crew to realize that they're the game (along with an earlier survivor played by Laurence Fishburne) on a gigantic preserve for alien predator hunters. Who will die (and in what order) and who will survive are the sole questions raised by this film in which the titular vicious warthog-like beasts look too much like cheesy 1950s B-movie monsters to be really scary. Optional, at best. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by producer Robert Rodriguez and director Nimród Antal, two exclusive prequel motion comics (11 min.), a “Decloaking the Invisible: Alien Terrain” production featurette (10 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are an “Evolution of the Species: Predators Reborn” making-of featurette (41 min.), deleted and extended scenes (12 min.), a Fox Movie Channel-produced scene segment (7 min.), “The Chosen” featurette (5 min.), the BD-Live function, and a bonus digital copy of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an uneven film.] (S. Granger)