SCI-FI ACTION; 1hr 47min
STARRING: Adrien Brody, Laurence Fishburne, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Walter Goggins
Alas poor what’s-his-name: Brody and Braga
Eight strangers parachute into a jungle without a clue of how, why or where they are. They’re reflexively fearful and suspicious of each other. And with just cause, since it doesn’t take long for them to work out that with the exception of medico Edwin (Grace), they’re all killers of one stripe or another and they’ve been selected as potential bait by butt-ugly alien creatures.
This is a zero-fun realisation for them but a videogame-variety blast for everyone else as the cat–mouse, kill-or-die flush-out begins. Led by distrustful mercenary Royce (Brody, dignifying every insane instance), the dwindling troop (Braga is an Israeli Defence Force sniper, Goggins a death-row mass murderer) seek shelter with borderline barking-mad survivor Noland (Fishburne). After that doesn’t pan out, it’s crunch time — literally.
When evil is all pervasive, individuals are stripped to their essence. That’s the general idea here; mostly though, director Nimród Antal and producer Robert Rodriguez are happy to roll out the ripping sound and fury that fans of 1987’s Predator eyeballed and loved. It’s OTT all the monster-mashing way.
