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Here's a look at the new movie I saw this week.

The Predator
Starring: Boyd Holbrook, Sterling K. Brown, Olivia Munn, Jacob Tremblay, Yvonne Strahovski, Thomas Jane, and Keegan Michael Key
Synopsis: Shane Black has had an interesting career. He started as a hot screenwriter who gave the world "Lethal Weapon." Then he disappeared for a while and came back with things like "Iron Man 3" and "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang." So it seems fitting that he'd be working to bring another 1980s franchise, "The Predator," back to prominence on the big screen. This is a sequel of sorts, but also a re-imagining. It's set in the modern time, but it reference previous encounters going back to 1987, the year the original with Arnold Schwarzenegger was released. But this isn't like that original, in fact it's more like the style of writing and film that he was first known for. There's plenty of violence and plenty of salty language, and it's a mixture of action and jokes, often at the same time. It's a fast-paced film that just keeps going from one big set piece to the next, making small pauses to build some characters and flesh out a narrative. Not that it matters much, though the narrative ends up being a little bit about Global Warming for those that are interested. In general the film benefits from not taking itself too seriously and from having a fairly amazing cast. In addition to those named above there are other recognizeable faces, and all do a nice job of trying to make the story fun and engaging. But there are aspects of it that don't totally work. The film had a bit of a troubled release and was supposedly re-edited in some way. It's hard to say what impact that had, aside from the fact that it is sometimes too jumpy. And at the beginning it's not totally clear how all the threads will come together. But if you just want some action sequences and a few laughs, you could do worse than "The Predator." If you want a good story, you could also do better. It will also be interesting to see if the film leads to a re-birth in the franchise, which is clearly aims to do with an ending that sets up a larger world to explore.
Rating:  R for strong bloody violence, language throughout, and crude sexual references.
Verdict: Two stars out of four.

Upcoming Releases:
Friday, September 21: "The House With the Clock in its Walls," "The Sisters Brothers"
Friday, September 28: "Night School," "Smallfoot," "Hellfest," "Little Women"