Archive for the ‘Predators India’ Category
Posted by Team Predators on
August 12, 2010
What is it with B films acquiring a veneer of respectability in their millennial reboots? We had Terminator Salvation last year with a grim Christian Bale taking all the guilty pleasure out of nice, cheesy lines. Predators, thankfully, in spite of having Oscar-winning actor Adrien Brody in the lead, has lashings of fun, with much obeisance being paid to the original.
Producer Robert Rodriguez was very particular that this is a sequel to the 1987 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as Dutch, the only one to survive the bloodthirsty extraterrestrial who identifies its prey through heat signatures and collects trophies.
The film, according to Rodriguez, is called Predators to recall the other super brilliant sequel, Aliens which took the characters of the original in an entirely new direction. The film chooses to distance itself from Predators 2 and the hideous Alien Vs Predator films. While the film is nothing like Aliens, it is not terrible either.
Predators begins with a big fat bang as a disparate group of heavily-armed, comatose strangers are parachuted into a strange jungle. They regain consciousness as they hit the ground and after introductions—a death row inmate, a mercenary, a cartel enforcer, a soldier who fought in the Chechen war, an Israeli Defense Forces sniper, a Revolutionary United Front officer, a Yakuza enforcer, and a doctor—figure out they need to run for their lives as there are all manner of vicious creatures baying for their blood.
Director Nimrod Antal (he of the cool name) is a competent hand at helming action sequences as seen in his other release early this year, Armored. He uses nice, grungy industrial hues to colour his frames. The film maintains momentum and of course we can indulge our favourite game of who is going to die first and how. The African-American is clichéd and politically incorrect so for the millennial reboot, it needs to be someone else and the film does not disappoint. Yippee!
The momentum slows a bit when we encounter Lawrence Fishburne in his hideout. As a soldier who survives, he mutters his usual brand of garbled nonsense that he has been doing since his Matrix days as Orpheus.
The film is happily gory. I can only remember the MAD satire of the original where when a character chances upon the skinned bodies left behind by the Predator, he says, “I know it is hot in the jungle, but this is too much!”
While Predators signals a return to the testosterone-fuelled movies of the Eighties, the CGI ensures it is not engaging.
Of the cast, Adrien Brody lends gravitas to a muscle-bound role. He gamely growls all the “trailer” quotes with a straight face proving once again what an excellent actor he is. The rest of the cast do what they can with thin material.
Incidentally, the film has English subtitles and the mystery of what would be done with swear words is solved. Unlike on telly, where the words are beeped out, here the cast say the many cuss words while the subtitles coyly use asterisks!
Posted by Team Predators on
August 10, 2010
It’s the first time in the history of 20th Century Fox that the Indian market has featured in the top 10 International markets in the World, and with Predators it is three in a row for Fox Star.
Racing ahead of Despicable Me that released on 6 February, Predators, a film distributed by Fox Star Studios in India, grossed Rs 53 million in its opening weekend. So much so, the opening of Predators was much better than the opening of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse that released last week.
With its sophisticated special effects and thrilling action sequences, the film has already outperformed the lifetime collections of its predecessors -Predator and Alien vs. Predator series globally.
Produced by Robert Rodriguez, Predators has also proved to be a hit with the vernacular audiences, with the film’s Hindi, Tamil and Telugu versions running to packed houses.
Posted by Team Predators on
August 10, 2010
Fox Star Studios India’s ‘Predators’ starring Adrien Brody has grossed Rs. 5.3 crores over its opening weekend, racing far ahead of ‘Despicable Me’ that released on the same day. In fact, the film’s opening is much better than the opening of ‘The Twilight Saga: Eclipse’ which was released last week.
With its special effects and thrilling action sequences, the film has already outperformed the lifetime collections of its predecessors including the ‘Predator’ and ‘Alien vs. Predator’ series.
The film is also a hit with the audiences in film’s Hindi, Tamil and Telugu versions running to packed houses. In fact, the Tamil and Telugu versions have got one of the best openings for a Hollywood film so far in 2010, leading ahead of films like ‘Inception’, ‘Salt’, ‘Iron Man’ and others.
In single screens around the country, the movie’s performance is much better than the Hindi release of the week ‘Aisha’.
Vijay Singh, CEO, Fox Star Studios India comments, “The ‘Predators’ have once again thrilled audiences and the response to the Hindi, Tamil & Telugu versions is exceptionally good. We thank the audiences and our partners for their support and with important releases like ‘Wall Street 2’ and ‘Narnia 3’ in the pipeline, we look forward to further strengthening our No.1 position at the Indian box office.”
After ‘Predators’, Fox Star Studios will continue entertaining audiences with a string of interesting releases like ‘Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps’ on September 24, ‘Unstoppable’ on November 12, ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage Of The DawnTreader’ in 3D on December 10 and ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ also in 3D on December 31.
Posted by Team Predators on
August 7, 2010
Interview with the Lead actor Adrien Brody offering us a peek into the new world of ‘Predators.’
Adrien Brody talks about his role in the film and what makes it a must-watch for action fans.
What got you excited about being part of ‘Predators?’
I loved the original ‘Predator.’ I remember watching it with my friends when I was a kid and how exciting it was to be in a theatre. I love sci-fi horror movies. Besides, I always wanted to explore this genre and move away from comedy and drama films I was doing.
Can you talk about your character Royce? Are you similar to him in real life?
Royce is a complicated guy. He’s someone who’s done everything in his power to shed emotional attachment…the antithesis of me. I’m a very emotional person and I think it’s an interesting way of viewing the world from an opposite perspective. But, deep down within him, there still lurks the human being. He’s a survivor, and ultimately, just like a scientist, there has to be a level of detachment in order to put survival first. And I think that makes him well suited for the circumstances he’s found himself in.
How did you prepare for the role?
I approached it with the kind of focus I would approach any of the roles given to me. My intention was to delve into the mind of the flawed tragic hero. I did put on a substantial amount of muscle mass for the role — the physical training was a big part of the preparation, but it was also important to prepare psychologically. We shot in Hawaii and in thousands of acres of tropical rainforest. I had got permission from the owners of the estate to stay in the property… I didn’t stay in a hotel. Instead, I isolated myself. My nightly ritual was poring over survival manuals and military and paramilitary training books. I was reading Sun Tzu. I was studying meditation. I was on a strict diet. I wasn’t drinking. I wasn’t eating sugar. I had to kind of go there, because for me, this was a tremendous opportunity.
Why do storytellers keep coming back to the Predator as an antagonist worth exploring?
The Predator is such an enduring character. People still love this character. I knew there was something about it in a primal way. Because it’s somewhat humanoid, you can identify with it. It has human characteristics, which draw people to it.
Are you disappointed at some of the places the brand has gone in recent years?
Well, it’s not recent. It has been over a 20-year period. You don’t need me to tell you that they strayed a bit from the raw intensity the first film had. But this becomes an opportunity to spiritually come back to that and, hopefully, even elevate the material.
What do you think Nimrod brings to this film that wasn’t there in the original one?
Well, it’s hard to say. I don’t know what vibe there was when they were shooting. It was a very different time, but Nim has got great enthusiasm. And you know he is very passionate about this. This really means a lot to him and I think his excitement helps motivate everyone else.
How has it been working with Laurence Fishburne?
Fish is amazing. He’s so cool. Telling war stories from ‘Apocalypse Now,’ it was great. He brought such wonderful energy to the film. I think people will get a kick out of that. Some choices Fish had made gave me an opportunity to improvise and they were cracking up. I hope they are not taken out of the picture. Let’s see.
The beauty of this genre is experiencing the unexpected as an audience. Now, we have nuances to explore in that this ensemble of killers in ‘Predators’ consists of equally powerful people fighting through a dark world. So, who really is the predator in this case? I can speak about my character more than the others, but we are all predators, so to speak. We’ve succumbed to a cold-hearted way of living and a certain kind of ruthlessness. My character is ultimately survivalist. Royce’s priority is to make it under any circumstances. It’s about a man who has sacrificed humanity. So it’s interesting that you say you find humanity in the story. There has to be a certain degree of that, but this is the least human character I have played. He’s not purely based on instinct, but he has managed to suppress the qualities that make us human beings for the most part.
Posted by Team Predators on
July 31, 2010
Critics weigh in on the latest, and possibly greatest, sequel to the 1987 sci-fi thriller.
The filmmakers behind the new movie “Predators” decided to pretend the last three movies in the sci-fi horror franchise never happened and instead set their story as if it takes place directly after the 1987 original. That was probably a wise call on their part, seeing as each successive “Predator” installment was less beloved, culminating with the disgraceful mash-up “Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem.”
How beloved will “Predators” ultimately be? With the film opening on Friday (July 9), reviews have been pouring in, and they’re largely positive — if not on par with the original, then respectably, satisfyingly close. Let’s take a deep dive into the “Predators” reviews to see what people are saying.
The Story
” ‘Predators’ is a B movie that knows its job, and does it. Which means, among other things, that making sense is not on its to-do list. The picture opens with a group of people falling from the sky into a jungle. What are they doing here? None of them knows. … [T]hey’re all prey on this strange planet, which turns out to be an off-world hunting ground for Predators, whose day-trip spacecraft is invisibly parked nearby. As you’d expect, the picture consists — with the exception of a visit to a batty survivor played by Laurence Fishburne — of each of the human interlopers being put away like finger food by the wily monsters.” — Kurt Loder, MTVNews.com
The Actors
“Think of it as ‘Avatar’ with more gore, a lot less wit, and Adrien Brody (and his Situation-like abs) as the alpha-male leader of a doomed pack of tough guys, gruffly barking orders as he tries to get inside the mind of you know who. Topher Grace does his signature smart-ass quipster thing, Alice Braga is the tough chick with a big heart, and Laurence Fishburne drops by to lend the film its only bit of unpredictable fun as a loco, Kurtz-like soldier of fortune who’s gone native. These aren’t characters, they’re cardboard clichés lining up for the body count.” — Chris Nashawaty, EW.com
The Director
“The director of ‘Predators’ is Nimrod Antal, whose B-movies — ‘Kontroll,’ ‘Vacancy,’ ‘Armored’ — refuse to settle for the free 200 points awarded for filling in one’s name. He’s a skilled moviemaker who understands the cumulative power of withholding. A good thriller is a striptease, and Antal respects the art of peeling away layers. He uses his camera (Gyula Pados is the cinematographer) to draw you in, instead of leaning on editing blitzes to spell everything out, the way 90 percent of this ilk of horror-action-comedy does.” — Wesley Morris, The Boston Globe
The Visuals
“In keeping with the ‘no-frills, old-school’ vibe, ‘Predators’ delivers practical effects all over the place. Aside from some necessary splashes of CGI here and there, the effects come from the Greg Nicotero/ Howard Berger team — and they’re pretty much awesome across the board. Of course we get some gross new Predators to feast our eyes upon, but the ‘classic’ character is also on board — and all four of the Predators (in addition to their dog-like mega-beasts and a few other nasty newcomers) look like living, breathing creatures. CGI will never trump ‘a guy in a suit,’ provided the suits (and the guys) are as cool as the ones found in ‘Predators.’ ” — Scott Weinberg, FearNet.com
The Final Word
“While ‘Predators’ isn’t nearly as vivid or fresh as the original, it’s certainly its strongest sequel. It’s also a weird semi-nostalgia trip back to the days when Joel Silver ruled action cinema, when directors had the patience to lock their cameras down and calmly set up situations before blowing things up in comprehensible action beats.” — Mike Russell, The Oregonian.
Source: MTV
