Hulu Star-Studded Action Sci-Fi Horror Revives Beloved Franchise
What’s scarier than a superhuman alien with cloaking tech stalking you through a nameless South American jungle? How about three of the hunters stalking you, and the jungle isn’t in South America, but on their own turf on a distant planet? That’s what happens in 2010’s Predators, the third film of the Predator franchise, which is streaming right now on Hulu.
The Premise
Predators opens with gun-toting mercenary Royce (Adrien Brody) waking up in the air, screaming, and plummeting toward an unknown jungle. Shortly before he would become a flesh pancake, a high-tech parachute opens up on his back, letting him land safely (if not softly).
Soon he’s face-to-face with Mexican drug cartel enforcer Cuchillo (Danny Trejo) who makes the same precarious drop as Royce.
Before long there are seven men and one woman from all over the globe—America, Israel, Russia, Mexico, Japan, and Sierra Leone—none of whom have any idea where they are or why.
After a ruthless attack by alien hounds, it becomes clear that they’re all prey and they don’t even know what their predators look like.
A Game Preserve
In most of the Predator films we see the aliens coming to Earth to seek out their prey. But apparently not all of the hunters want to travel for their trophies.
Predators takes place on what amounts to an alien gaming preserve. The hunters find worthy prey from other species and deposit them in the preserve for their “recreation.”
An Amazing Cast
I couldn’t call Predators the best film in the series, but without a doubt it has the most impressive cast of all the films.
The actors include Mahershala Ali—seven years before he would snag the first of his two Oscars–and Walton Goggins, who recently became much more well known thanks to his leading role in Fallout.
Bigger names include Laurence Fishburne, Danny Trejo, and Topher Grace.
The most surprising performance comes from Predators lead actor Adrien Brody. In spite of being one of the last guys you’d pick making it as an action hero, he nails the part of a no-nonsense merc.
Ronald
The biggest tragedy of Predators is the under utilization of Laurence Fishburne as the squirrely survivor Ronald.
Ronald is not one of the prey who’s deposited on the planet at the same time as the others. According to what he tells them, Ronald has been on the planet for years and has killed at least two of the predators (which, for anyone keeping score, is more than any single lead hero in the franchise has killed).
Crazy, deadly, and played by the incomparable Fishburne, Ronald is just about the most interesting character to ever turn up in a Predator flick. His time in the series is far too brief.
Stream It Now
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If you’ve never seen Predators—even if you’ve never seen any of the other Predaor films—but think a suspenseful fusion of action, horror, and science fiction sounds like an intriguing time, you can stream it now on Hulu.
