The Predator (2018)
★½ — The Predator (2018)
Shane Black has a peculiar relationship with the Predator franchise, having appeared as a supporting cast member in John McTiernan's original 1987 film before returning three decades later to direct this fourth instalment (fifth if you count the AvP crossovers). Black came to the project off the back of The Nice Guys (2016), his criminally underseen buddy comedy, and brought with him co-writer Fred Dekker, his collaborator from The Monster Squad (1987). Production was notably troubled, with reshoots and significant editorial changes ordered by Fox in the months before release, including the removal of a subplot involving a registered sex offender that had caused considerable controversy when it surfaced in pre-release reporting. The film arrived in a franchise landscape already complicated by the Predators reboot of 2010.
What on earth happened here? This should’ve been a triumphant return for the franchise, Shane Black at the helm (who was in the original, no less), a decent budget, and the promise of mixing old-school brutality with slick modern action. Instead, we got a bizarre, tonally confused mess that feels like it was rewritten mid-shoot… which, to be fair, it probably was. The jokes fall flat, the characters are paper-thin (and try way too hard to be quirky), and the actual Predator lore is butchered. Super Predators? Predadogs? Autism as the next step in evolution?? Come on. It’s loud, it’s nonsensical, and it spends more time trying to set up some weird Predator Avengers sequel than it does delivering actual suspense or horror. The original had mystery, tension, and grit. This has a lab scene, a suit, and a punchline. One or two decent kills stop it from being a total write-off, but honestly. It’s a disaster.
Rating: ★½ | Year: 2018 | Watched: 2025-04-09
Where to watch (UK)
Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Physical: Amazon UK
Affiliate disclosure: Movies With Macca may earn a small commission on purchases or subscriptions started via these links. It costs you nothing extra.
Related on Movies With Macca
More from Shane Black: Iron Man 3 (2013) · The Nice Guys (2016)
More from the 2010s: Wonder (2017) · Beautiful Boy (2018) · The Witch (2015) · What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
More science fiction: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) · Fantastic Planet (1973) · Nightmare City (1980) · The Long Walk (2025)
More action: A Better Tomorrow (1986) · The General (1926) · Hand of Death (1976) · Daredevil (2003)
