The 1987 film Predator inspired a number of spinoffs from the inane (Alien vs. Predator) to the ghastly (Predator 2), and it was definitely time for a reboot before the titular hunter became a tedious cliché. I’m not a huge Robert Rodriguez fan, but this is one time where he’s assembled the perfect team for the job, and Predators is a non-stop thrill ride of an action film, laced with satisfying violence, exotic weapons, and vulgarity.
There are hundreds of films based on a group of different people being dropped into a situation where they need to band together to survive a threat. It’s perhaps one of the most common themes in cinema and is the heart of just about every war movie too. Predators takes this same core dramatic concept and spins it just enough to be interesting: the majority of the humans never do learn to trust each other, begrudgingly cooperating just enough to mitigate the immediate threat.

Another great review, Dave! I appreciate your perspective on a film that I too liked very much. Action films can be scrutinized like any other film, but as long as they keep my attention, keep me entertained, and build some suspense, my scrutiny becomes lessened. It will be interesting to see where they take “2” (the sixth in the Predator/AVP series).