1987's "Predator" is an interesting sci-fi adventure that effectively merged action and science fiction. It oozed testosterone with a cast that included Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jesse Ventura and Carl Weathers. It wasn't the most intelligent of films but it certainly wasn't the dumbest and would go on to box office success. Three years later "Predator 2" was released to critical distain and box-office indifference. Then came the disastrous (but financially successful) "Predator vs. Alien" films. So when Robert Rodriguez stated that he was going to finally give the original film the sequel it deserved I was excited. But the more I thought about it the more worried I became. Rodriguez's obsession with the b-movie aesthetic, which tends to cross over into ridiculous camp, doesn't exactly line up with what I liked about "Predator." It might not have been Shakespeare with phenomenal performances but it never strayed into the over-the-top cheesiness of Rodriguez's films (which in their own context tends to work just fine). I was actually thankful when it was revealed that Rodriguez wouldn't be directing the film but would oversee it from a production chair.

"Predators" starts out tremendously well and while some may debate the intelligence behind the set up I found the idea of a group of soldiers from a variety of ethical backgrounds and nationalities kidnapped from Earth and dropped on an unfamiliar planet that serves as a training ground for alien hunters as a suitable setup. It's not a dramatic departure from the original film's plot but it works well enough.

For the most part "Predators" is a traditional and expected romp through the forest with the occasional fight between tenuous teammates and well-timed killings from the silent and invisible foes. There's a lot of posturing between the characters but for the most par the performances are good enough. The film isn't particularly scary, but neither was the original. Sadly the various traps, set up by humans and aliens alike, are fairly boring.

Around the time we meet Laurence Fishburne's character things start to unravel. There had been a few campy moments leading up to his introduction but nothing too grievous. In the 30 or so minutes that follow the film dumbs down for the sake of "wouldn't it be cool if" moments that make little to no sense.

What we're left with is a film that has the right ideas but stumbles over itself as it reaches the finish line. It's far better than the "Alien vs. Predator" films but it is also more disappointing because it almost got it right.