The Predator, the latest chapter of the infamous Predator slate, cites earlier works, according to a main cast member.
Have you seen the original Predator, with Arnold Schwarzenegger and “Apollo Creed“?
Did you see the sequel, when Danny Glover was chasing the predator around throughout the city?
If you said no, to either inquiry, then you might want to brush up on your Predator cognition prior to viewing the upcoming thriller.
The Predator star Keegan-Michael Key, who is known for being one half of ‘Key & Peele‘, said that the movie contains some key referential things — not just to part one, but to Predator 2 and every other film in the chain, even the Alien vs. Predator series.
“The way [director-writer Shane Black] references the movies is really clever, especially if you’re a huge ‘Predator’ fan, and I’m a huuuuuge fan of this universe.”
The newest installment pulls bits from all of the previous movies.
Key explained the group of warhorses that his character is apart of behaves as a reference to the 1987 film in its reversal of the firsts’ concepts.
“Fred Dekker, the writer, said he wanted to flip everything from the first movie.
“In the first movie there’s this sense of this extremely capable, cocksure team and we’re the exact opposite. We’re people who doubt the veracity of our own existence and how we move through it. We’re broken, we’re scared, and we’re thrust into this position.”
Therefore as you see, it’s critical you watch all of the Predator movies before bolting out the door to check out the impending one.
So in order to fully prepare you for The Predator — below we’ve compiled a list of all of the movies in the Predator franchise.
These are not necessarily ranked, however. Feel free to share this itemization with every Predator fan you know.
Predator (1987)
Some fun facts about Predator:
- Shane Black played “Hawkins” in the original Predator.
- Jean-Claude Van Damme was originally cast as the Predator (with the premise that the action star would utilize his martial arts skills to make the Predator a nimble, ninja-like hunter). When compared to Schwarzenegger, Ventura, and Weathers — actors known for their bodybuilding regimes — it became evident a more physically imposing male was required to make the creature seem threatening. In addition, it was reported that Van Damme continually complained about the Predator suit being ‘too hot’ and caused him to literally pass out. He supposedly had too repeatedly voiced concerns about only appearing on camera in the suit. To boot, the original design for the Predator was felt to be too unwieldy and tricky to manage in the jungle and, even with a more upholding actor, did not arouse enough fear. Van Damme was removed from the movie and replaced by Kevin Peter Hall.
- Peter Cullen, who is uncredited in Predator, voiced both the Predator and Optimus Prime.
- The movie was originally titled “Hunter”, and the name wasn’t switched to “Predator” until after production.
Predators (2010)
Filmmaker Robert Rodriguez had developed a Predators script as early as 1994, though it wasn’t until 2009 that 20th Century Fox greenlit the venture. Accordant to Rodriguez, the title Predators is an allusion to the second movie in the Alien franchise, Aliens (1986). The title, too, has a double meaning, referring both to the extraterrestrial Predator beings and to the bunch of human characters who are tackled against them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyJtCD1TREM
Predator 2 (1990)
Some say, Predator 2 is the best one in the Predator series. One reason being, in the first movie, the Predator had only his wrist blades, cloaking device, and shoulder cannon. In Predator 2, the hunter comes with the standard weapons, however, packs a whole new satchel of goodies: a retractable spear, a spear gun, a net launcher, and the smart disc — a heat-seeking, bladed frisbee of demise.
Another reason some say Predator 2 is the favorite in the Predator franchise, is due to its monolithic 30-minute climax. The final standoff between Dutch and the Predator in the first movie was a mano-a-mano, classic blockbuster beatdown. By comparison, the finale of Predator 2 is more like a vibrant, around-the-clock death match in Overwatch, and it lasts roughly ? of the movie’s running time!
AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004)
Alien vs. Predator released on August 13, 2004 in North America, and garnered negative reviews from critics. The movie grossed over $173 million at the worldwide box office.
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)
If you love Predator movies, then you probably love this one too despite mostly negative reviews from film critics and a tepid response from fans. In one of the film’s scenes, you can see a gravestone with ‘Hawkins’ engraved into it. This is a reference to the character of the exact name from Predator, portrayed by Shane Black.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfgARlQo9ks
The Predator opens in select theaters on September 13th and worldwide September 14th. Watch the trailer below.
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