I liked the direction, the effects, the design and the lead actress. I even liked the concept. However there was always something small breaking the illusion or grating, just enough so I can't enjoy the scene.
I would have rated this film higher if it weren't for the animal portrayals. In fact, for all portrayals! All native Americans are clean and noble, the French are dirty and disgusting and the animals always make a sound when the camera moves on them. It felt like a book for children to teach animal sounds: the dog goes woof, even if hunting or just sitting around, the wolf goes grrrr, even if he stealthily hunts a rabbit, the hawk goes aaaah, the bear goes roar, even if running. And, BTW, bears run really fast, not like that lazy CGI abomination.
You probably already know that the protagonist is a teenage girl - as is tradition, but what I liked about the film is that she kind of fit the narrative. Yet there were some scenes where she acted like a spoiled brat or like a psychopath or running and jumping after her foot got caught in a bear trap. While her people were engaging the Predator, she just stood and watched, gathering information. Same with the sympathetic Frenchman. That's not how a young girl from an isolated tribe behaves. I like Amber Midthunder, she is beautiful, although in a rather American way, and she was great in the action scenes. Yet when it came the time to emote, she was too much of a blank wall. And I don't blame her, I blame the direction here.
Probably the best character was her brother: loyal, kind, skilled. Kind of like her dog. As for the Predator, I liked the more primitive design, although he pulled his punches at the end, even if until then he killed everything with efficiency and ruthlessness. Especially annoying was the tooth scene. Really?! That's not how anatomy works.
The plot is interesting, but after half of the movie you get all kinds of coincidences and scenes that seem to only exist to propel the story in a specific direction. After escaping a bear attack and seeing the Predator for the first time, the hero meets a party from her tribe (who always appear out of nowhere from offscreen!) who came to find her, then she immediately decides to return to hunt the beast. Why did she leave if she wanted to hunt it?! Then there is the flower that lowers the temperature of the blood. Now that would be great medicine, only it doesn't exist! Nor does it really help the script. It could have been removed from the story and gain some more time for character development.
Another thing that was difficult to buy was how the invisible predator tricked wolves, dogs and bears as well as highly skilled forest hunters. I can believe that in a city or even in a jungle (as long as you stick to the trees), but in the environment where the film takes place, the Predator would have smelled, made sounds and left tracks all over the place. A creature that can lift a bear is heavy, it can't sneak up on you, even if you're blind.
Bottom line: little inconsistencies and a lack of emotional involvement made the film feel either bland or ridiculous at times. And it's too bad, because overall it was a decent film. Like a good quality bathing suit, only beige and with a bit of sand in it in all the wrong places.
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