If it bleeds, we can kill it.

The Predator is the newest entry in the Predator franchise, featuring everyone’s favorite intergalactic trophy hunter, the Predators (otherwise known as the Yautja). This time around, an army sniper (played by Boyd Holbrook) comes in contact with a pair of Predators—one normal and one that’s much bigger and upgraded—that are wreaking havoc on suburbia, USA. He teams up with fellow soldiers that are a bit unstable (featuring the likes of Keegan-Michael Key, Alfie Allen, and Thomas Jane) against these hunters. Also Olivia Munn is in here as a scientist studying the Predators, and Jacob Tremblay is here as Boyd’s autistic son that can understand languages.

As much as I’m a huge fan of this creature and of the original Arnold Schwartzneggar movie, I definitely had some concerns about this film. Watching the trailers didn’t put my mind at ease, and what’s worse is that the film is written and directed by Shane Black. Let’s talk about him for a minute. Shane Black was actually one of the original actors in Predator, playing as Arnold’s glasses wearing, girlfriend’s vagina joke making commando Hawkins. You’d think this would give the film an edge. Heck, he’s proven to be a capable film director and writer having made great films like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and The Nice Guys. But he also wrote and directed Iron Man 3, and I personally disliked that movie, believing it to be the worst of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films. So yeah, you can understand my concern.

The Predator movies need a serious kick to get them back to the original film’s glory. That, or a new Predator/Alien game. Not one film in the series, including the two AVP films, have been able to match up to the original. So maybe this will be the one to do so. So, how does this one hold up? To borrow a quote from Arnold from the first Predator, “YOU SET US UP! It’s all bullshit! All of it!”

I remember an interview that featured director Shane Black, and there he stated that this sequel was going to be the scariest one of the bunch. He lied. There is nothing scary about this movie, mainly because there’s absolutely no suspense in this movie at all. Hell, the movie is played more as a comedy than an action horror. Seriously, there are one too many jokes made in this movie, and that’s where it suffers the most. The jokes made in this movie are not funny. Well, technically. I did laugh at a couple jokes, mainly of how cheesy they were. There’s one in particular where the regular Predator slaughters a truck full of soldiers, and the driver asks if everything was alright back there, and the Predator takes this severed arm and gives the driver a thumbs up. That was a little funny to me. But why did this movie have to be a comedy? There’s a space alien that skins people and rips their spines out. That should be shit-your-pants scary!

But my biggest gripe is its overall story. So this new Predator, dubbed the Upgraded Predator, is some kind of experiment done on his own people and he has the DNA of multiple species to be the ultimate hunter. I seriously doubt any member of the Yautja species, especially from the clan elders, would ever allow such a thing to happen. Not only that but Jacob Tremblay’s character manages to crack the Predator code in a matter of minutes? Look, I don’t doubt that because of his form of autism that he’s likely to do so. I’m autistic myself. But I have to call bullshit because it really does not fit in something like Predator. Hell, there was a moment where the Upgraded Predator is hunting down Tremblay, and that’s a huge violation of the Predator’s code of honor. Not to mention that none of these Predators are doing their shit stealthfully. So basically the secrets out that there are Predators existing, which is another violation of their code. My point is that much that goes on in this movie shits on the lore, and it’s just overall bad storytelling.

There is also little characterization in this movie. All of these characters only have quips and querks. Even the ones that are suppose to be intimidating and serious, but they make one too many jokes that you cannot take them seriously. Hell, I don’t even remember their character names, mostly because I really didn’t care for any of them.

And the ending... oh my god, that fucking ending is just stupid. Just... fuck!

But is there anything good I can say about this movie? Well, despite have little characterization, the acting is pretty good. I mean, the all deliver believable performances. And the Predators are still cool. They’re doing what they usually do. I especially like the design for the regular Predator. And there were some pretty cool, gory kills. That’s all I got, I’m afraid.

Guys, this movie was a huge disappointment, and is definitely the worst of the Predator movies. The only other positive to come out of this movie is that I got to see it with my dad, who is a fan of the original film too, and he thought this movie wasn’t too bad. He actually gives the movie a C, and I respect that. He got more enjoyment in this movie than I did. If you’ve seen it by now and like it, more power to you. I just really didn’t like this movie, and I don’t think Shane Black should be allowed to do any franchises after this one.

Positives:

-Acting

-Some cool kills

Negatives:

-The comedy

-No suspense

-Bad story

-Weak characterization

-Craps on Predator lore

-The ending

Final Grade: F

It’s a little sad that the only worthwhile sequels of the Predator series is Alien vs Predator and Predators, which, in truth, aren’t bad movies at all. I just wish that the Predator franchise had a movie of their own that was like how Aliens was for the Alien franchise.

So that’s my disappointed thoughts on The Predator. A movie so disappointing that The Nun is actually better. I fucking kid you not! Have you seen it? What were your thoughts? Please be kind, leave a like and comment, and check out more reviews here on Prose!

Also, thank you to all those that followed and read my Predator Countdown reviews, leading up to this movie. If anyone is curious about my thoughts on those movies, you can check out the following links to those reviews below:

Predator: https://theprose.com/post/205724/harry-situation-s-countdown-reviews-predator

Predator 2: https://theprose.com/post/211579/harry-situation-s-countdown-reviews-predator-2

AVP: https://theprose.com/post/214160/harry-situation-reviews-alien-vs-predator

AVPR: https://theprose.com/post/218179/harry-situation-s-countdown-reviews-aliens-vs-predator-requiem

Predators: https://theprose.com/post/222936/harry-situation-s-countdown-reviews-predators

Best Quote:

Quinn McKenna: “What are you?”

Ultimate Predator: “What are you?”

Quinn McKenna: “Shut the fuck up.”

#harrysituationreviews #predator #scifi #action #horror #film #opinion #thismoviesucks

The very first thing is to have all weapons destroyed worldwide, and create better solutions for a world of peace.

Second, insure free healthcare for everyone in the world. All nations would pull their resources into a world-free base.

Third, make it so that all people of all nations have adequate supplies to build homes, fresh water, grow and produce crops and that hunger no longer touches anyone, young or old.

Fourth, have education for everyone at no cost. No mind should ever be wasted, and each mind should be filled with knowledge they can use.

Fifth, create one large prison for anyone who feels they can usurp law and order, and do great harm to another living being, and that they be housed there for the rest of their life.

To further explain this, the prison would only be for those who continue to persist in a manner that needs to be eradicated which is criminal behavior, the type that is repetitive ... if a man kills eleven times do we think he will let the twelfth one live? Outside of execution which I'm not in favor of, there are no other alternatives to insure another person's safety. And there are/would be times when choices have to be made to insure that safety.

Sixth, [This place is reserved for the people to bring me their ideas to improve conditions they feel are important, for no thought, no idea, is too small or unimportant that I cannot help but listen to.]

In this way, what comes after I am gone; someone will find an even better way to treat each other and the world.

Whether you wanted one or not, Season 2 of Iron Fist has arrived on Netflix. Continuing from the first season, as well as The Defenders, Danny Rand aka the Iron Fist (reprised by Finn Jones) continues to defend New York City. But things get complicated when his old rival Davos (Sacha Dhawan) makes an attempt to replace Danny as the Iron Fist.

If you recall from my review of the first season, I didn’t think it was as bad as the critics made it out to be. Although, that was because, unlike most critics, I chose to watch the complete season rather than just the first two or three episodes. Yet, I did find it to be a very disappointing series overall, especially when you compare it to Marvel and Netflix’s other hint shows. But now that Scott Buck was removed as showrunner for this season, did Iron Fist improve?

I’m going to say yes... at least just by a little.

Okay, so the big improvement is Finn Jones as the titular character. I’ve stated in my first review of the series how he poorly performed the character, but it wasn’t his fault completely. It really was how his character was written. He’s much more tolerable in this season now. Much like how he was in The Defenders. Hell, he’s finally proven himself to be a badass in his own right too.

The supporting cast and characters are good too, with one exception that I'll get into later. Colleen Wing is still the best character. But she might have been a little upstaged by another favorite character Misty Knight. Yup, Misty Knight guest stars on Iron Fist. At first, I thought she was going to serve as a one-time guest role like Danny Rand did in Luke Cage, but she's actually in most of the series, and a definite welcome addition to the crew.

The villain is pretty good too. Instead of having four different baddies trying so desperately to claim the title of main villain in Season 1, Season 2 has centered on Davos as the main villain and it works. Davos serves as a perfect contrast to Iron Fist. You definitely understand his motivations and can see how badly he's corrupted by his own obsessions. And the conflict between him and Iron Fist makes for the best parts of this second season.

The fights are much better this time around too. That’s mostly because they got Clayton Barber as the fight coordinator, who previously worked on Black Panther. He’s a fan of old school kung fu and each fight scene in the season shows it. It's more stylized, it's much faster, and it's up to par of what to expect from a series like Iron Fist.

But this season still has it's major faults. It still has a pacing issue like in the last season. While this season has been cut down to ten episodes, there are a couple of episodes that felt like they dragged on too long, like the third episode for example. It felt like 45 minutes of nothing happening.

Not to mention that these people still make similar or the same mistakes in last season. Why does nobody call the cops in these shows? And why can't Danny just wait until help arrives? As Napoleon Dynamite said it best, idiots!

Also, I gotta talk about Alice Eve's character in the show. She plays a character this season named Mary Walker, who is a skilled mercenary with split personality disorder, and in the comics she is known as Typhoid Mary. She'll switch from the quiet and pleasont Mary to the cold and take-no-shit-from-anyone Walker. I really didn't buy into her character at all. I thought her character was a bit unneeded, and I find it really hard to believe that our main heroes will go trusting her and her abilities after she kidnapped and drugged one of their members. Again, our characters are making stupid decisions.

Overall, I'm glad to say that this season was a much greater improvement over the last one, despite it still having some major flaws. Get your fists glowing for this season because this is where Iron Fist truly starts off on his journey in the MCU.

Positives:

-Iron Fist character improved

-Supporting cast still great

-Better fights

-Better villain

-Marvel references

-Improvement over the first season

Negatives:

-Still has a pacing issue

-Stupid-ass characters still making stupid-ass mistakes

-Typhoid Mary

Final Grade: C+

And those are my thoughts on Iron Fist Season 2. Have you streamed it yet? What were your thoughts? Was it better or worse than Season 1? Please be kind, leave a like and comment, and check out more reviews here on Prose!

And if you’re curious about my thoughts of the first season, click on this link here: https://theprose.com/post/144093/harry-situation-reviews-iron-fist

Best Quote:

Colleen Wing: "History doesn't decide what happens next. We do."

#harrysituationreviews #Marvel #Netflix #superheroes #action #opinion

Before I begin I am legally required to inform you that this piece is official propaganda put out by the International Confederation of Raccoons. This fact by no means invalidates the sense behind our argument.

Have you ever wished that you could ignore all the niceties of social interaction? That you could do and say and eat whatever you wanted?

Have you ever wished that you could ignore basic hygiene, be a generally obnoxious jerk, and leave crap on your neighbor’s lawn without legal recourse?

Become a raccoon. We offer a multitude of attractive benefits to the everyday slob. Raccoons need not get education, a job, or a car. They can live anywhere they please, no matter who owns their chosen abodes before they do.

Raccoons are generally considered to be attractive. No makeup is necessary, as eyeliner is already genetically provided. Raccoons all also receive a beautiful striped tail and pointy ears.

Our urban raccoons are entitled to free catering services delivered to a number of established locations daily. Food cannot be chosen beforehand, but quality is guaranteed.

The troubles of humanity do not plague the majestic and fearsome Raccoon. Become one, and move with us into the future.

Disclaimer: Human response to raccoon activity may include traps, poisoning, and/or death. Annoy and infest at your own risk. The International Confederation of Raccoons is not liable for consequences of any such actions.