Last night it came to me that I once posted the following about Predators

Just dream with me: Predator vs. Hannibal Lecter.

And that was before the series! The Hannibal of the series, with his nearly superhuman senses, his precise violence, the way he slips into insane environments and minds... Not to mention not!Jack! Hannibal would have a field day with him.

Two things that would happen: Predator Field Kabuki. Hannibal tricking humans into eating Predator flesh to figure out if it's safe for him to eat.

Predators wasn't a bad movie within the usual parameters of the franchise (although the most recent ones set the bar rather low), but it was also a frustrating one, because it hints at, and then avoids, a couple of what would have been very interesting innovations.

( Serious spoilers under the cut.Collapse )

I think we can no longer pretend that, at least narratively speaking, ugly guys with heavy weaponry, bulletproof armor, infrared vision and cloaking devices are inhumanly super-scary. Have you seen what the US infantry gets (when they are well equipped)? Predators is closer to Tom Clancy than to sci-fi these days, and therein lies the problem.

A Predators ficlet:

Three Predators. Eight Humans.

Throw them in a jungle. Watch the survivors.

Repeat.

How else could mankind prepare itself for the unavoidable war?

.finis.

( And a second one, this time post-movie, and thus a bit spoilery.Collapse )