2018's The Predator was supposed to be a rekindling of the epic sci-fi franchise's roots, but it ended up being an amalgam of terrible dialogue, a poor story, and misguided casting. With no current plans for a follow-up, it seems the Predator franchise has been put into cryo-freeze for the time being.
Hollywood won't let an established IP go to waste, so it's only a matter of time before the intergalactic hunters are thawed out for another bloody romp against humankind. Here's 10 things that are absolutely vital for rebooting the Predator franchise, in no particular order.
DITCH THE COMEDY
Predator films work best when comedic elements aren't self-aware. This has been true since the original Schwarzenegger classic, right up to 2010's epic sequel Predators. The 2018 sequel The Predator put comedy right at the forefront, with the poorest of results.
Ill-timed and ill-conceived, it ruined all the spookiness and tension that make Predator films so much fun to watch. If the reboot is to move forward, comedy needs to feel natural, and appropriately timed.
CAN THE CGI
One of the worst aspects of 2018's The Predator was the reliance on a CGI uber-Predator to drive the latter half of the narrative. This backfired in a big way, proving just how effective a man in a suit really is.
CGI is frequently an easy way out, and when applied to the wrong kind of character, it can completely destroy the immersion and the experience. The Predator is an organic creature, and that requires a super-tall dude in makeup and a mask.
NO MORE SUPER-PREDATORS
2010's Predators changed the franchise formula by featuring three Predators that were bigger, stronger and deadlier than their traditional counterparts, even going so far as to describe the difference between the two as "wolves vs. dogs." The Predator took this in a separate direction by suggesting that the Yautja race was combining DNA to make themselves stronger.
Time to move on from this. The original Predator design was just fine, and they don't need to retread this ground. All it does is trivialize the deadly nature of the original creature, which was capable of wiping out an entire special forces crew without batting a lash. Bigger isn't always better!
EXPAND ON THE PREDATOR'S CAPABILITIES
Predator 2 approached the titular creature correctly. It built upon what the original film established by adding new weapons, vision modes and hunting tricks employed by the Yautja race. Predators would also move in this direction by introducing hunting dogs to flush out prey, which was an excellent plot device.
Predator weaponry and technology is crafty and advanced. There's bound to be more of it to show off! If the Predator franchise does get a reboot, fans would rather see an expansion of what's already there, rather than unimpressive updates to vision modes and shoulder cannons.
BRING BACK SOME ESTABLISHED CHARACTERS
The inclusion of Jake Busey's character Shawn Keyes in The Predator was one of the most unforgivable missed opportunities in cinema. It refused to flesh out the character's relation to Predator 2's Peter Keyes, effectively sidelining the character for all but the most vested Predator fans.
Not many survive an encounter with the Yautja, so surely fans could see Schwarzenegger reprise his role as Dutch Schaefer alongside Danny Glover's Mike Harrigan. They could be cameos or full-on leading roles, but to eliminate these seasoned Predator killers entirely from the narrative seems like a miss.
FEATURE THE PREDATOR HOMEWORLD
Audiences caught a rare glimpse of the Yautja home planet in the much-maligned Aliens Vs Predator: Requiem, but what about a little more focus in the next movie? It's almost loathsome to suggest it, as it could easily be handled wrong, but eventually fans are going to need to learn more about the Yautja as a culture.
So far, only the comic books have managed to dive into this portion of Predator lore, and that's hardly canon. A Predator sequel set a few hundred years into the future could see humans trapped on the Yautja home planet, uncovering its secrets while dodging plasma caster fire!
SHOW MORE CREATURES
It's no fun to see Predators squaring off against humans all the time. Sure, they've battled the infamous Xenomorphs, but if that trophy room in Predator 2 is any indication, the Yautja definitely get up to some serious intergalactic adventures on a routine basis.
Predators was the only film that showed an alien race other than the Xenomorphs, and its time was cut short. Fans want to see the Yautja tackle some beastly prey, to showcase how they take down other life forms.
TIME TRAVEL
A new Predator film could take place in the future, but what about the past? After all, things were never the same after fans caught a glimpse of that old 1715 pistol thrown to Mike Harrigan by a respectful Elder Predator. It's not the first time the Yautja have been to Earth, so who knows what they've been up to in the past?
No need to go that far back, either. Imagine a Predator film set during the pitched fever of World War II, or within the jungles of Vietnam! Fans would pay to see either!
NO RIDICULOUS PREDATOR SUITS
The Predator capped off its crazy run with a suit of Yautja-killing armor gifted to humanity by a renegade hunter. Preposterous on its face, it's fair to say that fans don't need to see a human in a ridiculously over-the-top Predator suit. The lack of a planned sequel means this idea will probably never see the light of day, which is a good thing.
The last thing audiences want to see are humans rampaging through Predator enclaves and laying waste to every Yautja in their path. This would effectively tear the spine right out of the entire franchise, by killing any sense of dread. The Predator movies are all about fight or flight instincts. Eliminating this primal emotion from the narrative would spell disaster for a reboot.
MORE INVENTIVE KILLS
Predator kills have always been magnificent, even when they happen off screen. Nobody needed to see how Billy died in the original Predator. Nay, our imaginations painted a far more gruesome picture! Over the years, Predator kills have become more comic book, and less grisly. That's not what the series is about. Being stalked by an unseen killer who can remove your spinal column from your skeleton with a simple tug is what makes the creature such a fearsome force!
Fans don't want to see human beings exploding from a wrist-blade or plasma caster shot. It's silly, lazy and unimpressive. In order to drive home the impact of a Predator film, viewers need to see what happens when one of these frightening killers catches up with you, and moves in for the kill!