The iconic Predator remains an action-movie classic that is still thrilling to revisit all these years later. The 1986 film starred Arnold Schwarzenegger as the leader of a group of commandos on a mission in the remote jungle who encounter a deadly alien creature who hunts for sport.
As classic as the original film is, the franchise has had a difficult time continuing with much enthusiasm. With the critical and commercial failure of 2018's The Predator, the franchise might truly be finished. Here are some reasons why the Predator series should get another shot and some why it should be left to end.
Should Continue: The Predator Character
The one constant throughout this franchise has been that the Predator is a cool and effective villain. Regardless of the quality of the film that the creature appears in, it's always entertaining to see this badass alien in action.
The creature has become as iconic as the xenomorphs from the Alien franchise. It would be a shame to give up on such a wonderful cinematic creation. While there needs to be more work done to use the Predator effectively, it's worth keeping the franchise alive for the creature alone.
Should End: Genre Confusion
The original film was a brilliantly fun premise that introduced a science-fiction horror element to the classic men-on-a-mission action movie. The result was an exciting and thrilling adventure that felt new and fresh. Unfortunately, the genre-mashing also led to confusion about what genre it actually belongs to.
As the franchise went on, it seemed like people were seeing it as a horror story. While there are certainly elements of that, it works best transplanting the Predator creature into an action movie. The Predator went back to the action movie roots but focused on jokes over action.
Should Continue: Back To Basics
In the case of most franchises, fans tend to want to learn more about the world and dig deeper as the series goes on. However, that approach has proved to be a mistake for the Predator franchise as expanding the universe has led to diminishing returns.
The Alien vs Predator movie proved that idea is more interesting than the execution. The Predator made an even bigger mess of things, trying to set up further sequels but only succeeded in making the mythology less interesting. If the franchise forgets all the other business and just goes back to a solid and simple action story, it could get back on track.
Should End: Modest Budget
Given what a wild and intense action movie it turned out to be, it's pretty shocking that the original Predator film was made on a budget of just under $20 million. By contrast, 2018's The Predator was made for just under $100 million. That comparison could be the perfect example of why the Predator franchise's time is done.
These movies do not need to be, nor should they be giant blockbusters. The films are much more effective as smaller, modest budget films. Unfortunately, those don't really exist in Hollywood anymore, so the franchise is stuck being either way too small or way too big.
Should Continue: Memorable Characters
One of the best aspects of the original Predator film was the group of soldiers at the center of the plot. Schwarzenegger was joined by the likes of Jesse Ventura and Carl Weathers to create a solid ensemble that helped us become more invested in the story.
Some of the sequels have recognized the importance of the team aspect to these films, but they all failed to flesh these characters out into interesting and memorable individuals. If the next film really focuses on building strong characters, we might actually care about who becomes prey to the Predator.
Should End: New Direction Didn't Work
Sometimes when a franchise is fizzling out, a new and fresh voice is needed to breathe some new life into it. That seemed to be the case with The Predator as Shane Black was brought in to reinvent the series. Not only was Black involved in the original, but he is also the brilliant mind behind Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and The Nice Guys.
Despite all that promise, the new film fell flat. It felt new and a totally different approach to the franchise than what came before, and it was ultimately a disaster. If even a bold approach doesn't work, maybe the series is beyond resurrection.
Should Continue: More Potential
Turning the series into a big-budget action-comedy or having the Predator face off with a xenomorph might not have worked, but there are so many more interesting directions to take the series.
If the series does try to replicate the success of the first film, it would be wise to see what other types of action movies the Predator could be inserted into. Maybe we could see it wreak havoc in a heist film, or a war film, or even a Western. The series hasn't even scratched the surface of the kind of fun it could be having.
Should End: Fandom Is Gone
Hollywood is often criticized for having a lack of original ideas, and sometimes it can be hard to argue with that. They seem so eager to bring back any and every established property that is available, but they don't seem to consider whether or not there is a demand for it at all.
Predator was a hit and remains a popular film, but does it really have the kind of fanbase that is eagerly anticipating a continuation of the story? The commercial failure of The Predator would seem to suggest that the interest level in this franchise has been greatly overestimated.
Should Continue: Bring Arnold Back
There is one component of the franchise that has been missing since the first movie: Arnold Schwarzenegger. While it was fun to see the band of badasses take on the Predator, seeing Arnold go one-on-one with the creature in the finale was especially exciting.
Schwarzenegger hasn't had a lot of luck recently with his older beloved franchises, but it's clear he still has that same charm as an action hero. It might be a lot of fun to see him return to take on the Predator in a solid sequel.
Should End: One Good Movie
Predator might be a perfect lesson in why not everything needs to be made into a franchise. The first film remains an incredibly fun action movie, but maybe that's all this story was meant to give us. The fact that we have yet to get a good second film out of the franchise is very telling.
The original film is so good and the creature so memorable that it's hard to leave it alone, but time and time again we are seeing that the first film cannot be duplicated. Maybe it's time to admit we got one good movie and that's enough.