There's a trend in Hollywood as of late, where sequels continue from certain points on a timeline of a series narration, and overlook sequels -- continuity be damned. David Gordon Green's Halloween sequel does this, building right off of the story in John Carpenter's original film. And Shane Black's new The Predator takes its cues from the original, but absolutely acknowledges Predator 2 as being canon. So when we sat down with the cast at a recent press day, we asked which of the previous Predator movies they suggested audiences watch before going to this new one, and they told CinemaBlend:
Trevante Rhodes: Definitely the first one.Augusto Aguilera: The first one, for sure. I think that's it. I think you just have to... But you can also watch this one -- you don't have to see the first one. Because it stands alone on itself. ... The story moves without that. But if you watch the first one, then you get all of the inside jokes.Rhodes: That's true. That's the fun part.
It definitely would be strange to drop into Shane Black's The Predator without having seen any of the previous films. Without diving into any specific spoilers, there are lots of references to the original film, and a few nods to the sequels, that will play better if you understand this world, and what has come before it. As young Jacob Tremblay explains, the humor is somewhat rooted in the audience understanding the point of the Predator movies, and that traces back to the first film.
Jacob Tremblay: The first one. You have to see the first one to sort of understand this one. There are lots of inside jokes.Boyd Holbrook: Yeah, we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the classic.
That being said, if you haven't yet seen Arnold Schwarzenegger facing off against an alien menace in the original Predator, what the hell is the matter with you? It's an action-movie classic. Rectify that nonsense, then grab a ticket to Shane Black's new film.
In The Predator, a military sniper (Boyd Holbrook) on mission in Mexico encounters a small Predator who is on a mysterious mission of his/her own. Caught up in a government investigation, Holbrook must now team up with a band of loony ex-soldiers and a curious scientist (Olivia Munn) to prevent an Ultimate Predator from causing even more harm.
The movie opened in theaters on Thursday night, and is poised to take the box office by storm this weekend.
