The Predator for beginners
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With the newest film in the Predator franchise out, it occurred to me that people might require a refresher course on the series. So I’m going to do my best to explain just what their whole deal is. That way, anyone who’s interested can go in studied up with all the knowledge they need to not mix up their Dutch from their Royce.
Oh, and I’m not mentioning the Alien vs Predator series simply because I didn’t want to rewatch them.
What is the predator?
The Predators are an alien species. They’re sort of reptilian looking and are typically a couple of feet taller than a human. Predator society revolves around hunting. They’re obsessed with finding the strongest prey and besting it fairly. They make trophies out of notable victim’s skulls because, at heart, they’re secret emos. When something kills a predator, the species adapts and returns stronger in a cycle of artificial evolution.
Predators act by a code of ‘ethics’- essentially the rules of a fair fight. So they tend not to kill unarmed people who are not a threat/challenge. They break this code more often than you’d think, though. Firstly, no human at all is a real challenge for them so its a bit weird where they draw the line. And second, when they’re defeated, they have a habit of setting off the nuke they have on their wrist computer. Not very sportsmanlike if you ask me.
What are their weapons?
Retractable wrist-blades, razor-sharp nets and spears for melee combat. Homing discs capable of cutting a man in half. Most famous though, is their shoulder-mounted plasma cannon. This fires at targets after locking onto them with it’s iconic three red dots.
Along with these advantages, the Predator wears a mask that allows them to see in various frequencies of the electromagnetic spectrum. Usually, they use thermal radiation to track oblivious humans. Their cloaking device allows them to be nearly invisible. They’re also stronger, faster and more agile than us. So… yeah, the fact that they lose at all is the most unrealistic part.
What’s happened so far?
Because we’re only three films in, the continuity is mercifully simple. The salient information is that in 1987 a predator hunted a team of US special forces through a Central American jungle (Predator) Their leader Dutch (Arnie) managed to defeat it after it exterminated his entire team.
Ten years later, in Los Angeles, another predator hunted a cop played by Danny Glover and he similarly killed it, earning respect from the Predator elders. The government are aware of the creature and unsuccessfully try to capture it. (Predator 2).
Because of its location (which I won’t spoil), the third film (Predators) is mostly irrelevant despite being the best movie in the franchise. Seriously, watch Predators. It’s great.
Happy hunting!