It was supposed to be canon, but it directly conflicted with it
Just curious, what did you think directly conflicted w/ canon? The notion of a game preserve maybe?
I'm so-so about "Predators." There were aspects of it that I liked, including the yakuza duel and Topher Grace reveal
Admittedly, I was left wondering how the predators (yautja?) picked him out; doesn't seem like their type even if they knew he was a serial killer (to me it'd be like a big game hunter chasing down a sea wasp jellyfish - totally different type of killer).
BUT, it implied something that, turns out, was an alternate ending (that I'm glad they trashed), where Dutch shows up in a ship to reveal that humans are now cooperating predators.
THAT would be a major conflict with canon, not to mention conflict with Dutch AND conflict with what little we've learned about predators. A game preserve is one thing; conspiring with the prey is a whole 'nother level of cringe.
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acidraindrop (3055)
2 years ago
Maybe "direct conflict" was a bit too strong for me to say but yeah, it's that: the notion of a game preserve. I thought it was a bit dishonest to treat Predators as a direct sequel to Predator 1 and change the worldbuilding to such a degree without even directly acknowledging it in the movie. This is a huge change, which I didn't even care for. I liked the notion of honor implied in Predator 1, which carried over to the ending of Predator 2.
But now treating human prey as though they were just hunting fodder, instead of a true test of skill? At least, that's what the idea of a game preserve conveys to me.
Obviously, we could come up with various explanations, some even better than that alt ending. Like maybe they thought this would be safer than to send predators to a different world. But that's all headcanon at that point.
And right now, all we have is that the predators looking at Topher Grace, and deciding yeah, let's drop him in with the rest. Yeah, he did end up successfully using subterfuge to his advantage but lol like I'm not really sure why he'd be considered something they'd want to fight, like the jellyfish you mentioned.
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ExTechOp (2770)
2 years ago
Ah, then I 100% agree with you. It just "feels" wrong for them to have a game preserve.
Admittedly, from a sci-fi perspective, it could make perfect sense. Humans are getting too technologically advanced to hunt "safely," especially when they keep collecting predator tech.
There were even "Star Trek Voyager" eps that dealt with this exact issue using their predator-ripoff species, the Hirogen. Hirogen settled on hunting holograms because ... I can't recall exactly but something to do with their tech stagnating. Whatever.
But I don't see predator franchise as hard sci-fi at its core. Rather, it uses sci-fi as a backdrop for hyper-macho Mano a Mano "Most Dangerous Game" storylines.
So yeah, boo on game preserves.
Reminiscent of an SNL skit starring Louis Farrakhan (of all people). Farrakhan played a big game hunter who hunts with a crowbar ... because he hunts at the local zoo
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acidraindrop (3055)
2 years ago
Hmm, the star trek reference sounds cool. And yeah, see, that'd be great if that sort of thing was brought up in the film. I'm not sure I would like it, but at least it would follow, and it wouldn't just be us using our imagination to consider the possibilities. Instead, Predators just felt like a lazy power creep in order to raise the stakes: "oooo scary, the humans can't get away at all". The inclusion of the dogs, and the blood fueled all added into this imo.
And yeah, agreed. Which is why, I'm like, I still might not like the movie too much if it tackled these more complex themes (but at least I'd be able to respect what it's doing).
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