Shane Black’s newest film, “The Predator”, is the latest installment in the Predator franchise. The reviews are out and most critics are not too impressed. Others, however, are incredibly pleased with Black’s comedy driven sci-fi gorefest.

The movie starts with a bang (literally and figuratively). The first scene shows two predator ships racing towards earth. One of the ships crashes in spectacular fashion just as sniper Quinn McKenna (Boyd Holbrook) is trying to finish his mission. A short, but exciting fight ensues and Quinn makes it out alive with a few toys he stole from the seven-foot alien beast. He finds himself with a group of other military prisoners and in a tangled mess of top-secret information concerning the alien. This group of misfit prisoners and a science teacher, Casey Bracket (Olivia Munn) who was hired to study the alien, soon cross paths and find themselves having one thing in common: they want to stay alive.  

The rest of the film is about the unlikely team of misfits trying to kill the alien before it kills them. Violence and gore are turned up to the max in this visual extravaganza, making it easily the most violent film in the franchise. Thankfully, the intense action is balanced out with an incredible amount of humor supplied by both the script and the lovable cast. Almost every scene has some sort of joke or gag in it, creating a very comedic vibe.  Granted, the humorous nature of the film did take away from some of its more serious moments, but the blend of witty, inappropriate jokes and senseless, bloody violence complement one another so well that the film is one long joyride.

As far as Predator movies go, this one has the most bang for its buck. “Predator” and its two sequels have a very average amount of alien screen time, but what makes the most recent installment different is that it does not waste time attempting to over explain plot points. There is no setup, suspenseful foreshadowing or long drawn out scenes hinting at the terrifying alien. As a matter of fact, the audience is introduced to the lovable and iconic monster in the first scene. This is why “The Predator” is so great: it knows what it is, and it wastes zero time trying to beat around the bush.

Some critics found the fun and action-packed film to be a complete mess. Others, however, were able to appreciate its simplistic and enjoyable nature. The fact of the matter is that most critics took the movie too seriously. This is especially evident in a review written by critic David Sims in The Atlantic.

“The Predator is a confused, sloppy mess of a film, overstuffed with zingy one-liners and lacking in coherence,” said Sims. “Cute patter aside, the main reason to come to a Predator movie is the action, and that’s where ‘The Predator’ really disappoints.”

“The Predator”, in reality, is not a sloppy mess, or a disappointment. Black knew what he wanted his movie to be and he delivered. It may seem “messy” to a normal movie critic, but the point of the film is not to conform to the standard movie formula.

Brian Tallerico, a critic for rogerebert.com, sums the movie up in just a couple of sentences.

“Yes, this movie has predator dogs,” said Tallerico. “Dear reader, you probably know if you want to see a movie with predator dogs or not. If you do, I can’t imagine you won’t be happy with this one,”

Anybody who wants to sit down and enjoy an hour and fifty-eight minutes of pure fun should definitely consider watching “The Predator”. Yes, the movie has flaws, but they are aren’t intrusive enough to hinder its mood or take away from its overall theme. It is fun, violent, stupid and a perfect example of non-stop entertainment. Though its reviews are low, its watchability is incredibly high.