Against my better judgement, I'm looking forward to "Predators". Even though none of the recent sequels have been any good (and even the second one was only so-so, at best), I think this one could be fun. It has a bunch of actors that I like and the trailers did a good job selling it. But there's one thing that really bothers me.

When discussing the basics of screenwriting, I always use the original "Predator" as the example of the most basic possible story. The entire plot is that people are being hunted and once they realize they are being hunted, they need to "get to tha choppa!" I mean, it really doesn't get simpler than that.
The thing that makes me nervous with this version is that it doesn't seem like there's a chopper to get to. The trailer sets it up that the people are dropped in the jungle, quickly realize they are on a game preserve, and then... survive?

Hopefully, the writers will have given the characters some sort of endgame besides simply not getting killed. Even the similarly basic, "Battle Royale" gave the film's students a goal beyond not dying. We shall see.

Although, depending on how the weekend goes, I might find myself checking out the indie "The Kids Are Alright" over "Predators".