After 38 years, the Predator IP has finally entered Chinese cinemas, but at the cost of a complete overhaul and a radical transformation… After watching this film, I increasingly felt that the so-called “multiculturalism” and “postmodern deconstruction” need to be paused. These things are constantly eroding our dimensions, standards, and even contradictions. It can be said that in this film, one can clearly see that Fox, since being acquired by Disney, is constantly exploring its own content production, much like the iterative algorithm of short video pushes. It is obvious that it has the fast-paced, frequently homaging and replicating formula of *Alien: The Deadly Ship* (of course, including OOC), and even the nonsensical writing of the TV series *Alien: Earth Season 1* . First, let’s talk about the truly outstanding advantages. The non-stop action scenes throughout the film are very exciting. Even though the classic formula of seeing strange local products at the beginning tells you that the protagonist will later “use them for my purposes,” the actual application of these products later is still very innovative and very much in line with the Predator’s field expert and his practical style of adapting to local customs. Furthermore, with the upgraded special effects, the Predator is no longer confined to appearing in darkness; the fight scenes throughout the film are brightly lit, and the interactions between combatants are very smooth. The downside is that the choreography is too human-like, losing the Predator's original sense of power as a giant. Another issue is that, apart from the shoulder cannon, all the Predator's weapons in the old version were primitive weapons with high-tech internals, such as the head-locking frisbee, the retractable spear, and the wrist claws. Although not explicitly stated, they were all described as being able to cut through iron like butter, but in this film, regardless of the specifics, even the plasma blade can cut through anything, and the androids are all armed with laser guns. This is clearly a product of Hollywood's overabundance of special effects, which feels somewhat cheap. Okay, now for the unbearable rant. I just don't understand, why does a good monster movie have to keep turning into a family drama? In *Alien: Earth Season 1*, the female lead, as a half-human with a flawed humanity, is able to obey the Xenomorphs like a dog? In *Predator: Kill Zone*, Ellie, as an android, is half-human, yet the Predators suddenly start showing off their family-like camaraderie? What's the deal? Do these non-human beings have to put together a whole group to create a complete humanity? Is it all about creating a "good guy" image? Let's review the Predator worldview from the past. The Predators, a race that completely believes in the supremacy of strength, came to Earth solely to challenge the strong. In humanity's existing social value system of helping the weak (like the scene where the governor rescues the village heroine), the Predator is an ALIEN, an outsider. They even become a arbiter in that jungle. In the first movie, all of the governor's teammates were filtered out by this outsider mechanism—they lost and died. Only the governor succeeded in the challenge, thus upholding humanity's value system. But the Predator didn't lose either, because he fought to the very end, willing to nuclearly explode to uphold his fighting spirit. In the second movie, the Predator forces actively went to Los Angeles, where battles were more frequent and the challenges more difficult, still upholding their hunting value of challenging the stronger. Humanity, having prepared in advance, planned to arrest and study the Predator, proactively attempting to "tame" it. The result? The entire force was wiped out. Ironically, the detective protagonist accidentally killed the Predator. Although the Predator Elder spared the detective at the end, it didn't shake the Predator's code of honor. Why? Because the Predator Elder incorporated the detective into his value system by acknowledging him as a powerful figure. In *The New Predator* , although the original Predator actively cooperated with the protagonist, it wasn't a partnership. Only through cooperation could he have a chance to challenge the Lion-faced Predator again, even if it meant death. Even the *Alien vs. Predator* series adhered to this set of values. In contrast, this Predator's motivation from the start is based on two very "human" things: brotherhood and anti-patriarchy. Wow, is this the standard formula for the entire universe? Let's take a look at the stupid adaptations made to anthropomorphize the Predator. 1. The Predators, originally designed to be over 2 meters tall on average, are now the same height as humans. And they even have to imply that this is "flawed." 2. They have to sport dreadlocks, and even their skin color, compared to the yellowish-white of previous generations, is now brownish-brown. Oh, right! We Predators are embracing multiculturalism now. Regardless of height, weight, or skin color, we Predators also have LGBTQ+ people, and I think I can be a Predator! (It's not that the film actually supports LGBTQ+, but this kind of characterization is clearly influenced by contemporary trends, blurring the originally very distinct traits of the characters, resulting in an awkward and incongruous whole.) 3. They start talking and exchanging emotions like humans. Even to facilitate eye contact, the male lead doesn't wear a high-tech mask throughout the entire film! (This is a retcon; according to the first film, the Predator race is actually severely nearsighted and relies on the mask's imaging system.) 4. They form families and partnerships; we are a family! ~🎆🎆 Let's make dumplings together! The brotherhood at the beginning is one thing, but later the tough male protagonist is completely tamed by the female protagonist's "benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness"—human values. Seriously, this is massive colonization and cultural export! At its core, it's still Disney stuff. And then there's the "be yourself" thing. It's just another tired trope from Avatar, or even Lawrence of Arabia. Only this time, the colonization of racial values is replaced with human civilization. High emotional intelligence: This is the only movie where the protagonist, a tough guy, doesn't die. Low emotional intelligence: He was tamed into a "human" from the beginning, a complete and utter loser. In the end, it seems like Deckard wins, but ultimately, it's the "humanity" colonized within him that wins… What a parasitic, resurrected spectacle. In the end, I abandon my original family, embrace multiculturalism, and build a new family. You might ask, is this problematic in reality? It might be, but isn't this an alien monster movie? Am I here for a family-friendly movie? Am I here for The Lion King? Am I here for Star Wars with Yoda teaching Luke + Luke vs. Darth Vader? Disney, you deserve to die a horrible death. And then there's the awful Wieland-Utahni system UI, which directly uses computer sound effects from *Alien* . It's truly disgusting, a complete exploitation of old intellectual property. After watching this, I feel that going back to the era of "passive freedom" of public opinion 20 years ago wasn't such a bad thing; the current "active freedom," which spreads like a virus, is suck.
