Movie Thoughts Bundle (2025) #1

In this collection of short reviews, we’ll explore the year 2025 where fans of the Predator franchise had multiple opportunities to geek out and celebrate thanks to two movie releases meanwhile a new horror movie sets a new bar of success for the genre. 

1. Predator: Killer of Killers - 9/10

Predator: Killer of Killers takes the Predator franchise and does something not only refreshing with its animated anthology approach, but also surprisingly exciting in its entertainment value. I honestly went into this with tempered expectations thinking I'd be at least mildly entertained enough by the action that I simply give the whole movie a pass for its admirable efforts. What I didn't expect however was just how thrilling the experience would be as we transition from time period character story to the other all building up to one big epic final act of action. Each of our period piece installments felt like engaging Predator movies worth exploring on their own but effectively shortened down to its essentials.

Thanks to the solid pacing and writing for these 3 separate character entries, the audience is able to fully understand the general context of what's happening surrounding our "chosen warriors" within their unique settings and conflicts. And with the introduction of 3 new Predator types to match their own respected time period and battle, fans of the franchise get to enjoy a delightful feast of sheer carnage and tactical combat. It's everything that one can ever ask for in a Predator movie but in a delectable bite size form. Only...it doesn't stop there. 

Instead of being 3 separate shorts just loosely thrown together, we actually have a frame narrative that brings everything together in an arena style showdown. This is where the fun factor ramps up as our well established human characters are forced to fight each other before trying to escape which interestingly plays into their language barriers and clashing individual culture sensibilities. Overall, the writing and visual spectacle presented is truly something to be admired (albeit with the WWII era story being the weakest element but still entertaining) making Predator: Killer of Killers an absolute must watch for fans of the franchise. Honestly, this is probably the best Predator movie that we've had since the original. 

2. Weapons - 9/10

Unlike my experience with a recent horror movie that also so happened to involve a creepy killer, a supernatural mystery component, and a pretty solid marketing campaign (Longlegs), Weapons actually met my expectations for the most part. Going off of the trailers alone, I was really hoping for something unsettling in its premise and creepy in its visuals. And with a sigh of relief, I can happily say that I got just about what I wanted in that regard. I thought the investigative mystery element revolving around abruptly missing children from one single classroom and the dramatic emotional angle surrounding the parents and teacher involved was done rather well. 

There's a great Salem Witch trial type of narrative where the town immediately turns on the spotlighted teacher angrily pinning her as a criminal without any sufficient evidence beyond speculation. I honestly wasn't expecting the character drama to be as strong as it was during this section of the movie so kudos to the performances and direction overall. The decision to tell the story through character chapters, which could've easily come off as stylistically unnecessary, shows its merits once you experience the weight of each individual being severely affected by our central villain. This is where we get some of the more personal scares (some of which are pretty disturbing and freaky) utilizing certain relationship dynamics well alongside some notable camerawork whenever a scene ramps up in tension. 

As for the villain, I must say that Weapons offers up a new one for the books with one of the more memorable faces in recent horror history. Aunt Gladys is played exceptionally with an unnerving performance by Amy Madigan who seems almost inhuman at times playing both a witch sinisterly controlling people in addition to being creepily disguised as a happy-go-lucky aunt. Some of the imagery surrounding her was genuinely eerie, but I also liked the fact that there was a touch of vulnerability to her character. Where issues are concerned, I was a bit mixed on the score with sections sounding like generic background music for an investigation TV series while other snippets sounded genuinely ominous. Then you have the final act's big chase scene which went a tad bit too goofy for my taste. Still, very much worth the watch. 

3. Predator: Badlands - 9/10

Predator: Badlands is the perfect example of a movie that slightly exceeded my expectations in one area while going below them in another. Starting off with the positives, I was absolutely delighted and pleasantly surprised with how well the Predator species (the Yautja) were presented considering we get some great insight into a particular clan's culture sensibilities. Having the Yautja as a protagonist with a translated language is a first in the franchise and I thought the writers and production crew did a fantastic job at bringing this character to life. There's a surprisingly engaging family drama component revolving around our main lead, Dek, witnessing his brother's death by their father's hands while also being seen by his people as a weakness to his clan deserving of death. 

His motivation to then prove himself to his people by embarking on a dangerous hunt to retrieve a legendary trophy feels emotionally driven, personal, and epic in scope with some intriguing cultural elements attached. Just about everything surrounding the Predator story from the the highly entertaining action scenes, impressive cinematic direction and VFX work, solid original score, adventurous feeling hunt on a foreign planet filled with unique creatures, and a great build up to the main beast and eventual revenge mission were all well executed. This portion of the movie on its own is easily one of the best Predator movies that we've had thus far. But...that's not the entire movie. We also have the Weyland-Yutani component which is where I felt the movie went below my expectations.

In concept, I quite like the idea of a Predator being branded as a defect to his clan trying to prove his worth getting paired up with a companion android who is also seen as a defect by her own company trying to prove her value. It allows for two widely contrasting characters to share a similar arc creating a special bond as a result. The problem here unfortunately is that Thia (the android) felt like an unnecessarily annoying at times quirky companion where instead she could’ve simply just served as a slightly snarky and endearing sidekick offering lore building for the world surrounding our lead while being a nice contrast to his sensibilities. I felt they may have dialed up her bubbly personality a tad bit too high. It also doesn't help that the main villain, her "sister" (although perfectly pairs with the Predator’s personal villain being his own family) was rather dull and generic. Still, this is definitely worth a theater screening.