MovieChat Forums > Predator: Dark Ages (2015) Discussion > I Just Saw This

I Just Saw This

posted 9 years ago by chrismackey1972
12 replies | jump to latest

Awful, pathetic, cheap, and totally boring is what I expected this to be. I was very pleasantly surprised to find the opposite was true. I am a fan of some of the Predator films. I loved the original with Arnold. The second was awful. Alien Vs. Predator was awesome, but AVP2 sucked. Predators with Adrien Brody was - IMO - boring and could've been much better. This movie, Predator-Dark Ages, lifted the series up, even though it's fan-made.

It clocks in at 27 minutes with credits. It has a very professional look and feel to it. Unlike many fan-made, indie movies, this had good actors and what looked like good production value.

The special effects were good, but there weren't that many. There wouldn't be, since it takes place in what looks like the 1100-1300 era.

The movie got right to the action without wasting time on anything boring. The ending was a bit of a surprise, but I won't spoil it.

I'm guessing this was low-budget, but I tend to think that whenever a studio didn't produce and distribute it. Don't let that scare you. As I said earlier, it has the look, feel, acting, and production value of a studio-released film.

I gave this a 7-star rating because of my surprise at how well it turned out. I highly recommend if you like the Predator films.

[–] Metaljeeper 9 years ago

I just saw this a few minutes ago and was amazingly surprised.
I didn't expect something this high quality to come from fans. Sure it's not Hollywood budget, but it worked for me! It shows that you can create something good with a much lower budget.

I liked the little "I'm afraid of no man." ..... "This is no man." wink to the first Predator movie.

Yeah overall, excellent little movie!

 

[–] huomanchristian 9 years ago

Yeah, I agree with most of what you said, the production values are indeed great. The Predator itself was proabably the biggest (and the most positive) surprise, I was expecting a cheap halloween costume that would stay invisible all the time except for a quick glimpse, but what we got instead was a great looking Predator, almost like it was taken straight from the big screen.

[–] galaxyold11 9 years ago

the production values are indeed great

Ugh, except for the end-credits (well and costumes, actually), I didn't see much... CGI's borderline-awful.

At least one spectrum-change, to maybe filter an animal from the woods /forest against a crouched, or something, human - that may look the same /similar; and/or the Predator vision-change, to separate human from horse (for example, I wasn't the one coming up with ideas and filming it :))

At the end, the Predator moves horizontally through the portal, except the motion is vertical - as his plane of travel - up, towards the ship.

When the knight is looking around, with the helmet on and the camera is showing his point of view... Why not show him looking through the helmet, an over the shoulder shot - or SOMETHING - to make it a little bit interesting. It's SF, which they've attempted, after all.

.. Not to mention that the Predator is supposed to be tall.

[–] piratecannon 9 years ago

Agreed. It's a really well done little movie. There were only a few things I would change, but being a fan film with a limited budget, I think we can let this go:

1) The "Predator vision" effect. It works, but, for me, this is the only real area where the production seemed really out of whack compared to the polish of the rest of the film.

2) I thought there was a real missed opportunity during the climax for an homage to the classic Predator unmasking. I was kind of hoping the lead knight would have kept his helmet on for the duration of the fight and then, after reaching some sort of stalemate, he removes his helmet and the predator does the same thing. Could have been a nice scene.

3) I wish the opening would have given us a little more in terms of the squire (?) who's running from the forest. Just 3 or 4 more minutes of what led to that would have been a nice introduction to the period/context. An action scene at the start would have been a nice way to start with a bang, too.

Overall, really solid work, though.

[–] marty-130-840283 9 years ago

yeah, an introductory scene, or a few shots of the Predator (maybe a sillhoute, or shadow or something) because after the opening scene, theres lots of talking.

I thought it was cool, I just wish they killed it, at the end.

[–] galaxyold11 9 years ago

It needed a lot (more), from little details - to the big picture, meh.

[–] El_Guapo_Caballo 9 years ago

The unmasking scene you describe would have been epic if we never see the Knights face until the final confrontation scene where he slowly takes of his mask and we see his face is completely covered(deformed) by gruesome battle scars.

Also, for any one looking for a Predator film idea, here's mine : blend the Expendables franchise and the Predator franchise, you've got an instant blockbuster that will rake in millions....Bruckheimer, you out there....?

[–] colonel52 9 years ago

yeah it is worth seeing, but they copied too much from the films.
The only original part was the ending of the last fight.
At times it was quite funny, but they did do a good job with the predator.

One thing out of whack was the predator shooting one guy.
These people dont have guns so I think the predator would not use his.

http://tvtalk-your-show.forumotion.com/

[–] galaxyold11 9 years ago

Well it's about the Predator, not a three-headed chicken monster. :))

.. Well said about the guns, if we're to believe the lore.

[–] WVfilmfem 9 years ago

I enjoyed it. It actually had the feel of what might have been intended to be a full-length feature film that ran out of financial resources, and thus, cropped down to the essentials to complete a short film.

[–] MikeyLikesIt_357 8 years ago

You make a good point about this short "borrowing" from the other films.

Hell right around the 13 minute mark there is an exchange that is very similar to Billy talking to Poncho about this not being a man and that they're all going to die.

Overall I thought it was ok. I mean you really can't screw up a short THAT bad because you don't have to worry so much about filler and other nonsense.

[–] Anthoney999 9 years ago

I too was pleasantly surprised. One of the best made fan films out there. I liked it more than the last real Predator movie.

Give these folks some money.

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