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發表於 15-3-2010 10:49:41
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SXSW: First Look at Bigger, Nastier Predators
Read More http://www.wired.com/underwire/2010/03/sxsw-predators/#ixzz0iD38Ruqf
AUSTIN, Texas — One of the most-loved killers from ’80s sci-fi is back, and he’s nastier and more brutal than ever.
Producer Robert Rodriguez and director Nimrod Antal screened first-look footage of Predators Friday night for 200 or so lucky attendees on the opening night of the South by Southwest Film Festival and Conference, then talked at length about returning the franchise to the character-driven feel of 1987’s classic Predator. (In the photo above, Nimrod, left, and Rodriguez stand in front of production art for Predators during the special screening.)
The Predators in the upcoming film, due in July, are part of a newtribe we haven’t met yet, the duo said during the packed screening. Asin the original film, every Predator is a trophy hunter and an expertin stalking and killing its prey, but each monster has its ownspecialized skill. There’s a falconer Predator who has a little UAVthat serves as its eyes in the sky, a dog handler Predator (we got tosee production art of its dog, sort of a dinosaur-wolf hybrid) and a“Super Predator” the production team refers to as “Mr. Black.”
You can view additional images from the screening, as well as abehind-the-scenes video from Rodriguez that includes footage shownFriday, below.
As seen in the production art, the aliens all look familiar, withthe same dreadlocks, fearsome mandibles and bad-ass body armor of theoriginal. But everything has been updated — there’s new weaponry, newarmor, and an overall sleeker look.
“If the original was the 8-track version,” said Rodriguez, “then these are the iPod versions.”
Rodriguez was given the chance to write a sequel to 1987’s Predatorback in 1996. He wrote a script, flirted with the idea of directing itand even got to pitch it to Arnold Schwarzenegger. The project neversaw the light of day (Schwarzenegger wasn’t interested), so Rodriguezforgot about it until last year when 20th Century Fox dug it up,realized it was sitting on a golden opportunity and asked him to makeit.
And so Predators was born. Rodriguez didn’t direct it, instead taking a producer’s role and enlisting Kontroll director Antal to helm the shooting.
We got to see two trailers, a short clip of the film and dozens ofproduction illustrations done by the lead artists at Rodriguez’sTroublemaker Studios. To prevent people from leaking any of the footageto the web, there were infrared cameras set up throughout downtownAustin’s intimate Alamo Ritz theater.
Based on the clips, trailers and a lengthy talk by Rodriguez and Antal, here’s what we know about the film.
A band of humans are transported to a jungle planet that’s been setup by the Predators to serve as a sort of game preserve. The Predatorswere frustrated that the humans had gotten the better of them inprevious meetings, so they decided to turn this planet into a huntingground, a place where they can study the humans, hunt them and killthem, and in the process, learn their ways.
The humans are strangers to one another when they arrive, but theyall have one thing in common: They are all ruthless killers. Among thehunted are a yakuza assassin (Louis Ozawa Changchien), a black-opsagent (Alice Braga), an army serviceman (Adrian Brody) and a convictedmurderer who was just days away from execution when he was sent to theplanet. Each character has his or her own particular talent, and theyquickly realize that if they band together and work as a team, they canoutwit the Predators and survive. But none of them are exactly thecooperative type, so keeping egos in check for the sake of the greatergood is a challenge.
The film’s plot, it was noted, is an homage to Richard Connell’s short story, “The Most Dangerous Game.” Rodriguez originally wrote Predators before any of the Alien vs. Predator films, so it doesn’t really reference those story lines.
There are actually two tribes of Predators on the planet, butRodriguez and Nimrod were sketchy about how exactly both of them arerepresented in the movie. What we did learn is that, like the humans,each Predator has its own personality and its own hunting technique.Since each Predator has a unique hunting technique, every time one ofthe humans meets his or her demise in the film, the kill scene ishandled differently. Rodriguez and Antal promised several really bloodyand unique kill scenes.
“We went out of our way to stay true to the fact that they arehunters,” Antal said. There were some kills in the script Antal wasn’tsure they’d be able to include without losing the film’s R ratingbecause they were so over-the-top and bloody. But Fox encouraged him toshoot them anyway so they could be included on the unrated DVD.
Also, there are no computer-generated Predators. All of the aliencharacters were done with actors, suits and animatronics, a fact thatdrew a cheer from the crowd. It’s all about being able to see theactors’ eyes, Antal said during a press briefing Saturday.
The original Predator from the first movie also makes a cameo appearance in the new film.
Rodriguez went the extra mile and hired Greg Nicotero, the effects artist from the original Predatorfilm, to design and build the monsters for the new movie. Nicoterojoined the duo onstage and even brought out the original Predator head.He set it up on the edge of the stage and let everyone in the theaterget up close to it and take a picture.
The team showed us two trailers, one that concentrated on the actionsequences and a longer one that gave us a bit more insight into thehuman characters. The first trailers will be released next week,playing in front of Repo Men.
We also got to see a short, two-minute clip from the movie. Brodyand the other humans have just killed one of the Predators in thejungle, and as they regroup and talk about what their next step shouldbe, they realize they are being watched.
It was very rough footage — “straight off the Avid,” Rodriguez said— but it was humorous and displayed that playful, chewy dialogueRodriguez is known for.
Predators will be released in July. |
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發表於 14-3-2010 13:36:18
