So Bob's take is that Predators is a decent action movie but lacks a message or theme. I have not seen the film but I can understand this. I'm not sure if the proposed themes bob gives in the video would work as they're too on the nose. But let me back up a bit.
Since Predators is the Predator version of Aliens, it warrants looking at that film. Aliens does have the theme/message/subtext/whatever of motherhood. This is because Cameron was given the job of writing the sequels to both First Blood and Alien in a short space of time and needed to bang out both scripts very quickly. Rambo: First Blood Part II was augmented by Stallone himself. Remember when he was known as a writer? Aliens, conversely was helped along because Cameron had a script in his trunk titled "Mother" that he was able to retool into a sequel to Alien.
The motherhood theme was picked up on by audiences at the time. I recall Sigourney Weaver was named mother of the year by some magazine or something.This theme enhanced the experience beyond just the action/horror film, giving the characters stronger motivations for doing what they do and tying the whole thing together as a conflict between two mothers, Weaver's Ripley and the alien queen.
Interestingly, many scenes were cut out of the theatrical version of the film, including scenes meant to enhance this element of the plot, such as Ripley having a daughter on Earth who had died of old age in the time she was lost in space. The fascinating thing about these cut scenes is just how unnecessary they are. I would argue they even weaken the theme a little by beating the audience over the head with it. It is better that Ripley forms a motherly bond with the young girl, Newt, without this backstory.
Looking at how Aliens did this, as accidental as the circumstances that in managed to do what it did may be, we can look at the Predator franchise and see if something similar can be gleaned from it.
Bob's suggestion was to examine the douchebaggery of trophy hunters. I think this would be a mistake. This would be like making a Psycho movie where Norman Bates gets over his mommy issues and get married, has kids and lives happily ever after. A franchise tends to have certain things that occur in them and define them. To openly question them in this manner would undo the franchise. Take away the predators' hunter/sportsman culture and you've just got crab-faced monsters gargling in your face. That's what's interesting about the predators. You can't examine that too deeply or it might crumble and take the whole thing with it.
Aliens had an easier time finding something to develop a theme as there was a very obvious money shot with the creature bursting out of a man's chest. In fact, that's scene is probably the main reason the movie was made. The producer Walter Hill hated the script but liked that scene because he figured it was something unique. That seems to be Hill's main way of judging a script, to look for an interesting scene. Look at Hill's own 48 Hours. That movie is largely forgettable except for the scene where Eddie Murphy stares down an entire bar with nothing but Nick Nolte's badge and an attitude. Anyway, the chestburster scene had obvious implications of motherhood that could be developed further in a sequel.
Predator doesn't have such a pivotal money shot, so we'd have to dig a bit deeper to find something. I don't know what. It could have something to do with honor or sportsmanship and how these things could still work when facing prey while using distinct technical advantages like infrared vision, invisibility devices and laser-guided blaster guns. Is it really sporting to use such things?
I'm just rambling at this point. but Bob's notation that Predators lack the overarching theme that Aliens had has me wondering what would make a good theme for a Predator movie and how would that best be applied.
