I had a chance to see Predators over the weekend, but I blew it.

As you guys may or may not recall, I’m pursuing my Master’s degree at the moment. The class I’m taking right now is this weird weekend thing that on an accelerated schedule. I go Friday’s from 5 to 10 and Saturday’s from 8 to 5 and after 3 weeks, I’m done!

Anyway, Friday was the first night of class and afterwords, I thought it might be fun to catch the late showing of Predators.

Unfortunately, due to some miscommunication and me forgetting to take my cell phone with me when I left the house that morning, I didn’t know if my in-laws (who were watching the kids) was having them spend the night at their house or if they were waiting at our house for me to come home and relieve them of duty.

It should be noted, Cami was not at home as she was attending an event that was on the calendar months in advance.

At any rate, I bypassed the theater and came home to discover… the kids were spending the night at my in-laws.

So, long story short, DON’T LEAVE YOUR CELL PHONE AT HOME, PEOPLE!

There really wasn’t an opportunity for me to see Predators this weekend after that.

I’m bummed, too, because all of the feedback I’ve been reading from fans is that the movie does the franchise justice. Much better than the last two Alien Vs. Predator movies which are abysmal failures by nearly everyone’s measuring stick.

Critics are dumping on Predators, of course, claiming that it’s just another kill-o-thon where the only thing that will retain your interest is the order characters are killed in. But I don’t care because that’s not the reason I see a Predator movie anyway. I go because it’s a rare treat to see Stan Winston’s legacy living and breathing on screen again.

The character design for the Predator makes him (them?) one of the most indelible movie-monsters in history. It sounds superficial, but we root for the Predator because he’s so damn cool looking. And mysterious to boot!

I know people like to give Predator 2 static for being this awkward… thing of an action movie. But I LOVE that film for the small ways it pushed the backstory of the Predators forward.

Watching that movie, you know that the Predator wasn’t a weird one-off monster living in the Colombian jungle. He wasn’t an urban legend. He was a member of a species that hunt for sport. They have crazy Frisbees that will cut your head off and their elders will give you antique guns if you kill one of their own.

Dare I say I love that movie more than the original Predator? Well, maybe not. Predator 2 doesn’t have classic lines like “If it bleeds, we can kill it,” “Stick around,” “I ain’t got time to bleed” and “GET TO DA CHOPPA!”

Then again, “You can’t see the eyes of the demon, until him come callin'” is pretty good, too.

Not really. But, hey, GARY BUSEY was in it!

Anyway, whether or not Preadtors builds on the legacy of the first two films, I don’t know – but I’m optimistic.

What I DO know is that I have to squeeze it in sometime before Inception comes out. Because THAT is something I simply cannot allow myself to miss.

Did you guys see Preadtors this weekend? If so, what did you think? Does it hold a candle to the first two films or does it make you want to detonate your forearm mounted nuclear device? Leave your comments below!

In the meantime, enjoy this video. It’s about the best day of Adrien Brody’s life. And since Adrien Brody is in Predators, I’m sure you can see the connection.