Stop the planet, we want to get off: Some of our readers may have already seen it, but the full version of Predator: Dark Ages is now available on YouTube at no cost. As we anticipated at the end of April, this fan film shows us the great intergalactic hunter in an era defined by fanaticism, superstition, corruption, and of course, death.
Fan Films: When Passion Takes Over
The average fan can be very hard when they set their mind to it. In the worst case, the relationship between "creator" and "consumer" deteriorates so much that there's no turning back. The most mediatic example is probably George Lucas and Star Wars fans. Many celebrated Lucasfilm's purchase by Disney, and many more extended the party when they discovered that Lucas's role as a consultant for Episode VII was very limited (in essence, Disney decided not to use the treatments Lucas prepared for the scripts).
In most cases, fans point out what was wrong with a movie and debate what a franchise needs going forward… but there are others who decide to make their own films. Obviously, they can't receive a single cent of profit due to licensing and intellectual property issues; nevertheless, that doesn't change the fact that many low-budget fan films turned out to be better than original works.
Watch Predator: Dark Ages
If we heed the comments that have appeared on the Web so far, everything seems to indicate that Predator: Dark Ages fits that description. It debuted on YouTube on May 25, and since then it has accumulated nearly 100,000 views. The film runs about 30 minutes, and although I don't want to go into too many details to avoid spoilers, what I can share is that from the start you can feel the tension among the characters, as they face something that honestly none of them fully understands, but that for some strange reason they all fear to the bone.
Another detail about Predator: Dark Ages is that some of its cast members have more camera experience than it appears. The role of Thomas is played by Adrian Bouchet, whom we saw in the first Alien vs. Predator and in a small role in Clash of the Titans, while Sabine Crossen, who plays Freya, appeared in the (very bad) adaptation of Hitman with Timothy Olyphant. Apparently, Bouchet is also working on another short, Aliens: Return to Earth, in which a group of Marines must prevent a Xenomorph from escaping and causing havoc on Earth. That's all for now. Enjoy Dark Ages, and if you want to share what you thought, the comments are open.
