I’m watching The Nice Guys (2016) and it’s hilarious in a darkly comedic way though it me wonder…

Having been written by Shane Black and Anthony Bagarozzi, it really works narratively (which might have something to do with Black having written Lethal Weapon along with Jeffrey Boam. The Nice Guys is essentially a buddy dramedy).

What’s interesting is that The Predator (2018), also co-written by Shane Black, has a larger ensemble cast, but the dynamics aren’t entirely different.

So, what caused it to go so wrong? Black wrote it Fred Dekker (House (1985), Night of the Creeps (1986), The Monster Squad (1987), etc) so it’s not like he doesn’t have a pedigree of sorts.

But virtually nothing about The Predator works.

And the idea of autism as a superpower?

Who came up with that stinker? And why didn’t someone tell either Shane Black and Fred Dekker that the Predator isn’t a superhero, so a Marvel Studios-esque ending not only wasn’t necessary, but unwarranted.

Though what’s even more interesting to me is that some 20th Century Fox executive apparently didn’t rein in the excesses of the production, though suppose they did?

Now that’s scary.