10 Reasons Why The Predator Is Better Than You Think

While touching morales or sweet messages may not be exactly what audiences come into a Predator film expecting, The Predator has an unexpectedly sweet and tender message about people with disabilities.

From the Loonies to Rory McKenna, practically every character in this film has a disorder of some kind. All of the Loonies are dealing with different forms of PTSD in their own unique ways, and Rory is autistic. But crucially, none of this is ever played as a weakness. The characters struggle with their illnesses, but if anything, it's often their greatest strength. Rory may have autism, but he's also clearly the most capable character in the entire film.

And this is confirmed by the narrative itself, with The Upgrade choosing Rory as the champion whose spine he wishes to take to steal his genes.

Tellingly, this is all deeply personal subject matter for Shane Black. The director announced while working on the film that he had been struggling with Tourette's syndrome himself for years. And while Black has said in interviews that this inspired Thomas Jane's character in the film, it also clearly inspired the crux of the film itself, which is all about coming to terms with one's disorders.

While it certainly won't work for everybody, it's interesting to see Black grappling with the concept and settling on such a wonderful and surprisingly sweet conclusion.