Predator

Predator, released in 1987, remains an iconic movie that has withstood the test of time, and for good reason. It is a true contemporary classic that effortlessly combines action, horror, suspense, and science fiction elements to deliver an exhilarating and unforgettable cinematic experience.

From the beginning, the movie grabs your attention with its intense and atmospheric setting in the dense jungles of Central America. The plot revolves around a group of highly skilled soldiers, played by a talented ensemble cast including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, and Jesse Ventura, who find themselves being hunted down by an extraterrestrial creature known as the Predator. The tension and excitement build up as the soldiers try to outwit and survive this deadly adversary.

One of the movie's greatest strengths lies in its ability to create a palpable sense of fear and suspense. The anticipation and the unknown nature of the Predator generate an air of uncertainty that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats. The masterful direction by John McTiernan, coupled with the excellent cinematography and gripping musical score, adds to the overall intensity and contributes to the movie's success.

The visual effects of Predator are nothing short of remarkable. The Predator itself, with its iconic design and thermal vision, has become an instantly recognizable symbol in science fiction and horror. The practical effects make the action sequences thrilling and believable and it was all done without CGI.

Beyond the action and suspense, Predator also offers thought-provoking themes and interesting character dynamics. The movie explores the nature of warfare, masculinity, and the human survival instinct. It delves into the psychological toll of combat and the lengths individuals will go to protect their comrades. This added layer of depth elevates Predator above your typical action movie, making it a memorable and enduring piece of cinema.

As for the performances, Arnold Schwarzenegger shines as the tough and tenacious leader, bringing his indomitable presence and charisma to the screen. The chemistry among the cast members is evident, creating a sense of camaraderie essential to the movie's success.

In conclusion, Predator is a timeless action masterpiece that continues to captivate audiences even after decades since its release. Its thrilling storyline, intense action sequences, groundbreaking visual effects, and compelling themes make it a must-watch for any fan of the genre. Whether you're a long-time fan or new to the movie, Predator is an exhilarating journey that should not be missed.

Predator is the perfect blend of 80's action and slasher style sci fi horror. Although it was coined "alien in the jungle" when the script was first floating around, Predator exceeded expectations and cemented itself as a sci-fi titan. Arguably Arnold's best role. The cast had outstanding chemistry and the characters traits and personalities were developed well through the action and what dialogue was there. Special nods to Carl Weathers, Bill Duke, and Jesse Ventura. Very well paced film and some of the best one liners of all time. Pairs together great with the explosive action and gruesome kills. The practical effects still hold up to this day, and the predator costume/design (RIP to the late Kevin Peter Hall who gave us an especially great predator performance) are ahead of it's time. An 80's sci fi gem and truly one of my favorite movies to watch, thank you to everyone who helped make this movie possible.

Consider that so many of the roles that Arnold Schwarzenegger takes on are so similar, including Predator, and yet this film is so much better than most of the others. I enjoy watching his movies just because he's such a watch-able guy, even in his bad movies (which are many), but I think the thing that really makes Predator stand out is its simplicity. The movie starts, the guys get dropped in the jungle, lots of blood and carnage flies across the screen, and the movie simply ends. No romance, no complex back story, no soldier struggling with problems in his past or even trauma caused by the horrible things he experiences during the movie. This is one of the things that made First Blood so good. It may turn out to be a movie about a lot of muscle-bound meatheads in the woods, but it doesn't insult the audience or try to apply complexity to a story that can't support it.

Interestingly, the movie features two eventual governors. Jesse Ventura even wrote a book which was released while he was the governor of Minnesota and he used his favorite line in this movie as the title. And the book's actually pretty interesting; there are some funny stories in it about things that went on while they were filming this movie. Arnold, on the other hand, is actually (and thankfully) given a relatively small amount of stupid one-liners, which are an idiotic byproduct of hard action movies that I've never really understood the necessity for. They don't reveal anything about the characters who say them, they don't add to the story or further the plot, and with rare exceptions, they're not funny. But I guess comic relief has to come from somewhere, and since complexity is not a requisite for movies like this, I can't really expect a lot of thought being put into the comedic content either.

I watched Predator having never seen it from beginning to end and having just re-watched the original Alien. I am currently in the process of re-watching both series', for obvious reasons. One thing that I notice about both of them is the way they take their time in introducing the enemies which, in both films, are aliens. Predator doesn't waste much time dwelling on the origin of the alien, we pretty much assume it came from a space ship that flashed across the screen at the opening of the movie. Alien, on the other hand, went into remarkable detail about where its alien came from. What Predator does do, very effectively, I think, is that it has the guys fighting some very human enemies, which allows the movie to later take its sweet time in having them realize that the new enemy is not human at all. This is also, incidentally, weakly rehashed in the sequel, using the secrecy of this mission and team as an excuse to have more guys who don't know what's going on.

The death scenes are actually pretty tasteful, given the genre. They are just gory enough to illustrate the violence of the enemy without being gratuitous. Just enough is shown to show how vicious the alien is, and there are some strange things done to and with the bodies that make you wonder about the alien's intentions or needs. The first deaths suggest vengeance if not some sort of ritual, but later ones suggest that the alien may be feeding off of his (or her) victims. Oddly enough, it is not until the awful Predator 2 that we learn that it kills for sport.

Yes, the movie occasionally gets embarrassingly macho, but the skill with which it is put together far overshadows any tough-guy goofiness. Consider, for example, the ease with which the movie switches from showing the guys hunting the alien to their realization that they are the ones being hunted. In some cases, this transition takes place during a single shot and with virtually no movement in the shot at all except a change in someone's expression. It is truly a fight between a group of predators, which we understand because they are human like us, and a single predator whose powers and weaknesses are unknown. It's not Oscar material, needless to say, but it's a great action movie in part because it already knows that.

A team of commandos are sent into a central American jungle to extradite US airmen that are being held by terrorists. During the rescue attempt the airmen and the terrorists are killed and the commandos being to return to their pickup location. However as they travel back across the jungle they are picked off one by one by an unseen assassin. With his teams' numbers dwindling, Dutch decides to take a stand.

This ranks as one of Schwarzenegger's best films, mainly because he doesn't ham up the one-liners etc and just plays it straight. The story is pretty straight forward. Once the issue of the airmen rescue is forgotten it is a straight hunt or be hunted affair. The film manages to create a great sense of tension by not revealing the predator until near the end, this means we, like the commandos, are not quite sure what's doing the hunting. If the tension was so good then this could have been a slasher style film with each character being bumped off in a series of gory ways. However McTiernan makes sure that it never feels that basic.

The action is good throughout. But the film benefits from a strong male cast - not great actors but they all fit the parts well. Schwarzenegger isn't wearing his star power on his sleeve like he does in other films and is good here. The rest of the cast are filled out by what could be kindly described as B list stars (except maybe Bill Duke), but Carl Weathers and ex-wrestler Jesse Ventura do well.

Overall this is a B movie creature feature, but it's carried out with such style and aplomb that it's hugely enjoyable throughout.

One of the classic sci-fi movies and one of the most entertaining action movies ever made. Certainly one of the best Arnold movies, along with Terminator 1 and 2. Mix a simple but effective story, one cool alien, well directed action scenes, Arnold kicking ass and you get an top notch action movie. Sure, there are some exaggerated macho performances, but John knows how to do it with style.

So if you're a young (but not too young) movie viewer who haven't yet seen Predator, be sure to do so to get a sample of action 80's style with Arnold at his peak.

Rating: 8/10