 "Fair to poor blu-ray, but better than DVD" | 2009-11-16 |
| - Reviewed By gozum4 |
There are a plethora of reviews of the movie, but my review is mostly a comparison of the BD vs DVD version. I won't discuss its merits as movie.
Alas, while there is substantial improvement in the video via BD's high resolution, its a disappointment compared to many other BD releases. Most video images lack sharpness. Since old movies like Battle of Britain, 2001: Space Odyssey or Clockwork Orange, can compete with recent films like Troy, its clear the folks who mastered Predator did a poor job.
Audio does not make full use of imaging although its clearer and more bombastic than the DVD, and since 5.1 Dolby only came in the 1990s, that point can be excused.
However, since Predator is sold as a discount BD disk, if you don't own it on DVD, its well worth it, but if you do, think twice, the improvements are not that stark. However, the BD made if far clearer to me the pilots were still in the chopper after it was downed, the skinned corpses of the Hopper team appear more detailed and ghastly, there is more oomph in the assault on the rebel scene due to the improved sound, you can see the rounds in the mini-gun zip through the gun and its clear how its fed through the backpack ammo case, you can make out the MTV t-shirt throughout most of Jesse Ventura's scenes, you can make out where the commandos were hit by the predator, which was vague on the DVD. So overall, its an improvement, and worth 3 stars.
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 "This is the real king of the jungle!" | 2009-10-08 |
| - Reviewed By orbmagnet |
| Even though I slightly prefer the sequel, the original is still creepy and entertaining. Here we are introduced to the "Predator," an alien hunter who has crash-landed in the jungles of Central America. Little is known about this strange species; only that it'll kick your @** if you get in his way. Add in Arnold Schwarzenegger and his team of soldiers and you've got a bitter conflict between human and alien. I got to say that this is one of the few movies in which Arnold gives a very good performance. You get to see him in some well-done action sequences. The supporting cast is good as well: who would have thought that Jesse Ventura could act? The action is solid; the blood and gore aren't very excessive, but they're still tons to see. And of course, the "Predator" is the real star in this film; that, and the special effects (which still looks realistic today). |
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 "Arnold is something else" | 2009-09-12 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1A13VF5T3GILH |
Made when Arnold still had a great deal of muscle to spare. This movie, like a lot of science fiction, assumes aliens will be a hostile group. Those races that make it to space would have the intelligence and capacity to engage new races more amicably than depicted. How else would such a race even reach the level of achieving the ability to travel in space unless they had learned to live in peace. Otherwise they would not have lasted long enough to do so.
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| "This one holds water (DVD)" | 2009-09-06 |
| - Reviewed By User: AHL35XZ3OND2Z |
Twenty years on, and several sequels later, Predator without a doubt, is not only the best in the series, but still a great, inventive and incredibly suspenseful movie.
Much of the commando team proves memorable, notably Jesse Ventura as Blaine and fantastic Carl Weathers as Dillon. In the lead, Schwarzenegger as "Dutch" is classic Arnold. Here he seems completely at ease in his character with good dashes of humor, "What's the matter Dillon? CIA got you pushing too many pencils?" This is probably my favorite role for Arnie.
The story here is simple but effective, the filmmakers settling on a "less is more" strategy in almost every category. A special forces team on a central American jungle mission are tracked and killed by an alien hunter. While some of the scenes are lacking not due to dating, or technological constraints - surprisingly the elementary special effects still do the job - but more obviously budget constraints. The guerilla camp raid action scene feels a bit limited in this respect and I think budget had a lot to do with it. The sequence is also probably in line with other slam bang type 80s action movies also.
Other flaws and smudges? I think there are some idiotic death scenes in the movie belying the intelligence portrayed by members of Dutch's group. Sonny Landhams last stand with his big knife is stupid, even though you just hear it. Authenticity is also a question with so many recent movies going mega realistic on military tactics. I just hate seeing so many people shooting automatic rifles from the hip. Put that gun to your shoulder soldier.
The music score is fantastic, and memorable. The predator is judiciously revealed, a tactic that definitely adds to the suspense factor of the movie. McTiernan's pre Die Hard direction is awfully good. He keeps everything at a simmer and when its time, the movie goes to full boil.
The script's subtlety comes to the fore with a great final showdown with the wonderfully menacing Predator. Dutch uses the cunning of a hunter, and largely, his own two hands and not guns to win the battle. This is a rare thing in modern action movies where we are commonly assaulted with endless pornography of automatic weapons.
On the subject of sequels, I am a fan of Predator 2, but anything that followed, including the new AvP Requiem was trash. The only stand out criticism, in Predator 2 and AvP R being a clear escalation on the part of the filmmakers in the gore department, and the others, the overwrought special effects. I'm not squeamish or against good computer effects, but I think the real strength of the first movie has nothing to do with blood or bombs, it is that there were strong characters and in the gore and effects department, less was indeed more. Its not hard to find why all the sequels of Predator were such failures. That and most of them were just crappy movies. |
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| "Schwarzenegger in his day 7.5/10" | 2009-06-23 |
| - Reviewed By User: A6VFFRIHAXKRL |
| Predator is a 1987 Sci Fi action movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as Major Dutch Schieffer Bill Duke as Mac Carl Weathers as Dillon Jesse Ventura Blain Sonny Landham Billy Shane Black as Hawiins Richard Chaves as Poncho Ephidia Carrillo as Anna and Kevin Peter Hall as The Predator. Story Schieffer leads a recon team into a Central American jungle and there going after this group of terrorists that are holding CIA people hostage. There is a big shoot out and they find no hostages Dillon was just using them to take these terrorists out they were working for the Russians. The team finds this women named Anna basically she keeps telling them that the jungle came alive. The team is killed 1 by 1 until it's down to Schieffer and The Predator. The characters are entertaining they all have that machismo and if you never seen this movie before you'll be like why did they kill him off. Predator's costume great for 87 awesome special effects a fun suspenseful movie. |
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| "Schwarzenegger in his day 8/10" | 2009-06-23 |
| - Reviewed By User: A6VFFRIHAXKRL |
| Predator is a 1987 Sci Fi action movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as Major Dutch Schieffer Bill Duke as Mac Carl Weathers as Dillon Jesse Ventura Blain Sonny Landham Billy Shane Black as Hawiins Richard Chaves as Poncho Ephidia Carrillo as Anna and Kevin Peter Hall as The Predator. Story Schieffer leads a recon team into a Central American jungle and there going after this group of terrorists that are holding CIA people hostage. There is a big shoot out and they find no hostages Dillon was just using them to take these terrorists out they were working for the Russians. The team finds this women named Anna basically she keeps telling them that the jungle came alive. The team is killed 1 by 1 until it's down to Schieffer and The Predator. The characters are entertaining they all have that machismo and if you never seen this movie before you'll be like why did they kill him off. Predator's costume great for 87 awesome special effects a fun suspenseful movie. |
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