2
(nothing direct)
4
(strong violence, gore, very strong language, sexually explicit dialogue)
6
(worth seeing more than once)
"Predator," just another standard 80's action flick? Some would tell you that's all it is, but it's actually so much more. Sure it's no big deal that it spawned a sequel, lots of movies do that, but it has also bled into Batman lore and faced Aliens (you know, Sigourney's aliens) in numerous comic books plus new movies. Come on, name one other 80's action movie that had enough merits to be integrated into Batman comics. Maybe I shouldn't say that, somebody will come up with one. The point is there is more imagination behind "Predator" than a single movie or two could contain.
I think my fascination with "Predator" is largely because it was my first memorable cross-genre experience. I know that there probably aren't many people who get a kick out of that as much as I do, but I love seeing something typical from an atypical point of view. It's part of what makes me a huge Dean Koontz fan and influences many of the stories I write. I love "The Nightmare Before Christmas" partially because it has such a unique blend of Christmas and Halloween imagery, "Wolf" because it is horror-genre werewolves from a dramatic view (there have been similar takes on vampires, but only a few like this dealing with wolves), and of course, "Predator," the military flick that becomes a sci-fi slasher.
The first half of "Predator" is a basic modern war movie. You've got the standard cinematic best-of-the-best Special Forces team saving hostages from an enemy camp deep in the jungle. The last half still keeps some of those element but throws in sci-fi and slasher-horror. Now a dangerous alien is hunting the team, taking them out one by one until it faces off against the leader (Arnold Schwarzenegger). It still kind of carries the feel of watching the war movie but with an inhuman element.
There is a little bit of a plot twist when Arnold finds out why his team was really sent into the jungle, but mostly it entails a bunch of guys just trying to survive, not a complex plot. The heroes are straight-shooting guys, a military rescue team tight as brothers and fierce as a mother Grizzly, but Dillon (Arnold's superior who insists on going into battle with them) and the Predator's motivations take some revealing throughout the story. Predator is not some killer out hacking up folks because they let him drown in a previous life or because he's flipped his lid. This guy is a hunter. He likes the thrill of the chase and takes pride in the trophies he collects from his prey. He even displays some manner of sportsmanship by not killing someone that is unarmed. What makes him frightening is that he's not going after doped-up teenagers but rather the most manly men you can imagine and highly trained ones at that.
The jungle setting is beautiful and creepy. I can't think of a better setting for this kind of movie. The sequel takes it into the big city, but that just can't create the atmosphere that the jungle does. The special effects and costumes are good considering their age, and the actors smartly placed for their strengths. For example, Blain just needs to be rough so Jessie Ventura carries the role, but for his friend who needs to show more emotional range veteran actor Bill Duke steps up.
It's a great struggle for survival against the unknown that pulls the viewer into this imaginary world. It's great for action and sci-fi fans alike and remains my favorite Arnold Schwarzenegger movie of all time (though more of his hold up than I ever expected).
Morality
The action is violent, the concepts grusome, and the images graphic. I suppose it could be even gorier than it is if they'd wated it to be considering what Preadator does to some of his victims: they are skinned, disemboweled, and hung upside down. We see enough of this to get the idea without dwelling on it too much. Some of the more graphic moments we see are guys getting shot up and limbs being severed.
The strong language is severe and frequent with numerous F-bombs and other crude and rude dialogue.
There is no nudity or sex, but one guy tells some sexually graphic jokes.
Spirituality
This is more of a survival flick than a deep story, but there's something of a cautionary message here. These men have reason to believe in their abilities: they are highly trained, experienced, capable, and brave. In most situations they would come out victorious with a triumphant roar. And yet it is their pride that gets them killed; their capabilites are exactly what make them targets for the hunter.
That's what the Devil does to us. He uses our pride against us making us want to be self-sufficient rather than relying on God or even other people. It is counterintuitive to make ourselves humble and let God fill us with HIS strength. Some people call faith a crutch, and in a sense they are right. When we admit our weakness we lean on God for our support to get ahead.
Does that make a person unusually weak? It's not like the faithful are the only ones with crutches. Some guzzle their "crutch" or shove it up their nose (to paraphrase Steve Taylor). I'd rather rely on the one that helps me soar on wings of eagles than ones that leave me stumbling around in the dark.
Final Thoughts
If you want a complex story of the human condition you're not going to get it here. If you want an insane struggle against massive odds in the form of an alien hunter who pops up in a movie where he doesn't belong then you're not going to find anything better than "Predator."
Buying Guide
The first “Predator” has seen a few different releases over the years, more than I expected. There are enough significant differences that this is going to turn out to be a lengthy summary of your options. I'll try to get through it quickly.
The original widescreen DVD is the one I'll cover in detail below so for now I'll just say that you aren't going to get much with this one. (Actually there may be an even earlier DVD version than this that doesn't include the DTS audio encoding, but details on it are sketchy to say the least – at best it's out of print and obsolete.) There's a pan-&-scan (AKA “full-screen”) version of it, too.
Later came the 2-disc version. I've seen some that designate it as a “Collector's Edition” and some that don't, but my research indicates that there is only a single 2-disc edition (although it may be available in pan-&-scan as well as widescreen). You can count on a number of new extras (including commentaries, outtakes, deleted scenes, and behind-the-scenes features) and pretty good presentation quality.
For Blu-ray we'll start with the first one released which, by the appearance of the cover art, looks like it would be the Blu counterpart to the 2-disc DVD. However there are no significant extras included. The HD video gets barely passing marks from reviewers. The audio is a little more appreciated but still doesn't get much praise.
The Ultimate Hunter Edition is a Blu upgrade, or so you might think. In an effort to strip the grain from the previous print they also stripped the detail making the image look unnatural (according to reviews). The audio gets decent but not high marks. The 2-disc DVD extras have been added in possibly with a few additions.
Lastly is a 3D version which comes in a combo pack with a standard Blu and a DVD or in a fanboy set with a Predator's head on a stump for your shelf. It sounds like the issues with the Ultimate Hunter Edition's video are present here as well. It gets lower marks from reviewers than I expected although the 3D conversion has gotten some praise from multiple people. The extras look like they are probably exactly the same as the Ultimate Hunter offerings.
I said “lastly” a moment ago, but I lied. There's still the box sets to consider: 2-packs with the sequel and 3 packs with those plus either “Predators” or “Alien vs. Predator” are on both Blu and DVD. I can't examine them all in detail, especially since most don't list enough information to know for sure what they include, and some of what I read is even contradictory. I couldn't find any box set that promised any extras. All I can say is that if you want a box set and want the best possible quality you can get out of it make sure the number of discs is equal to or greater than the number of movies included.
Final Recommendation:
It's time for my recommendation. It's hard to decide what to tell you without seeing the new HD print that scrubs out the grain. Is the smoothed-out image really as bothersome as some have made it out to be? Maybe not, but I'm having a hard time getting excited about it. If you don't want to chance it go with the earlier Blu or the Collector's Edition DVD. If you want the deleted scenes and other extras avoid the early DVD releases and the first Blu. I'll be skipping the 3D myself, but if you're interested in it that choice should be obvious.
The earlier Fox widescreen DVD is a single disc release.
Video
1.85 widescreen:
This anamorphic widescreen transfer has been remastered and cleaned up. It's fairly grainy and not all that sharp. Also the colors feel muted, and there's a little bit of trash though not enough to be annoying. The bottom line is it's a long way from perfect, you're not going to show off your high dollar TV screen with scenes of the Predator attacking, but it's certainly good enough to enjoy watching the movie.
Audio
5.1 DTS, 5.1 Dolby, 2.0 Dolby:
The new DTS track is strong and dynamic with surround sound immersion so good I had to double check to make sure the birds I was hearing were coming from my speakers and not from outside my window. There's room for improvement especially in the lower ranges. The Dolby encoding is not bad either, but not as strong as the DTS.
Packaging
The case is standard plastic.
An insert has the cover art and a chapters list.
The interface is a simple static image.
An ad play automatically.
Extras