Overall Grade: (A+)
One of the iconic roles from Schwarzenegger that still goes down today as one of his best.
There are not too many people who have not seen nor heard of “Predator”. From memorable lines like; “if it bleeds we can kill it,” to “get to the choppa,” there were many memorable one liners fit perfectly for the 80’s.
Add a solid supporting cast consisting of Bill Duke, Carl Weathers and Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura, a ton of large weaponry, a jungle, and a stylish and bruiting alien with never before seen technology, and the result is a science-fiction action romp that will last the test of father time.
With a simple story-line the pace is fast and the film gets going quickly when Arnold and his team are dumped into the middle of the rain-forest in search of a group of captured soldiers. Not soon after their arrival the group finds there is much more going on in the hot jungle than they could have expected and from there the action really never stops. The cat-and-mouse game between the Predator and Arnold’s team doesn’t last long before the action turns up a notch and the group finds themselves being hunted by something none could even imagine ever existed.
The gun-play and explosions never let up and keep you on the edge of your seat. The jungle settings are excellent and make for a perfect backdrop to a thrilling action adventure. The cast performances are good for a film of the genre in the time-period and there was a nice flow from one act to the other as the story quickly unfolds and gets to the point. What starts out as like a “Jaws” type approach to the titular creature, with glimpses here and flashes there turned to the opposite as the films third-act unfolds and you get to see the alien in all its glory and he and Arnold commit to one final showdown.
The last thirty-minutes of the film are excellent and the tension never lets up until the end as Arnold uses his survival skills and the jungle around him to try and stop ‘something that cannot be stopped.’
Even people who are not a fan of Arnold or science-fiction will enjoy this movie, It boasts all you could want from great high adrenaline action movie; creative character creation, a tense score, visually stunning settings and special-effects you would be surprised to see done without computer technology.
The uniqueness and creativity taken into the concept of this one are what make it stand out from the large pack of other 80’s actioneers. The design of the Predator has held its hipness and has spawned many more films, series of books, comics, video games, toys and to this day the creature still goes down as one of the iconic figures from 80’s cinema and this film is by far my favorite Schwarzenegger flick.