Directed by:
John McTiernanCinematography:
Donald McAlpineComposer:
Alan SilvestriCast:
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Elpidia Carrillo, Bill Duke, Jesse Ventura, Sonny Landham, Richard Chaves, R.G. Armstrong, Shane Black (more)VOD (5)
Plots(1)
A team of CIA-Hired mercenaries in central american jungles on a mission to find missing government operatives, falls victim to a powerful, unseen enemy, that skins men alive and is presumably unstoppable. (20th Century Fox UK)
Videos (4)
Reviews (14)
The 1980s belonged, among others, to an action muscleman born in Austria, none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger, who starred in many successful sci-fi films of the aforementioned decade. Predator is a brisk, bloody and thrilling trip into the jungle where something else, better said alien, lurks among the trees alongside the soldiers. Jesse Ventura and Arnie had some great lines and the composition of the action scenes was well done, so when you add in a pretty well done Predator, you end up with an above average sci-fi classic that, while not perfect, is definitely worth a watch.
()
A significantly overrated film that capitalizes on nostalgia and the age of reviewers. It does not come close to the genre's peak by any means. It is literally an embodiment of genre clichés and besides the action, it offers only the exoticism of the Central American jungle. A simple story, characters that don't need to act due to script requirements as long as they look fierce and shoot wildly around them. Lots of stupidity - one of the mercenaries is holding a machine gun in his hand that is mounted on the undercarriage of planes and weighs so much that if I had to drag it through the extreme conditions of the jungle with 100% humidity, I wouldn't wait for a predator and it would end right there for me (probably after five minutes). The film does not have particularly innovative direction, but John McTiernan maintains a certain level - within the genre, there are undoubtedly incomparably worse films. I would give it three stars, even though I'm not a fan of the genre, but the political backstory, when the American commando fights against evil guerrillas, was simply disgusting. The political reality of Central America in the 80s was exactly the opposite - the American government supported any dictatorial scum... Overall impression: 45%.
()
John McTiernan brilliantly portrays the fear of unknown danger. Even the scene of the massacre of the camp, although I'm not too keen on it, has its place. The viewer is surprised that this bunch of supermen who can easily dispatch an overwhelming number of mercenaries, have to bow down to a mysterious evil. And the ending, Arnold with the resources of a Stone Age hunter fighting a stronger predator, is a treat. Together with Conan the Barbarian, this is Arnold’s best movie.
()
First-class and now deservedly legendary action movie, whose director managed to get the most out of the minimum. But that was back when John McTiernan still had form and didn't direct nonsense like his last few outputs. Predator has all the attributes that a proper action movie should have: tough heroes, a merciless killer, gripping atmosphere, excellent use of the harsh nature, which with the help of solid camera work often instills fear even without the direct presence of the hunter. And last but not least, there is also the great Arnold, who is tougher than the whole terrorist camp combined. A milestone that became a classic of its kind a long time ago.
()
An excellent action film with sci-fi admixture. McTiernan proves that he's not just an annoyed skilled director, but that he can enjoy the action nicely. I really like the work with the camera in the first part of the film, when our beautiful and muscular heroes are spied on (thermographic shots and camera raids are excellently used, which give a very cramped impression). The atmosphere of a bunch of mercenaries, which become game in the middle of the forest, is flawlessly dense and convincing. It's hard to judge whether the absence of acting is a bad thing, because some of Arnold's grimaces just belong to the golden fund of the acting anti-talent and sort of help make the film into a cult classic. I don't like action films, but I enjoyed this one...
()
Ads