PREDATOR (1987) - Review

Predator

Action/Adventure/Sci-fi
1 hour and 47 minutes
Rated R

Written by: Jim Thomas & John Thomas
Directed by: John McTiernan
Produced by: Lawrence Gordon, Joel Silver and John Davis

Cast:
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Carl Weathers
Bill Duke
Jesse Ventura
Kevin Peter Hall

Soon the hunt will begin.

The 1980s was a time when action and science-fiction films flourished. The Valenti era in the MPAA allowed for films to contain more and more graphic content. Films like Commando, RoboCop, Terminator and Aliens raised the bar for creativity and graphic content within mainstream box-office blockbusters. So why should Predator have been any different?

What's unfortunate about this motion-picture is that it was in the hands of people who were more than capable of delivering an amazing film. John McTiernan especially, who has given us such wonders as Die Hard, The Hunt for Red October, and Medicine Man, should have been able to deliver a great action film. Disappointingly so, Predator may be McTiernan's weakest film.

The storyline lacks anything in the way of intelligence. In fact, I would go as far as to say that Predator is a direct knock-off of John Carpenter's far superior film The Thing. Don't believe me? Watch the very first scene of The Thing and then the very first scene of Predator .... they're completely identical. Both movies play off of man's basic fear of the unknown, and the unseen. The difference is, The Thing uses the fear of the unknown to its advantage, showcasing truly horrific moments, while Predator is more concerned with being an entertaining shoot-em-up fest - keeping in the lines of the past works of its leading men. The story is also clearly a sci-fi adaptation of the Richard Connell short story "The Most Dangerous Game".

But Predator is not all unforgivable. In fact, the action sequences are wonderfully choreographed and entertaining to watch. The dialogue - what little there is - is irrelevant, and while viewing the film you sometimes wish that Schwarzenegger would just shut up and shoot something. Nevertheless, it is the action sequences that are its saving grace, thanks to its more than capable cast of macho-performers. Had the film stuck to this and left any science-fiction undertones out, it would've been a much better film.

The creature effects in the film are undeniably impressive. Stan Winston, the man behind Terminator, Aliens and Jurassic Park is to thank for this. While it isn't Winston's best, or most memorable work, the final product is one to be proud of. 

A mixed bag of a film, that doesn't deserve as much of the hype as it's received, Predator is an over appreciated knockoff of The Thing. 

5/10