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Directed by: John McTiernan Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Elpidia Corrillo, Kevin Peter Hall One of Arnold Schwarzenegger's finest movies, 'Predator' came out in 1987, and has all the same elements of the big-explosion action flicks that mark the late 80s/early 90s. Arnold stars as Major Dutch Schaeffer, the leader of an elite Special Forces team who are charged with a mission to the Central American rainforest. Carl Weathers plays Major George Dillon, an old friend of Dutch's who knows more than he tells about the mission. Our heroes trek into the jungle to a guerilla camp, where cabinet ministers are being held hostage by the terrorists, but along the way they find the gruesome remains of men who have been butchered and strung up like hogs, men who were U.S. military, adding a bit of mystery to the plot. Believing the guerrillas to be responsible for this savagery, the Special Forces team continues their journey with gritted teeth. Once there, they reak unholy havoc upon the camp with an incredibly awesome action scene, where they totally annihilate just about everything in sight. Jesse Ventura plays Sergeant Blaine, who wields a handheld mini-gun and "doesn't have time to bleed". After defeating the guerillas, they discover some top secret stuff involving the Soviets and U.S. ambassodors, and Dutch realises why Dillon REALLY wanted him on this mission. The team also capture Anna, played by Elpida Corrillo, and take her hostage. Leaving the smoking ruins of the camp, they retreat back to the jungle to meet the chopper. Little do they know that they're being watched and stalked by an otherworldly hunter. 'Predator' is an interesting action movie, because it goes against the grain of what normal action movies do. It is interesting to note that while OTHER action movies start off simple and then gradually get more complex, 'Predator' is the exact opposite. In other movies, the plot will start off slowly and then build up as more factors are introduced. Terrorists take over the building/plane/boat/whatever, hostages are taken, a bomb is about to go off. It all keeps building up until it just...explodes. But 'Predator' is different. This movie starts off relatively complex, delving into delicate Central American politics and regarding a top-secret mission. But as the movie continues, all of that stuff gets stripped away once the Predator makes its appearance. I don't want to give too much away, but when you watch it, you'll notice that it DOES get simpler. Eventually you forget all about why they're in the jungle in the first place. All that matters is that they're there, and are being hunted one by one. On the DVD, they talk a bit about this, and how the movie all boils down to one man who has to rely on his own instincts, wits, and prowess, and has to dig into the deepest parts of himself to overcome an unstoppable foe. I'm not saying the movie is some deep film regarding humanity or some poo poo, but it's interesting how they did that. The special effects are really great. The camoflauge effects of the Predator really hold up, even 17 years later. The Predator itself is also an impressive movie creature. Designed by Stan Winston, it is truly a monstrous and intimidating character. It's really one ugly motherfucker. On the DVD, they talk about the original design of the Predator, and it looked like some sort of raptor-frog thing. Not too bad on paper, but it looked ridiculous on screen. For the new design, they brought in Kevin Peter Hall to play the alien huntsman. This guy did some amazing emoting, and really brought life to the character even without showing his face or speaking any lines. All in all, the Predator is just as convincing as it was in 1987, and I've heard it even looks better than the Predators in 'AVP'. This movie is full of action and violence, and has been dubbed the ultimate guy movie. There so much macho swaggering and testosterone, you can't help but feel pumped when watching it. Jesse Ventura, in particular, is very memorable for his classic lines, such as "I ain't got time to bleed". Arnold, too, is enjoyable, and fits his role well. Bill Duke, playing Mac, also has a funny and cool part, where he berates Dillon for making too much noise: "You ghostin' us, muthafucka. I don't know who you are back in the world, but you make that much noise one more time, I bleeeeeeeed you, real quiet, leave ya here. Got that?!" There's also a funny part with Carl Weathers as Dillon, who gets in a fight with Dutch during the attack on the guerrilla camp, where he defends his reasons for being so secretive. Watch his eyes when he says "I used you to get the job done GOT IT?!". The acting in this movie is a mixture of cool and funny, which ain't a bad combination. This isn't Shakespeare. The characters are only deep enough to get a feel for them, and you're genuinely sorry when they go. Even if they aren't fully developed, you like them anyway. All in all, I say 'Predator' is an awesome movie. RATING: 5.0 PROS: The quintessential action movie, lots of memorable lines, special effects still hold up, cool ending CONS: Some may fault this movie for its simple characters and skimpy plot, girls may not like it ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093773/ The Kung-fu Yeti fucked around with this message at 22:28 on Dec 14, 2004 |
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Dec 14, 2004 20:29
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| # ? May 9, 2024 22:37 |
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This is an incredibly fun movie, and has a lot of value for repeat viewings, but at the end of the day it's a pretty empty experience. The way that Carl Weathers' character tricks the others into doing the gov't's dirty work could have been expanded upon to give the film more substance, maybe even creating a parrallel between the way predator uses them for sport and the gov't uses them for their purposes, but that was left pretty much untouched. Monster movies always work best when the monster isn't seen, and this is a cool take on that premise. McTiernan used to be an incredible action director, but he seems to have fallen off the chart lately.
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Dec 14, 2004 20:40
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I think this is by far the best Arnie flick. The story is good, the characters are somewhat believable, and there is enough development to give them all each a bit of flavor that adds to the whole stew of the movie. You don't see a whole lot of that in action flicks, especially ones where there are a lot of characters in the movie. The one liners while corny, do break up some of the drudgery that befalls a lot of other action flicks that tend to take themselves too seriously. The special effects were subtle, and well done for their time, tasteful in fact. Overall an impressive movie that I can watch over and over. 4.5 stars
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Dec 15, 2004 03:34
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