Predator (1987)

From about 1996 to about 2009 (roughly ages 4 til 17 for those playing at home), this was my all-time favourite movie. It was the first non-pirated VHS I ever owned, and it probably informed more of my youth than I'm comfortable with admitting. _Predator_ is the sort of movie that somehow both encapsulates and transcends the 1980s, I implore anybody who unlucky enough to never have seen _Predator_ to watch it, just to fulfil the life experience. One of only five movies that I've ever given a 5/5 star rating to. _Final rating:★★★★★ – Transcendent entertainment! An all time great._

Ball busting Vietnam allegory McTiernan style delivers wholesale. I will start this by giving my ratings, yes plural because to me as a sci-fi/action film fan the film has few peers, it is 100% pure suspense testo explosive fun that along side John McTiernan's other action template Die Hard, stands the test of time to the point that it will be thrilling viewers long after we have left this earth. So with that I give it a personal rating of 10/10, it's faultless for my needs in a genre I indulge and lose myself in on a frequent roster. For any other movie fan aware of the genre's traits and peccadilloes without being a fan of sorts, then I rate the film easily at 7 or 8 out of 10, what's not to like here? The film is without a shadow of a doubt another allegory of Vietnam, a crack unit of soldiers are stuck in a central American jungle being killed off by an invisible enemy, the soldiers are there after being lied to by the powers that be, tactics are paramount but the enemy that stalks them holds all the aces. This crack special rescue team are a testosterone fuelled band of beef, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Sonny Landham, Bill Duke & Jesse Ventura, these five alone have a combined muscle weight heavy enough to have sunk the Titanic, and McTiernan uses the beefcakes to the max in a series of joyous ball busting sequences. The dialogue is sharp and funny with Schwarzenegger quipping his way thru the first reel, and the score from Alan Silvestri pumps the blood at just the right time, whilst the effects crew have done sterling work to bring this "hardest man in the world versus bad ass alien predator" to life, none more so than when viewing POV heat seeking infa-red shots as our deadly alien killer. The end throws up some interesting thoughts, that have for better or worse? Been fleshed out with further films involving the predator of the title, but one should judge this film as a single entry because it sits at the top of the tree as one of the best of it's kind; so truly this is a benchmark for the genre that will take some beating as far as I'm concerned. Enjoy 10/10

_**Schwarzenegger vs. "the demon who makes trophies of man" in the Latin American jungles**_ An elite squad of commandos is enlisted for a mission to the jungles of Central America to rescue some VIPs after their helicopter is downed. They soon discover that they are hunted by some kind of predator… not of this world. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Carl Weathers star. “Predator” (1987) mixes jungle action with otherworldly sci-fi for satisfying adventure/horror. The macho cast is superb, counterbalanced by Elpidia Carrillo as Anna. The flick’s iconic and uber-“cool” with exceptional jungle locations and cinematography, as well as F/X that hold up. Unfortunately, there’s little depth. It’s enjoyable as a popcorn movie, but also forgettable. Catch “Apocalypse Now” (1979) for the real deal in jungle adventure/horror. The film runs 1 hour, 47 minutes and was shot in southern Mexico. GRADE: B-/B

It takes it's time to get going, this film - but once it does, it's amongst the best cat and mouse action adventures I've ever seen. Carl Weathers "Dillon" convinces his former commando mate "Dutch" (Arnold Schwarzenegger) to join him on a perilous rescue mission deep in the jungle. Once there they find themselves the prey of someone, something, that has ninja skills to die for - and, well, they do! Slowly and brutally picked off one by one, it becomes the ultimate battle for survival. This is my favourite from John McTiernan. He manages to use well, the claustrophobic environment; the heat-sensitive camera work is effective and the ascending sense of menace as these hardened men gradually realise that they are out of their depth is gripping. It builds tensely to a denouement that even has a degree of honour to it. Nope, of course the writing is never going to win a Pulitzer, nor is the acting offering us interestingly nuanced or delicate performances. It's just an out-and-out adventure film with a fair degree of horror, a slice of grown up/black humour and I quite enjoyed it.

**Overall : Predator’s mastery of suspense and action cements it as one of the most iconic alien thrillers of all time.** Predator takes typical 80s action and mixes in Jaws-style horror to create one of the greatest creature features ever made. Arnold Schwarzenegger matches wits with the ultimate alien hunter along with his team of highly trained but in-over-their-heads mercenaries. As the body count rises, so does the improbability that anyone will make it out alive. John McTiernan raises the bar of action movies by delivering one of the best sci-fi thrillers filled with suspense, fear, action, gore, and one of the most iconic creatures in cinematic history.