LogFAQs > #979986206

Of course even with that impressive trick, the movie just works as an action horror. The Predator design is great, and the scenes involving it are all incredibly tense. The jungle setting gives the whole thing a hot, forbidding atmosphere. In the mostly dialogue-free last act Arnold gives one of his best ever performances. And of course there are some great supporting performances too, including from the late great Carl Weathers. There is some really good worldbuilding about the Predator and his previous visits to the area. I do find the happy freeze frames in the credits a little odd, but that just gives it one more memorable thing to it. This would have been a competent action film if played straight, but every other aspect takes it to the next level.

5/5

Snake - I dont use the term perfect movie to describe just any ol flick - Predator IS a perfect movie. Its perfect because Predator wears many different hats at once and excels at showing them all off with style and aplomb - its at once a masterpiece of 80s action cinema, a perfect blend of thrilling sci-fi, gory horror, and balls-to-the-wall machismo with who else but just the most iconic action star of all time, Arnold Schwarzenegger, taking center stage. Arnold is in top form as Dutch here, musclebound as you would expect, but what really sets Dutch apart is his ultimate reliance on wits and tactics to take on the Predator as the threat becomes more tangible and deadly. The rest of the cast round out a crew of perfectly serviceable action archetypes - the rival CIA agent, the geeky tech guy, stoic badass, gun-crazy dude - but it's the performances, the way they play off each other, and their grizzly deaths that make the team have a more tangible sense of realness and weight to them compared to similar action films.

Of course this film is nothing without its true starring character, the titular Predator. The film builds up suspense expertly, showing us only from the Predators perspective for a long time, leaving the audience in total suspense on what this supposed ultimate killing machine striking such fear into hardened soldiers actually looks like. The film creates an atmosphere of constant dread and paranoia. The lush jungle feels like a living entity, teeming with danger both natural and man-made, sometimes made by the group themselves. The Predator's POV scenes, complete with thermal vision, add another layer of tension as you see the heroes unwittingly walk into the sights of their unseen enemy. And the actual reveal - is both horrifying and awe-inspiring at the same time. Predator has always been one of my favorite horror / sci-fi monster designs of all time. Predator is also relatively unique since its antagonist isnt mindless, but works on a code of honor, giving up its weapons to fist-fight Dutch. Its the kind of thing that nearly threatens to be goofy, but instead it works so well because of the stakes, tension, performances, and everything else that had led up to that morning thus far. It makes perfect sense in-universe and is a stunning conclusion to one of my favorite films of all time.

Predator stands as a testament to how action films can be more than just explosions and one-liners, and how horror films can be way more than mindless deaths or based around one type of victim. Predator subverts traditional elements to create a suspenseful and thought-provoking experience, by presenting a vulnerable hero against an unknown enemy, and offering a unique commentary on similar stories in a way no film has done better since.

Bitto - Rating: B

I unfortunately watched this in a way that was not ideal. Way too much light glared on my screen, which sucked for this movie especially. But I still really liked what I saw. Great premise, great pacing, and great execution. My only real issues are that I feel like the Predator's powers don't always feel consistent and that this is just kind of a movie that doesn't appeal to me. I generally just don't like movies where the military play a major role.

Plasma - Another great sci-fi horror entry on this list. Obviously the monster is cool and memorable, but the characters themselves shine here as well.

Evilordexdeath - Le Prdateur - Apparently some American companies think all Canadians speak French. There are only a few times Ive encountered the consequences of this: as a kid I once visited a McDonalds with a sort of video arcade where they had Gamecubes that were set to reset every 5 minutes and arcade cabinets that were in French, and a while back during a family visit we were scrolling idly through Netflix as one does and all the movie posters were in English except one that read, in big bold letters Le Prdateur. Now I cant think about Predator or see its poster without saying Le Prdateur out loud. I've always thought of Le Prdateur as more of an action movie than a horror, but it does have some things in common with a slasher. It's fun. It definitely doesn't measure up to something like the first two Alien or Terminator movies, which it's hard not to compare it with, but Arnold is always cute and Le Prdateur is a cool antagonist. I like how he has rules for who he can and can't kill. This is a very manly film full of big bare-chested men and thats something I always appreciate.

Johnbobb - I feel like half of watching Predator in modern times is just recognizing the memes. Predator definitely walks that line of maybe not really being a horror movie while still being a horror icon, and the best thing about the movie is the titular Predator. Everything about its design, movement, lethality makes it clear why it became such a legendary movie monster. That clicking growl is just so good. The movie itself is alright. I couldn't help but be pretty bored for about half of its runtime, but then that last half hour hits and it's just a thrillride, which makes it super hard to rank as a whole.

Rockus - Predator is part monster movie, part 80s roided action flick. A great choice to use the first act as a way of establishing what a cool and unstoppable force Arnolds group of mercenary commandos happens to be. That way when the predator shows up and starts picking them apart one by one its even more threatening. One of the main things the movie has going for it is the cast of supporting characters and the big personalities they bring to the table. That way when they start dropping one by one slasher style its genuinely disappointing to see them go.

Karo - This special strike team is dispatched into the jungle to try to rescue some hostages, which they do by charging straight into the rebel camp wielding grenade launchers and mininguns, with enough buildings exploding to make Michael Bay hard. If these people are the 'very best' I'd hate to see the worst.

After confirming that yes, the hostages are indeed all now dead, they head back only to find our they are being hunted by an alien for sport. It's gonna be one of those days.

It takes forever for the Predator to actually do anything, and when he finally does everything just degrades into one of those monsters killing everyone kind of movies where characters are bumped off one by one. It eventually culminates on a 1v1 duel between the Predator and Ahnold, where being covered in mud somehow defeats advanced alien technology because of course it does.

It has a good soundtrack, but that is really the only positive thing I can say. It is a heavily commercialized sci-fi action movie (not a horror one) that minus a few quotes, I will have completely forgotten in a couple of weeks.