Predator (1987) *****
The last time that I watched Predator (1987) was 11 years ago. That seems like an eternity for this particular film—one that I've watched so many many times growing up and one that I consider lightning in a bottle. It's simply a perfect blend of action, sci-fi, and horror with an unreasonably macho cast quipping one-liners like nobody's business. It holds up incredibly well and is endlessly rewatchable.
There's so much testosterone in this film it should come with a warning. The dialogue is highly quotable and the action sequences are bloody and bloody well executed (you can actually discern what is happening). In fact, director John McTiernan made two perfect action films—the other being Die Hard (1988)—in two consecutive years, which is no easy feat. Alan Silvestri's score is brassy, percussive and drives the action home. The acting is a notch above what you'd expect in movies of this ilk, thanks to the intensity of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Bill Duke and company. Stan Winston's alien creature is an all-time monster—just one of many by a genius who gifted the film world with so many memorable creations. If there is anything to critique it's that a few quick f/x shots look dated, but that's not enough to take away from the experience, in my opinion.
If I'd bought the Predator series UHD box set before I made the 2019 edition of my Top 100 Films you can bet that Predator would have a place on that list. This is actually the second time that Predator has been snubbed in that regard, as I didn't own a copy at the time that I made the 2014 edition of my Top 100 Films either (I had already sold my DVD and never picked up the film on Blu-ray, since both versions were subpar). On that note, Predator finally looks as good as it deserves to on home video in 4K.
There's so much testosterone in this film it should come with a warning. The dialogue is highly quotable and the action sequences are bloody and bloody well executed (you can actually discern what is happening). In fact, director John McTiernan made two perfect action films—the other being Die Hard (1988)—in two consecutive years, which is no easy feat. Alan Silvestri's score is brassy, percussive and drives the action home. The acting is a notch above what you'd expect in movies of this ilk, thanks to the intensity of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Bill Duke and company. Stan Winston's alien creature is an all-time monster—just one of many by a genius who gifted the film world with so many memorable creations. If there is anything to critique it's that a few quick f/x shots look dated, but that's not enough to take away from the experience, in my opinion.
If I'd bought the Predator series UHD box set before I made the 2019 edition of my Top 100 Films you can bet that Predator would have a place on that list. This is actually the second time that Predator has been snubbed in that regard, as I didn't own a copy at the time that I made the 2014 edition of my Top 100 Films either (I had already sold my DVD and never picked up the film on Blu-ray, since both versions were subpar). On that note, Predator finally looks as good as it deserves to on home video in 4K.
Comments
Post a Comment