Review: Predator (1987)

Directed By: John McTiernan

Starring:
Arnold Schwarzenegger as Dutch
Elpidia Carrillo as Anna
Carl Weathers as Dillon

My Recommendation: See It

With the highly-anticipated (amongst horror fans, anyway) Predators arriving in theaters this Friday, I thought it would be nice to revisit the films that have led us to this point. Starting from the beginning seemed like the best approach and, thus, I sat down to watch Predator...which, I realized shortly before my viewing, I had never seen in its entirety. I know...I know...I know, what kind of schmuck has never seen Predator all the way through before? Well, now, I have...and I'm just sorry I waited this long. A slam-bang action thriller with loads of big guns and even bigger explosions, it works quite well as a masterfully-suspenseful horror movie as well. What more could you ask for out a film? Basically, Predator is simple in its thought process: take a bunch of tough-as-nails military men, throw them in a jungle, add one high-tech alien, and blend into a puree. According to Wikipedia (So who really knows?), the idea for the film came from a running joke during the release of Rocky IV that said, since Rocky had run out of earthly opponents, he would need to fight an alien in the next sequel. Well, in Predator, Arnold Schwarzenegger fights that alien for him, and that alien is one of the most impressively-crafted science fiction creatures ever brought to screen. Let the war begin!

Let me start off by saying that Predator is not perfect, but it's damn fun anyway. There are plenty of pacing problems here, with too many scenes, featuring nothing more than the characters sneaking through the jungle, that drag on...and on...and on. Also, I could have used a little more explanation for why an alien, equipped with far better technological capabilities than we have, would come to earth just to hunt humans and collect skulls. The suggestion is that it comes just for the thrill of the hunt, but that motive didn't work for me; space travel seems like a big hassle to blast a few relatively helpless humans. Other than that, though, I didn't have any other noticeable problems with Predator, and it certainly makes up for all of that when its last act kicks into gear and we get to experience the thrill of watching Schwarzenegger and the predator going toe-to-toe against each other. It was during these scenes that this film really mesmerized me. The production values are top notch, the stunts are brilliant, and the battle is intelligent and exciting. I also have to say that it is unbelievably nice to go back and watch action scenes crafted before the CGI-explosion of the new millennium. Everything looks and feels real, and the scenes are just much more entertaining because of that. Films like this remind me of how much filmmaking has changed in the past few decades...and, sadly, not all of those changes have been beneficial. It's bittersweet.

Aside from all of its stunts and action scenes, Predator is actually quite rooted in its performances, all of which are very good. Since becoming governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger has become the butt of many jokes, with people often forgetting that he was an excellent action star and a fairly good actor too. His performance here is actually one of his strongest, though his dialog can be a bit difficult to understand given his accent and his tendency to mumble. Carl Weathers does well in his vital role, providing some much-needed charisma in an otherwise stone-faced bunch of soldiers. Elpidia Carrillo, the only female cast member, is very sympathetic; Carrillo is good at balancing the victim half of her role with the tougher, more kick-ass half. And, of course, who could forget the late, great Kevin Peter Hall as the titular predator? If nothing else, he brings an impressive physicality to to the role (the guy is 7'2, after all); he also manages to become "one" with the makeup/costume, making the predator's motions seem fluid and natural. In other words, he doesn't look like a man in a suit; of course, he is aided immeasurably by a brilliant creature design that is simultaneously cool and frightening. Who would have thought that an alien with dreadlocks would appear as anything other than an extra in an episode of Star Trek? It's unexpected, but it works very well!

There was no excuse for me to put off watching Predator as long as I did and, likewise, there is no reason for you to do the same. If you haven't seen it, then go out and rent it right now or move it to the top of your Netflix queue pronto. It's one of those films that I can see myself watching over and over again, especially late at night when it comes on television, and yet never growing bored with it at all. That is because, above all else, Predator is just an undeniably fun film...and, better yet, it doesn't require the guilt that comes with liking many other action thrillers of the eighties, as it is also a technically well-made film complete with nicely-staged action scenes, well-executed stunts, and slick production values. For the gore hounds out there, you will be glad to hear that things get pretty nasty early on and only get redder as the body count grows; think skinned corpses, blown-off heads, skulls and spines ripped from corpses, and more. I, however, really dug the film's very potent suspense. Because the predator can become almost entirely invisible and is excellent at using stealth to hunt his prey, many scenes are absolutely nerve-wracking...I mean that in the best way possible. Since 1987, the titular villain of this film has become a horror icon, populating two direct sequels and two spin-offs (as well as a slew of other mediums), but this is the first, this is the beginning, and I would bet (since I haven't seen the other films) this is the best.