Predator (1987) Movie Review
Predator (1987) Movie Review
Predator is a combination of Schwarzenegger action and one-liners with the tension and mystique of an Alien movie. While Predator is never truly scary, there are definitely moments of suspense, with the stalker-like creature out there, but not showing itself. The movie is beloved by audiences for being one of the manliest movies ever made, but critics actually like this movie, too. I can see how people would say, “Oh, this is a dumb action movie that’s really stupid,” but it’s really not. Predator is an awesome film. I can’t really think of much wrong with it. There are some small plot holes here and there, but nothing really comes to mind.
For those who don’t know, here is the plot of Predator. Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and his team are sent into the rainforest to rescue two hostages from some bad people. When the group arrives, they see skinned corpses hanging from trees. The corpses used to be in the military. Dutch and friends get to the base, and shoot it up. There Dillon (Carl Weathers) admits that the point of the mission is actually to gather information from the people they just killed.
Some strange stuff starts happening, including Hawkins’ (Shane Black, who will be directing the new 2018 Predator movie) mysterious death. It doesn’t take forever for the team to realize they are being hunted by an inhuman killer. They get picked off one by one, the deaths sometimes almost right next to each other. Billy (Sonny Landham), Blain (Jesse Ventura), Mac (Bill Duke), Dillon, and Poncho (Richard Chaves) also are murdered by the Predator (played by Kevin Peter Hall).
In the end, Arnold- I mean Dutch (sorry, the character is basically just Arnold) has to gear up and face the Predator once and for all. He succeeds in defeating the creature and travels back to America. Predator is a must-see movie for fans of action or sci-fi. If you can imagine Aliens meets Rambo: First Blood Part II, then that is Predator.
The design of the Predator creature is pretty cool. There are pictures of the original costume design, and they look terrible. The original costume looks like a combination of a human skeleton, a bird, and a lizard. It also was almost played by Jean-Claude Van Damme, which would have been kind of weird.
The Predator’s weaponry is also awesome: it has a laser blaster, thermal vision, and knife gauntlets. One big question is “Alien vs. Predator: who would win?” In my opinion, the Predator would win. If it had all of the weaponry with it, the Xenomorph doesn’t stand a chance. The Predator could easily blast the thing to pieces from a distance, and slash the remains with the knife gauntlets. Since the Alien has acid blood, then it could injure the Predator, but mostly I think the winner is clear. If the Predator didn’t have all of the technology, then I think it’s about even. It would have to get up close to the Alien, who has vicious fangs, a razor-edged tail, and acidic blood.
Another question is: “would you rather be hunted by a Predator or an Alien?” Now that is a different story. I would much rather be hunted by a Predator. Predators have a weird samurai code that prevents them from killing for sport or attacking the weak. Aliens are vicious, willing to rip anyone to pieces no matter what. So in my opinion I would rather have a Predator after me.
Predator does not really have much real meaning or symbolism, but is pure action entertainment. The deaths are intense, the characters are realistic, and the sci-fi is awesome. Dutch is definitely the best character, because he is Arnold. My second favorite character is Billy, a Native American soldier who has a great sense of smell. Billy is the first to fully realize that they are being hunted by something that isn’t from Earth. Mac, an African-American soldier, sees the death of Blain and goes insane trying to kill the Predator. In the end, he gets his blown off by the laser blaster. Blain is kind of funny sometimes. I also like his MTV T-shirt, which he wears when he dies. Dillon is kind of boring. I like Carl Weathers in the Rocky movies, but I cannot entirely say the same for Predator.
Poncho and Hawkins are kind of interchangeable; they’re both generic young white men. But easily the most memorable character here is the Predator. I’ve already talked about him, so I won’t ramble here. The Predator pulls of some of his signature moves here, like using the knife gauntlets and ripping out his victim’s spine. The spine-rip scene is a little weird. He slams Billy against a tree, then takes it out. After that, the Predator waves it around in the air.
Safety Chart:
Violence: 8/10- Fairly heavy violence. The Predator rips out a man’s spine, blood can be seen. Lots of blazing gunfire. Buildings explode, so do people. Huge guns are used, including machine guns like miniguns. Skinned corpses can be seen dangling from trees. Intestines can be seen lying on the forest floor. Blood drips from trees. A man’s head is blown clean off. Dillon’s arm is also blasted off, it falls to the ground, still firing a gun while severed. The Predator is crushed by a log and dies. A man is blasted by the Predator clear through the chest. Hand-to-hand combat, Arnold and the Predator punch each other.
Language: 7.5/10- A considerable amount of cursing. The n-word is used once. I think there is cursing in Spanish, although I’m not sure because I don’t speak Spanish.
Drinking/Smoking: 6/10- Dutch can be seen smoking a big cigar. Blain grabs a handful of tobacco and shoves it in his mouth.
Predator is a very good movie that I would recommend to a lot of people. There are some bloody scenes and a lot of cursing, so I would say this is probably OK for people 12 and up. Arnold Schwarzenegger is a great action hero, and displays his talents here. It’s a terrific alien movie that displays gallons of awesomeness. Warning: if you are a little girl, you will most likely dislike this film. If you are anyone else, you will probably like it (except if you are excessively squeamish). My grade for Predator is a solid A. Schwarzenegger’s performance is great, and honestly this is a pretty cool movie.
