Review of Predator (1987) by Caesar M — 11 Oct 2012

It goes without saying seeing humans go up against aliens in large numbers has gotten somewhat tiresome nowadays. These kinds of films main problem isn't too much CGI, but very poorly written aliens that lack any resemblance of intelligence. Predator has one of the few species of aliens with intelligence that makes it a classic and well deserving of it iconic status in the sci-fi genre.

Predator follows a team of commandos, on a mission in a Central American jungle, where they find themselves hunted by an extra-terrestrial warrior. The plot is straightforward playing on it strengths in simplicity. Other films would complicate such movie in the sci-fi genre with romance, complexity, and delving into a soldier trauma. These are absent here and makes the plot a whole lot better to see unfold. The Predator origins are never explains adding to the mystery of this creature and does show signs of intelligence when going up against of team of muscle-bond commandos. Another great element to the film is how it sets up our commandos as an unstoppable force with a well staged action scene that shows the audience how skill they are. This helps add to the suspense of the film as the Predator takes out one of these skill commandos one by one very creatively. Both the Predator and our humans characters are smart when it comes to killing their enemy making it an even match as both have their disadvantages. The final battle between Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Predator is masterfully written and one of the most memorable human vs. alien battle in the genre. Predator mainly works since it builds suspense and doesn't rely on too many explosions to provide thrills.

If there is anyone you get to take down an army and an alien its Arnold Schwarzenegger. This is easily one of his best roles as it doesn't rely on him saying too many one liners. The role also fits him perfectly like a glove, who would not believe Arnold Schwarzenegger is an elite commando. The rest of the cast is just believable since they do like soldiers, but the acting in general here is okay. The Predator costume design is authentic and provides great use of some good special effects. These effects are put to good use establishing the Predator presence as he kills his prey in gory fashion. To the Predator credit, he is the only alien specie to go up against Arnold Schwarzenegger without an entire army backing him up making this alien all the more outstanding in the genre. In it a time when many films have large numbers of humans and aliens going up against humans, Predator avoids that setup and stands out as a classic giving us something different entirely.

Predator has a simple plot that doesn't insult the audience by making it needlessly complicated. It's fills with enough action and an intelligent alien that makes this confrontation a blast to watch. If you want something different from the usual humans vs. aliens confrontation, Predator will do the trick and even better with a single alien.