Review of Predator (1987) by Cael M — 04 Jul 2013

Predator is one of the few action films that really define "adrenaline", and has some of the best atmospheric tension and suspense I've ever seen in an action movie. It's directed by the same director behind Die Hard 1 and 3, John McTiernan. Rather than jumping straight into action, Predator takes its time to build up tons of suspense and tension, often bordering between sci-fi action and horror. Predator is about a man named Dutch, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, who's leading a mission with a special forces team to try and rescue hostages by guerrillas, but gradually becomes aware that an unusual "predator" is hunting them and taking them down one by one. I can't even explain how much adrenaline and suspense there is in this movie, as well as testosterone from tons of muscles and toughness.

Despite the fact that it seems like your average action movie filled with an over abundance of explosions and gore, this is actually a quite smart movie, relying on an exotic, isolated location of a jungle, slow build-up, and a terrifying, iconic villain. It has many silent moments that are both exciting and uncomfortable at the same time, making everything so much more effective. The atmosphere in this movie is astounding, and its location is unique and unbelievably effective. Although lots of the action scenes come in huge bursts, there's more attention given to suspense. You should go into this film not knowing much, because it adds to the excitement of not knowing what's coming next.

Unfortunately, it's not perfect, with some cheesy moments, but all is forgiven thanks to Schwarzenegger's strong, cool performance and the tensity of this movie. It also has a great score and a plethora of quotable one-liners. This film strays away from becoming a generic action movie, and was carefully made with smart decisions. Unsurprisingly, Predator came with a ton of sequels, as well as crossover films with the Alien franchise, known as the Alien vs Predator movies. Predator rightfully deserves its title as a classic, iconic action horror movie.