Review of Predator (1987) by Michelle H — 16 Feb 2014

This is a very manly, tough, and edge of the seat action thriller! There is lots of big muscle to look at in this, with Arnold being the biggest of them all as the head of a swat team sent into the jungle to rescue some hostages. The team begins to realize that they are being hunted by something sinister that is taking them out one by one the way a hunter would stalk an animal! There is not much story to this, but it does not matter! It is a tense game of cat and mouse that grips the viewer tighter and tighter as it goes on. The alien being is revealed slowly in tantalizing glimpses and you do not get a full on look at him until near the end of the film and I must say he is impressive! Designed by Stan Winston, he is both terrifying and gloriously grotesque. He makes Arnold look like a midget by comparison! This is a story of survival against all odds, with an amazing performance from Arnold as he becomes one with the jungle and pitts himself against an extraterrestrial monster after all of his friends die one by one. Knowing that he has met his match, the alien takes off the helmet top reveal his hideous visage before he fights Arnold in hand to hand combat. It is one of the most shocking unmasking in any.

Film! The film has some scenes of violence, but they are not too drawn out. You do get the impression that this alien is a sick psychopath who enjoys dismembering and gutting his victims before liquidating the flesh off their skulls to keep them as trophies. The action scenes in this are mind-boggling! There is lots of big, loud, and bombastic shoot em up action. There is also some amazing explosions, all done for real on the set! This film has more one-liners than you can shake a stick at, especially from Arnold. Overall, Predator is a dark, tense, action packed, and riveting action-thriller. It has "classic" written all over it, and I can watch it over and over without ever getting sick of it.