A team of special force ops led by a tough but fair soldier Major Dutch Schaefer are ordered in to assist CIA man George Dillon on a rescue mission for potential survivors of a Helicopter downed over remote South American jungle. Not long after they land Dutch and his team discover that they have been sent in under false pretenses. This deception turns out to be the least of their worries though when they find themselves being methodically hunted by something not of this world.
Review
This film will always have special place for me as aside from being one of the best horrorscifi films of the eighties its also a huge childhood favourite of mine. Despite the fact that Ive seen it dozens of times as a kid I have only seen it once during adulthood and that single viewing was more than enough to remind me what it is that I love about this film! Predator works as a macho action film gory horror and intriguing scifi and despite its short running time of just 100 minutes it somehow manages to find room for all three. The fact that it stars action icon Arnold Schwarzenegger ensures that the film will always be favourably remembered. Hes not a good actor but Arnie always manages to bring that extra something to his movies. The plot is deliciously simple and follows a group of commandos that go off into the jungle on a secret mission. However things go awry when it turns out that they arent the only ones with weapons there. Finding the skinned bodies of the last group of men that entered the jungle is about to become the least of their worries...
The jungle makes for a great setting for an action scifi flick such as this. These sorts of films tend to be set in space so seeing the action down here on earth is different and the fact that its set in the jungle with its dense foliage ensures that Die Harddirector John McTiernan is able to bump up the suspense as just like in the Vietnam war the soldiers are dealing with an unknown enemy. The atmosphere really is excellent and the special effects help to create a futuristic tone while the suspense builds and makes sure that the audience are on the edge of their seats at all times. Predator was released hot on the heels of the success of James Camerons amazing Aliens but dont be thinking this film is merely a rip off following a trend Predator has more than enough up its sleeve to ensure that isnt the case. The action is great and director McTiernan clearly knows what hes doing. Its fast and furious and the amount of weapons on display ensures that the film is sure to delight fans of macho action films. The fact that the lead actor is a monster of a man doesnt exactly hurt the film either!
Now Arnold Schwarzenegger may well be a terrible actor but it doesnt matter because its his screen presence not his acting ability that makes his performances what they are. At times hes cringeworthy but its hard to deny his prowess when it comes to the action sequences and that is all a film of this nature needs. Arnie isnt the only big man in the film either as an assortment of muscle men including exwrestler Jesse Ventura and Carl Weathers Rockys Apollo Creed among other Bmovie actors join him. The man himself also finds himself a very worthy ally in the form of the movies central alien. The Predator may not be as beautiful as the creature from Alien but its just as inventive. Here we have an extra terrestrial that isnt merely trying to breed or to phone home but one that is actually there to hunt humans for sport! Aside from being ingenious the idea also borders on frightening. The gore here is gratuitous but never goes over the top and on the whole Predator is a film that never really got the credit it deserves. Its mindless fun but its damn good mindless fun!