Predator (Special Edition)

As far as Hollywood action films go, the 80's was the decade in which several notable efforts defined the way in which future films of the genre would be tackled.

Arnold Schwarzenegger was one of the biggest action heroes in the world, having already starred in several hugely successful films such as Conan the Barbarian, The Terminator and Commando. On the other hand John McTiernan had yet to wow audiences with Die Hard, which would follow a year later, but not before he brought Predator to the screen with a budget of $18,000,000. Bringing together several genres and a cast featuring muscle bound machos’ plunged in to the deepest depths of the jungle, Predator eventually gained a reputable status and would do no harm to its lead star and director’s name.

Predator did particularly well at the box-office and it gained a huge following, spawning an largely underrated sequel and several spin offs, featuring the predator itself - the latest project of which sees the fella taking on Aliens in this years upcoming Alien vs. Predator.


The film kicks off with a spacecraft landing on Earth. After the title sequence we are introduced to a group of commandos led by Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger) as they arrive somewhere in Central America. CIA agent, Dutch's friend and former commando, Dillon (Carl Weathers) has called in a rescue team to head into enemy territory and bring back a U.S senator who's chopper has disappeared somewhere over the South American jungle. Dutch and his team fly out, along with Dillon where they soon discover the remains of a separate team who were led by General Hopper. The soldiers are skinned and left hanging in the trees and Dutch begins to wonder if there is a conspiracy at hand, as now his relatively simple mission has turned into something far more dangerous.

After infiltrating and destroying a Russian backed camp, Dutch finds a surviving hostage named Anna (Elpidia Carrillo) who doesn't seem to speak English. Dillon persuades Dutch to take her with them and the team head out deeper into the jungle. When Anna tries to escape, Hawkins (Shane Black) pursues her but is soon attacked and killed by a mysterious being, leaving no trace of his body. Anna describes what she saw as “the trees coming to life” and taking Hawkins. As absurd as it sounds, the team find themselves with no explanation as to what is happening. Soon, one by one they are being picked off by an invisible force that has a penchant for collecting skulls.

"Something is out there General, and it ain't no human"


This is a film that works on many levels, providing of course that you leave your brain in the sink to ferment like an onion, perhaps in vinegar. McTiernan is a director who is not afraid to play around with different ideas. He brings horror, science fiction and action and then rolls them up into a big ball, not unlike a ball of wool - but wool that doesn’t fall apart and leave a big piece of string on the floor.

Predator is a well constructed piece of entertainment that is simple in its scripting but technically a marvel in its execution. McTiernan sets it up slowly, seemingly making it appear to be another in a long line of "soldiers rescue hostages and kill the baddies in a Delta Force kinda way" movie. But he soon abandons that typical convention and raises the tension early on as the soldiers arrive in the jungle, creating a sense of directional loss for the viewer. The big set piece soon follows and it's an impressive one, with the exception of some The A-Team style jumping from barracks shots. All that soon disappears and the battle is bloody and violent. Arnie lifts up a small truck, running it into a hut and Blain (Jesse Ventura) guns down hoards of bad guys with a gattling gun in an explosive and ridiculously cool scene.

From here on in the atmosphere evokes a sense of disorientation. McTiernan brings psychological tension during the half way point. He chooses to introduce the threat in short bursts, never allowing the viewer to understand exactly what is attacking the men, which is perfect because it gives the viewer no more of an idea than the soldiers themselves have, making for a far more involving experience. The camouflaged attacker remains a mystery until the final 30 minutes when we see the predator in all its glory.


What a creation it is too.

The predator is one of the greatest movie monsters of all time. It's no wonder that it has sported such a successful ongoing franchise. Stan Winston completely re-worked the original concept and came up with a terrifying creature that does indeed look like it will kick everyone's ass and return home with a nice collection of presents for its family. For a film made 17 years ago, the creature still looks amazing to this day. Upon the removal of its mask we see a snake like face, with jaws that look like they would take a man's head off. Technically it is pretty much flawless and has a very realistic feel that no amount of computer technology today could surpass.

Interestingly only one other creature rivals that of the predator's appearance and that is H.R. Geiger's Alien from the successful series of films sporting the same name. The alien would later be seen at war with the predators in a comic book series, before going head to head in a feature film due out later this year from Paul "Sorry for making films" W.S. Anderson.


I always found the line-up of actors in this film to be particularly memorable. Each character boasts a unique skill that is vital to the assurance of the team’s success. Dutch relies on his men and has a great respect for what they do, though as a character who prefers not to use violence and assassinate, he is very gung-ho when it comes down to wiping out naughty men. Schwarzenegger does what he does best and that is looking really tough while giving out catchy one liners. As a leader figure he maintains credibility in the film but when you get down to it, it's Arnold being Arnold, complete with trademark cigar.

Carl Weathers as Dillon, in a substantial role serves up an interesting performance as you can't quite figure out his intentions, always questioning where his allegiances lie. Weathers is a fine actor, probably the best in the film alongside Bill Duke who plays Mac, perhaps the most emotional character featured who gets the most character driven lines and provides one of the more engaging characters as a result.

Jesse Ventura has a whale of a time playing Blain, the tobacco chewing "sexual tyrannosaur who ain't got no time to bleed". Ventura and his "Old painless" lovingly tear apart the jungle and the minions who reside there, providing some highly entertaining and unbelievable gun action.

Shane Black as Hawkins has a relatively small role, providing the comic touch before being the first victim of the predator but whose jokes will live on longer in memory. Billy is an expert tracker who fears no man. Sonny Landham seems to have gained a reputation for being quite a character. Just how close he is in reality to his onscreen performance can only be assumed from listening to the comments made by his cast members.

Richard Chaves plays the linguist, Poncho, who tries his best to communicate with Anna before his body is shattered by a log, courtesy of the alien hunter. Elpidia Carrillo doesn't offer much that couldn’t have been done had it been a guy in her place. I assume it was felt that a woman was needed for the part but unlike many other action films, she keeps her clothes on.

Finally, this wouldn't be complete without mentioning the late, Kevin Peter Hall (Misfits of Science, Harry and the Hendersons). At 7 foot 4 inches Kevin’s physical stature fills out the role perfectly, but his every movement relates to that of a natural hunter, tracking its victims without mercy and ultimately bring the title character to life.


The DVD

20th Century Fox presents Predator in a worthy 2 disc set.

Picture

Fox chose to present the film on DVD with remastered sound but not picture quality. The film appears in the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio with anamorphic enhancement. Presumably the source material is beyond fixing to a certain degree and we still have visible print damage. The first part of the film has a noticeable amount of grain and it isn't until the soldiers arrive in the jungle that things start to get progressively better. The grain does seem to work though in the films favour, lending itself to the overall feel. Darker scenes suffer from poor black levels but overall the image is better than ever and stays clear and crisp with fine detail.

Sound

There are two options, Dolby Digital 5.1 and a remastered DTS soundtrack. The film sounds excellent on DVD, although dialogue is often quieter than the action scenes, which obviously get the full use of surrounds but you may have to turn up the volume to hear quieter conversational pieces.

I believe the film was originally in 2.0 but this track does not appear on the DVD. I can't see many complaints though as the 5.1 tracks sound very good.


Extras

Disc 1 features:

Audio Commentary with John McTiernan
The director sounds bored throughout but more likely his voice makes the experience a little less enjoyable. He offers some interesting comments but little beyond what is offered by the bonus material found on the second disc.

Text Commentary
This appears as a subtitle feature and has a film historian and crew members offering their insights into the production.

Alien vs. Predator 2 - Game Demo
I cannot comment on this due to the game not being found on my PC.

Disc 2:

"If it bleeds, we can kill it" The Making of Predator
Running for 29 minutes, this is a very enjoyable behind the scenes look at the film that covers all the bases with many interesting interviews and humorous anecdotes along the way.

Inside the Predator
Seven featurettes explore the films production with comments from various cast and crew members.

Classified Action - A 5 minute look at the filming of the action scenes and the process leading up to them.

The Unseen Arnold - At almost 5 minutes, this piece is mainly made up of the actors and crew praising Arnold as an actor and a human being.

Old Painless - A 3 and a half minute look at the gattling gun used in the film. Jesse Ventura and co. talk enthusiastically about this ludicrous weapon.

The Life Inside - A Tribute to Kevin Peter Hall - Running for nearly 5 minutes, various cast and crew members fondly remember Kevin Peter Hall who sadly passed away shortly after filming Predator 2, after contracting the AIDS virus through a blood transfusion. Kevin was obviously a wonderful guy who had an enormous amount of enthusiasm for his work. This short feature also includes interviews with the man himself.

Camouflage - Another short feature at 5 minutes, that takes a look at the make-up used for the individual characters.

Welcome to the Jungle - A 3 minute look at locations used and set designs that created a believable environment.

Character Design - This runs for nearly 5 minutes and looks at the requirements for each character.

Predator Special Effects
This contains 5 separate features as follows:

Predator (Red) Looking Down - Various shots of the predator looking down and walking away. The creature is just a red suit at this point, which they used to composite the effects onto afterward.

Predator (Red) in Jungle - Another 1 minute short look at the red suit in the jungle.

Predator (Red) Main Walking Layer - 20 second clip of the original, rubbish looking predator design.

Camouflage Effect Moth - 40 second clip of various camouflage tests as the filmmakers decided which look they would eventually go for.

Camouflage Effect Layers - At just over 1 minute, this shows various shots of the same scene, from shadows to final result.

Deleted Scenes and Outtakes
This segment features 1 deleted scene and 3 outtakes.

Fleeing the Predator - A 1 minute, 45 second clip shows Dutch escape from his alien pursuer.

Chameleon - A 30 second clip showing Anna pick up a chameleon.

Building Trap - At 2 minutes, 15 seconds this is an extended scene, showing Dutch building his various traps and weapons.

Sliding Down Hill - 1 minute of outtakes, featuring Arnie on his bumpy slope ride.

Predator Profile
This is a text feature with photographs that explains the workings of the predator's various weapons and devices. A bit of a pointless feature unless you're a real fan boy.

Photo Gallery
A nice collection of photographs from behind the scenes.

Easter Eggs
Four hidden features can be found in this set. Here's how to get them:

On Disc 1 highlight DVD ROM Content and then press left and enter on the remote control. You will be taken to a short interview with John McTiernan.

Disc 2:

Enter Inside the Predator and then press up on the control pad. You will see a predator target. Press enter to be taken to a 2 minute feature called Jesse's Ultimate Goal.

Go to Predator Special Effects and press up again straight away to be taken to another feature called Stan Winston: Practical Joker. Stan explains a prank that went a little wrong, more fool him.

Go to the Photo Gallery and proceed to view the pictures. On the 17th photo you will see another predator target. Enter this and you will be taken to Don't Drink the Water. This shows the cast members telling an amusing story of their bad experience when the water filtering system broke.


Overall

Predator is pure, classic popcorn entertainment. It has everything an action fan could possibly want and McTiernan, in his first studio feature cemented his reputation as being a fine action director. After 17 years it holds up remarkably well and I urge anyone who hasn't seen it to go out and buy or rent this set and enjoy a good old fashioned night in.