REVIEW #92 Predator (1987)

Predator, directed by John McTiernan, follows a group of hired commandos on a mission in a Central American Jungle but soon find themselves being hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.

CAST & THE ACTING

Arnold Schwarzenegger leads the cast as Dutch and this is probably one of his most iconic roles. That being said I don’t think his acting is very good at all, yes he looks the part but his performance is very one dimensional. Predator is a big 80’s action sci-fi flick so I wouldn’t expect to much depth in the main character but I just found the performance a little cringe-worthy. Carl Weathers plays Dillon the CIA agent who hires the team of commandos and I do think his performance was slightly better then Arnold’s but it was still pretty similar. The other actors that make up the cast are Bill Duke as Mac, Elpidia Corrillo as Anna, Jess Venture as Blain, Sonny Landham as Billy and Richard Chaves as Poncho. They all bring a certain level of excitement to the film and the chemistry between them all comes across really well. However I just don’t think the acting is good enough but I wouldn’t have expected it to be anyway. 

PLOT & THE STORYLINE 

I like the concept of Predator and obviously it set up all of the future films and the Predator vs Alien films so it’s a base storyline that people, including myself enjoy. They give the audience enough information to understand why the commandos are in the jungle and by showing the team as a family they made the deaths impact the audience more. I do think the film was focused on setting up future projects a little too much because we didn’t find out anything about the Predator in this movie. It left me with a lot of questions, which does make sure you watch the next film that’s released. So although it was a smart business move, I would have liked to have got a little more information on the extraterrestrial warrior. Its a plot that just creates excitement, the audience doesn’t have to engage their brain very much but instead just has to sit back and watch the action. Which is probably why the acting isn’t great but the film serves its purpose. 

CINEMATOGRAPHY & SPECIAL EFFECTS 

Considering the film was released in 1987 the effects are pretty good, which is why it was so well received at the time. The real explosions combined with the CGI of the invisible Predator camouflage creates a nice balance. It is hard to appreciate the effects, having grown up with more advanced special effects within the film industry today, but I do understand what it must have been like watching this in the 80’s. The setting of the Central American jungle created some nice visuals and I believe it was the perfect environment to introduce the alien Predator because the jungle is where you would see a normal predator thrive, creating a nice sense of irony.  

OVERALL (6/10)

The film is considered to be a classic but I don’t think it holds up well today. The acting is very one dimensional and cringe-worthy at times, which left me losing interest in the characters. The plot set up a whole franchise of films, so it has to be appreciated. Predator’s all out action approach does create an exciting film but the lack of any real insight into what the Predator was or where it came from left me with a lot of questions. Which I felt suggested their focus was on making audiences come to watch future films and not on fleshing out the story of the first instalment. The special effects were good considering it’s a film from 1987 but it is hard to appreciate when there has been such advancements in that area of the film industry. It does however serve its purpose and is a film you can watch without having to think to much about it. 

Thanks for reading. 

Callan