Practically Perfect – PREDATOR (1987) Movie Review

There are some movies that show their age as the decades go by, either the special effects don’t hold up or the script suffers from being dated in the period it was written but then you have movies like this one which still manages to be just as impressive in 2020 as it was in 1987.

John McTiernan’s Predator starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Bill Duke, Jesse Ventura, and Shane Black is one of those movies I can put on at any time and never be bored by it. From the moment it starts to the second that the credits start rolling, my eyes are glued to the screen. Is it a movie I should have been allowed to watch when I was six years old? Probably not but I’m glad I was because now I am a lifelong fan of this franchise.

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A GREAT WAR THRILLER…AT FIRST

Most movies that feature a monster or alien creature would try to skip all the setup and get right to the action with the titular monster. That is most definitely not the case with this movie; I’ve always respected how this movie starts with Major Alan “Dutch” Schaefer and his team of special forces deploying into the Guatemalan jungles of Val Verde to accomplish a mission without any hint of an alien hunter until later.

It’s a good twenty minutes before we get the reveal of our extraterrestrial being and even then, we only see the creature’s thermal point of view. Then you have the firefight itself against the guerillas which is glorious to watch with so many memorable kills, one-liners, and intensity that gets you pumped up for the best war movie of the 1980s. Then BOOM! Alien movie! Wait…a movie about an alien creature not a movie from the Alien franchise but will end up being connected to that series later on…you know what I mean.

THE HUNT IS ON

Once the titular antagonist enters the picture, this movie already goes from great to a spectacle with each of Schaefer’s unit being picked off one by one. Even when the movie slows down, you’re still at the edge of your seat wondering if the Predator is about to show up and kill someone. Even though this movie is labeled as a sci-fi action film (and definitely belongs in that genre), it does have horror elements that keep the Predator from feeling like a stock villain. This thing is a relentless hunter who is determined to get his prey and that’s earned him a spot as one of cinema’s most iconic villains.

For a villain as great as the Predator, you also need an equally memorable hero and at a time when Arnold was known for just playing the big tough guy who barely shows emotion or speaks a word, this is actually one of his first times displaying how capable he is as an actor. When he’s on screen, Arnold does a great job portraying a man you could see as the leader of a spec ops unit: he’s a good man but he brings authority and determination to this unit, keeping them together even as their being picked apart.

While Dutch is a badass hero, he’s not some indestructible superhuman who you know is going to live. He feels fear (which Arnold displays very well), he gets wounded, he gets overwhelmed by the Predator, and he has to use his wits to overcome his enemy rather than like his character in Commando where all he had to do was point a gun and shoot to save the day. Sure Commando is a fun movie but you don’t feel the same kind of intensity in that movie that you do in Predator.

Seeing Dutch use both his mind and his body to outsmart the Predator makes for one of the greatest final acts of a film ever made. Your eyes are wide open and incapable of blinking because you might miss something, your hands are sweating from holding your seat, and you even find you are breathing a little heavier. It’s just that good! And when that alien hunter removes his mask for the final confrontation of the movie, it always has me like…

The rest of the cast is great too: Carl Weathers remains of my personal favorite actors who does NOT get enough starring roles, you gotta love Bill Duke as Mac, and the rest of the squad are all filled with so much personality and charisma that it’s impossible to hate any of them.

ONE HELL OF A PRESENTATION

I haven’t even gotten to the score which I personally think not enough people talk about when reviewing this movie: Alan Silvestri’s score is stunningly good. The main theme of the movie always gets stuck in my head but the rest of the movie’s score always fits with what’s happening: it can be intense for big action set pieces, quiet and ominous for the scarier and tension-filled scenes, it has so much flavor and never gets stale.

The same goes for John McTiernan’s direction which remains gorgeous to this very day: the cinematography is and framing is perfect, the colors, the tone, the fluidity in everything. I know his film Die Hard is brilliant and deserves its spot as a top tier action movie but in my personal opinion? I think Predator is McTiernan’s best.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

If there are any flaws with this movie, I certainly never find them and I ignore the tiny minuscule and very few nitpicks that I can spot in the movie because this movie is a masterpiece. I find myself watching it once a year usually if not more and I’m pretty sure I’ll continue to love it until the day I die. It easily gets my ranking of a 10/10 film. If you haven’t seen it…then what are you waiting for? C’mon! Do it! DO IT! C’mon, it’s right there, C’MON! WATCH IT!

You’re all SO SWEET for making it this far and I hope you all enjoyed this article! I write about anything geek-related, especially comic book-related stuff so if you want to stay up to date with all the reviews, news breakdowns, and lists I do, make sure to follow this blog or follow me on Twitter @MelodyMacReady where I am much more active! Love you all!