Often Imitated Never Bettered

Rating: 9/10 (20 July 2010)

Let's get this right Predator 1987 is an Action/Sci-fi movie
Before you have any idea of the 'predator' you could be watching any Arnie movie of the 80's but its still fun even like that with a cast that blends together perfectly & each actor filling roles which unique at the time are now clichéd beyond belief. The subtlety of the predator just watching his prey helps build character and tension during the film, with the location used to great effect. The moment of realization when the characters know they are being hunted is fantastic and helps flesh out the characters even more while the attention gradually increases on the predator and his preparation for the hunt.
Lets not forget this is an Arnie movie and despite the fantastic cast there is really only one winner here and Arnie really does shine, if your not an Arnie fan just let go and enjoy the cheap jokes & muscleman attitude, this is Arnies jungle. The gradual deaths of the team, all feel meaningful in some way or another with the screams of Carl Weathers character echoing around the now eerily quiet jungle being one of the best, followed by the death of 'Billy' in another classic moment.
Having stalked and killed at whim during the movie, the predators eyes turn to what can only be described as the lion of the movie, Arnold Schwarzenegger. With this the movie swings away from guns blazing to a music driven finale where there can be only one winner. This is Arnie of the eighties and you know who the winner will be, but it is done in such a way that you take your hat off to Arnie & especially the late Kevin Peter Hall who portrayed the predator in such an elegant yet deadly grace. The music score is matched perfectly to the movie scene for scene, & builds to an amazing crescendo something which is sorely missed in today's movies. The special effects are good for there time with the predator costume working well in the jungle environment, and to this day the ideas of predator & aliens are ripped of in numerous poor imitations & this alone speaks for itself.
Make your own mind up, but just make sure you watch it as predator is without doubt one of the best Action/Sci-fi movies ever made.