Terrific rumble in the jungle

Rating: Null/10 (19 September 2000)

Thirteen years ago, this rumble in the jungle became an instant smash, spawning comics, model kits and an engaging sequel with Danny Glover.

It also made The Matrix producer Joel Silver even more wealthy thanks to its heady mix of humour, action and special effects. The fact that it starred one of the world's biggest box office draws of the time did little to harm the project either.
Back in 1987, Arnold Schwarzenegger was piping hot property. With a couple of Conan movies and The Terminator under his belt, the Austrian Oak proved that he could make millions at the box office by flexing his pecs and sneering out a series of one-liners.
Arnie teamed up with director John McTiernan for what at first looked like just another Aliens clone. However, while the first half is another tale of kick ass soldiers decimated by a savage ET, the second half turns into something quite stunning.
Schwarzenegger is great when he keeps his mouth shut and gives a terrific performance as the man mountain clashing with what can only be described as a Rastafarian crab-faced monster.
As ever, make-up guru Stan Winston delivers a stunning foe, and while Arnie may usually be a force to be reckoned with as the buffed super soldier, Dutch, he is practically eclipsed by one of the big screen's most exciting alien creations.
As you might imagine, making this 1987 classic was far from easy. It was shot on location in Mexico at Puerto Vallarta, miles from anywhere.
The cast got up at 6am for breakfast and then ran four or five miles to get into condition. There were another five hours of working in the jungle on skills training - climbing trees and handling weaponry, among other things. Another two hours of weight training left them exhausted, by which time McTiernan was ready to rehearse.
It's a pity the script wasn't as well honed as the cast. The dialogue by Jim and John Thomas - who wrote Executive Decision and this year's woeful Mission To Mars - is far from subtle. There are also a few dodgy moments such as the scene in which one poor troop has his arm removed, yet you can see the real limb strapped behind his back.
It scarcely matters.
If you can avoid the often absurd diplays of macho heroics during the first half hour and the fact that the eponymous villain seems to use a 50p paint pallette as his wrist detonator, then what develops is literally out of this world.