Perfect blend of sci-fi action and thrills. Predator is a classic favorite of mine that I watch very frequently

Rating: 10/10 (3 May 2020)

Predator is my 7th all time favorite movie. It's part horror, part sci-fi, part action, and all muscle! Not only is Predator a very entertaining alien thriller that I think holds up very well today, but I think it's also a very good action/macho movie with some of the greatest macho stars. Namely Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, and Jesse Ventura. More so, it's fast paced, and there's plenty of explosions and action that satisfies any fan of this genre.
The storytelling is simple but very effective. One of the greatest things about Predator is it's a movie that proves that there's no need for CGI overload. There are special effects, but they are scarce, and what little there are is subtle and convincing. There's an amazing music score from Alan Silvestri that really fits the thrilling atmosphere amazingly. I love the theme to the film, and the end credits which relieves audiences of the tension and the camera focuses on the lone survivor of the team.
The cast is also amazing, and it has a lot of big names who are really good on their roles. It's also probably one of my favorite action hero roles Schwarzenegger has played. And of course, it features a lot of easily quotable one liners that are still popular in Hollywood today, and if features one of Schwarzeneggers most notable quotes, "Get to the chopper!" There's one really cool Guerrilla base shootout to give audiences a feel for the tension that's more to come.
The film opens with an alien ship approaching Earth which deploys a lone shuttle to the South American jungle. In the same place, a commando team lead by Dutch Schaefer, (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is deployed into the jungle on a rescue op, when they discover they are being hunted by a mysterious alien creature which hunts for sport.
The Predator is easily one of the most elegantly conceived movie monsters ever, and Kevin Peter Hall portrays the title character excellently. Not only that, it's one of my favorite sci-fi characters in general. The costume is amazing, and all the elaborate weaponry/gadgets the Predator has is very cool. It's face reveal is also one of my favorite mysterious face reveals in cinema.
The film features a lot of really good scenery, exotic locale, and cinematography, as well.
On paper, Predator shouldn't work. It's very fast paced, everything moves very fast, that is. It's all a little too simple. The action is a bit overblown and ultra macho, and a lot of characters aren't given enough screen time to really stick with you. Thats your typical 80's action film, and that's usually what comes out of it. Usually, with a few exceptions. But Predator goes above and beyond being any of that, and is one of these exceptions! It's an effective action thriller, and throughly succeeds as that, and the runtime and pace happen to be just pitch perfect. And the whole story is very followable. It's highly entertaining, and it has a great cast who don't need much development to be likable and cool. But they do get development, and it's sufficient at that. And the tension never lets up until the last 5 minutes or so of the film. What I mean to say is Predator is one of the few movies that succeeds as being simple on every level. Somehow, it works. And very surprisingly.
To conclude: Predator is a kick ass, unrelenting, very bloody and gory action thriller that succeeds in every area quintessential to making a good movie in general, as well as making it an effective thriller with a compelling movie mister. It has a great cast of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Bill Duke, Richard Chavez, Sonny Landham, and Jesse Ventura as one of the smallest ensemble casts that work really well together.
It's a must see for any fan of this genre.