More than a great action flick

Rating: Null/10 (14 July 2004)

I managed to avoid seeing Predator for at least 10 years after its release. I figured, "Another Die-Hard but with Arnold instead of Bruce", so why waste my time? Then one night I caught the last half of the film on cable and began to realize there was more going on than just great special effects.
Arnold and his band of commandos seem a bit hokey at the beginning, although the tension between A. and Carl Weathers (Rocky) builds nicely. But the whole opening act is merely build-up for the main event: we see this elite "black ops" group take down a much larger rebel group in fine style, only to discover something really ugly and a bit scary. Then, one by one, each member of the team is picked off by something they can't quite see, until only Arnold is left. Anyone who's seen the final 30 minutes of this film can tell you that it's worth the wait, but I've discovered that getting there really is half the fun.
The alien Predator is a sort of "big game" hunter who apparently sees our little planet as the best game preserve in the galaxy. "He" has all the advantages, both physical and technological, and he's even more arrogant than the humans he's hunting. That's the real hook to this story: the Predator is super-macho personified, and by all rights no human should stand a chance. Arnold's character only survives by using stealth and trickery, something rarely seen in most AS flicks. Even at the end, when he has the Predator seemingly at his mercy, the creature turns the tables on him one last time.
This is an action flick with a heart and some real intelligence behind the special effects and explosions. Even today, having seen it many times, I still get drawn into the story when it shows up on late-night cable. Definitely worth having in your library.