Welcome To The Jungle.

Rating: 8/10 (25 March 2009)

"If it bleeds, we can kill it." - Dutch
Before turning from celebrities to politicians, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jesse Venutra starred in John McTiernan's "Predator." In the high-energy action-film, a special forces team, lead by Schwarzenegger, are thrust into Central America on a rescue mission. What starts out to be just another high-risk job for the crew quickly takes a turn for the worse, as the group find themselves being hunted by an alien who can blend into the environment and whom, despite all their fire-power, can't be stopped.
As McTiernan's first effort (he would later go on to direct "Die Hard"), "Predator" still holds up as an effective action-flick/monster-mash to this day. With plenty of quotable quotes from Arnie ("Get to the chopper!") and a supporting group of macho-stereotypes, it's a full-on, action packed ride that doesn't let up for one minute -- logic be damned! The Predator itself -- although looking somewhat hokey by today's standards -- is an interesting and challenging villain, with a face that only a mother (or Stan Winston) could love. Before he descended upon L.A. and did battle with other "Aliens" in a couple of mediocre cross-over films, he was giving The Terminator himself a run for his money. Schwarzenegger is pretty much playing the action hero as only he knows best, and the final act that finds him engaging in war games with the deadly creature is among his most entertaining work. Overall, "Predator" hits all the right marks, with it's sense of humor, sense of camaraderie, and overall assault on the senses. If you like non-stop gun-fire, lasers that blast holes through heads and alpha-male posturing, this may be the flick for you.