Ridiculously Over-rated

Rating: 6/10 (20 December 2013)

A team of commandos, on a mission in a Central American jungle, find themselves hunted by an extra-terrestrial warrior.
Initial critical reaction to Predator was negative, with criticism focusing on the thin plot. Elvis Mitchell of The New York Times described it as "grisly and dull, with few surprises. However, in subsequent years critics' attitudes toward the film warmed, and it has appeared on a number of "best of" lists. This reversal is just plain sad.
On top of the thin plot, there is a lot of sitting around, and the "predator vision" has not held up over the years. A bit of editing, maybe cutting out twenty seconds here or there, would do wonders. While Stan Winston and crew deserve credit for creating an iconic monster, the film itself never really takes off until well over an hour.