A nice, solid action movie

Rating: 8/10 (27 July 2002)

*small SPOILERS*

Predator is about a group of commandos sent in to the South American rain forest looking for survivors of a downed US government plane. After landing, then are stalked and killed one-by-one by an invisible alien hunter.
From the get-go, Predator borrows various elements from "futuristic commando" movies, the partnership between the soldier, the teamwork, and the unity they gain when they are hunted. However, about an hour into this film, it all soon revolves around Arnold. Now, I'm not saying that that's a bad thing; chances are that this movie would have been ignored had it not been for the muscle-bound hero. Back when this movie first came out, Arnold was the action hero, and nobody could top him. Not Van Damme, not Willis, nobody could match his wit and cool demeanor like he could. After the Predator kills his entire unit, Arnold must now fend for himself and outwit the alien hunter.
If you're expecting a violent-fest like this movie portrays, then you'll be somewhat pleased, as you'll witness a guy getting his gut burst open with a pulse laser and another guy getting his spine and skull ripped out from the Predator. None of this detracts from the experience, as survival soon depends on the fittest. Predator features some of the most original things I've seen in a film yet, such as the whole "thermal vision" thing, which I feel is one of the creepiest weapons the Predator has. The invisible shield thing I too felt was a nice touch, but since you can always "see" the blur of the shield, it makes it somewhat noticeable (not so when the Predator is jumping through trees).
Overall, a fine action movie with all the elements it needs to thrive on. This movie could have developed into a very profitable franchise like Alien and Die Hard did. But after one average and disappointing sequel, this series went down hard. A shame, since it showed so much potential.
7.5/10