Monster movie of the millenium

Rating: 10/10 (27 June 2003)

Predator. Possibly the greatest monster movie ever made. I'll explain why. Having just wrote a mini dissertation on the film, i think i stand in good terms to give my opinion on this film. First of all, the plot to the film is quite complex. Dutch and his band of commando's are brought to a military base somewhere in south America, where they are given orders to rescue a team of cabinet ministers who have been captured in foreign territory. This is in fact a ruse, as Dillon, Dutch's former team member who now works for the CIA, actually wants Dutch and his team to go in and destroy a guerilla terrorist camp who have vital government information. Dutch, unaware of the hidden agenda accepts and the team, including Dillon are whisked of to the drop site (somewhere in south America). So, the film starts off with the genre of Action Adventure film. This quickly changes however with the introduction of the predator. It has no physical presence in the film at first, it just takes the role of observer. John McTiernan (director) created a stroke of genius when he let us see through the predator's eyes. This is where the genre of horror is added to the film as the monster stalks them from the trees.
As the film progresses Dutch becomes less trusting of Dillon as situations arise that don't fit Dillons story. Eventually, they reach the guerilla camp and so ensues a great action war sequence. The commandoes take over the base and Dutch quickly realizes that he and his team been set up by his own government. he challenges Dillon about it who admits that they had been set up, but says that they were the only people who get the job done. The scene between Dutch and Dillon is quite intense and this adds to the tension of the movie. They decide that its time to leave and begin their march to the pick up site. This is where the Predator makes a full introduction into the movie as one by one he picks off the members of the team. It's classic horror as each time the creature takes out a member, he reveals himself a little more. Each death scene becomes more elaborate as the film progresses. The remaining members of ther team try to mount a fightback, but to no avail. The monster kills of the last members of the team, predictably leaving a showdown between itself and Dutch. This is a great section of the film as the predator is finally revealed in all its glory. Dutch realises on escaping the monster that he can camouflage himself using mud and this sets up a interesting finale. They battle for a while using weapons until it eventually comes down to Man against monster. The scene where the Predator takes off the mask is one of the best in movie history. Stan Winston did a great job on designing the monster and it shows in the final scenes. The death of the Predator results in a mini-nuclear explosion which is a little unrealistic (as is Blain's ability to hold a mini-gun and all the ammo needed to fire it). At the end Dutch emerges from the jungle as the only survivor and is picked up by a military helicopter. The end to a great film. The film works because of it's multi-genre definition. It's a Action, adventure, sci-fi, horror, thriller, war movie with elements of western genre mixed in as well. its narrative structure is extemely complex. trying to apply Propp, Toderov and Branigan to it is difficult but do-able. The film is excellently directed, masterfully shot, with great detail given to camera angles, point of view shots and special effects. The Predators camouflaged effects are magnificent and add greatly to the mystery surrounding the creature. The cast all act very well and gell cohesivley. Schwarzenegger is surprisingly believeable as Dutch and this doesnt feel like just another Arnie flick. All in all its a great monster movie and easily competes with the likes of Alien. In my opinion it's a better film than Alien. It takes place on earth, so the threat seems more real. I could go on for ever about this film, but instead, I'll leave it there and wait for someone to reply with their view. Chris Tunstall (aka trickflipper)