An excellent action film; tense, suspenseful, and atmospheric

Rating: Null/10 (21 June 2007)

In the hands of a lesser director, "Predator" probably would have been another cheesy eighties sci-fi/action flick and it probably would have been remembered as such. However, in the hands of director John McTiernan (Die Hard, The Hunt for Red October), it is a sci-fi/action classic that nobody will be forgetting anytime soon. It is simply a better film than most that are similar to it, and it sets itself apart by being both technically more proficient, and far, far smarter than your average action film, and as a result it is one of the most entertaining films of all time. Though it can be enjoyed simply for what it is- a high octane, fast-paced, thrilling action film, "Predator" contains several references to other stories, in particular 'The Most Dangerous Game', which it could be called an adaptation of, and 'Beowulf' (the director's obvious interest in the story of 'Beowulf' led to him directing the feature film adaptation of Michael Crichton's Beowulf reworking 'Eaters of the Dead', known in its film version as 'The 13th Warrior'). It is creative and original in its reworking of these stories, as well as in itself.
"Predator" is so entertaining that some tend to overrate it. It is, no doubt, an excellent film, particularly when compared to many of the films in its genre, but that hardly makes it the 'flawless masterpiece' it is often called by its devoted legion of fans. Though the film is professional and of good quality throughout, the script can hardly be called perfect, featuring some of the most unintentionally hilarious moments in A-movie history. Also, though some of the acting is excellent, Schwarzenegger, even in action hero terms, is hardly the greatest actor to ever walk the planet. He is simply incapable of producing a performance similar to Sly Stallone in "First Blood" or "Rocky", or similar to Bruce Willis in "Unbreakable", or for that matter McTiernan's masterpiece "Die Hard". The cinematography and score more than make up for this however, and the action scenes are absolutely superb. McTiernan also makes the wise decision not to show the Predator in full for quite a while, saving the monster for the final sequences and adding a lot to the film in terms of tension and atmosphere.
"Predator" is a lot better than many people are willing to say it is and most certainly better than most films similar to it. It's atmospheric, tense, action-packed, and well directed. Though "Predator" can't be mentioned in the same breath as say- "Terminator" or "Aliens", it is one of the better action films of the eighties, and the Predator itself is a great, simply unforgettable villain.
8/10