Fantastic!!!

Rating: 10/10 (19 September 2005)

It was 1990 and my friend and I secretly sneaked out a video from my parent's video cabinet. The film was entitled 'Predator' and I remember the catchphrase of the film being, 'nothing like has be seen on earth before' which was quite fitting seeing how I had never seen a horror film before (I was only 8!). Little did I know but by watching this film I would be creating an expectation in me that I would use to benchmark other films, of a similar genre, for years to come. As it happens I am still waiting for a film to better 'Predator' of course the Alien series comes close, with maybe Aliens coming in on an even par, though with 'Predator' being my introduction to sci-fi horror it still has a slight edge.
One of the things that impress's me the most about this film, is the direction given by the director, John Mc Tiernan. Within the action movie genre there is a tendency for the films to rely heavily on the gun fights, explosions and violence to provide the audience with the gratification they need to enjoy the film. Things like plot, script and character development are usually neglected or in some cases ignored completely (anyone seen DNA!!). This is a complete contrast in the film 'Predator', which I feel is the driving force of the movie. For example the character Hawkins, the funny guy, who is continually telling jokes. This character is much smaller then the rest of the group and also looks less threatening, which is maybe why the predator kill's him first. As a result Hawkins uses his humour to gain acceptance from the group. This is portrayed in the scenes where he is telling Billy his jokes. In relation to Billy here is another interesting case, his Indian American sixth sense is used to fantastic effect, within the context of the film it is used to create tension and fear amongst all the other characters. This can clearly be seen in the conversation between him and Poncho. Billy say's that he is 'scared' and Poncho replies 'you ain't afraid of no man'. Emphasising that Billy is one tough mother and is scared of know body, but when it comes to the thing hunting them, he knows that their days are numbered.
As I have already stated this film set down a bench mark for me and probably for this movie genre in general. The whole concept of the film, the action, suspense, horror and originality makes this film not just one of my best films of all time but one of the classic sci-fi horrors as well. 'LONG LIVE THE PREDATOR'