"It was an echo"

Rating: 9/10 (20 September 2013)

Another title that everyone's seen which I just had to review. But why not? This will always be a new movie for someone. First time I saw it - in VHS format - I was about 12. Now I watched it on blu-ray, so here goes.
One of the best action movies of the 80's and it doesn't even feel like an 80's movie too much. A true pioneer, introducing us a fantastic, all new alien species and quite a few memorable scenes, characters and of course some one-liners from Arnold.
The jungle is an excellent environment, and it's used well. Cinematography and camera-work is usually very impressive. The story is clever enough and moves forward at an enjoyable pace. There is action, suspense, comic relief and of course sci-fi all mashed into one unforgettable movie in a manner that is hard to surpass. This movie starts just "okay" but gets better with each passing minute, climaxing wonderfully in the end. There are no significant flaws for me.
Before I get to the "little disappointing" things, I'll list some things I love about "Predator":

Location. The jungle isn't only "cool", it also serves the movie well in a way that still feels fresh and ageless. Imagine if this film was set in a city in the 80's.

The Predator itself. Not only how it looks (good), but its behavior, background, the whole concept. It is a real character, not just an enemy in an action film.

Arnold. I can't help it. He's the most entertaining action hero ever.

Muscles and guns everywhere! The whole commando squad is a well-cast, enjoyable group of different personalities.

Satisfying violence. PG-13 just wouldn't cut it.

Jesse Ventura with the "Old Painless". Yes, this had to be mentioned separately.

The awfully hilarious female genitalia-related jokes.

1st, 2nd and 3rd act are all wonderfully different from each other, yet somehow still fit together as a whole.

Now, to the nitpicking. Sometimes the editing is a little off to me. Only a few scenes where it's noticeable, but it sticks out a little. Sometimes during intense action the "big picture" gets lost and it feels like people are just running wherever and explosions just happen without much established geography, and that takes just a little out of the experience for me.
The effects, well...most of them have survived the test of time. Quite an accomplishment. Some effects still look very cool. Some of them sadly don't and I was taken out of the movie at times, but after 26 years that's more than understandable. But if someone's reading this and hasn't seen this movie, don't be discouraged. You'll love it, and you'll find plenty of stuff here that you won't find from the majority of action films today.
The blu-ray picture quality is surprisingly good (I got the "Ultimate hunter edition"), considering how much they had to do. There are a couple of shots that are not re-mastered for some reason, but they're only 2-3 seconds long each and didn't bother me that much.
I was about to give this a score of 8/10, because I might've just seen this movie too many times to fully appreciate it anymore. Then I slapped myself in the face immediately. If I had a Top10 list of action movies, "Predator" would be in it. For the originality, overall quality, certain agelessness, pure entertainment value and also nostalgic value it gets a respectable 9/10. Truly a classic. If you ever meet someone who says "Predator" is his/her favorite movie, do not think you're dealing with an idiot. You just might be dealing with a genius of the highest caliber.
Not bad for John McTiernan's first big studio film! McTiernan's next movie after this was "Die Hard", not a bad combo.