Happy birthday Arnie!

Rating: 9/10 (24 April 2010)

Schwarzenegger must have thought it was his birthday when the script for Predator landed on his doormat. Having already enjoyed the benefits deriving from the simple but brutally effective Terminator showcasing his simple but brutally effective talents, here came another high-concept property which played directly to his strengths and to audience response.
And there is a great deal to be enjoyed here, from the gradual realisation that the mission they are on isn't the mission they thought they were on at all, to the relentless suspense and action, to the brilliant establishment of the characters of all the men (and hence an emotional investment in their individual fates), to the excellent special effects and costuming for the Predator itself, to the revelation of a highly convincing and extremely alien Predator face.... the list goes on.
There are flaws, but they are few and minimal. This is one of the very best science fiction action adventure movies, and one of the very best Schwarzenegger movies too.