Ugly mutha!

Rating: 8/10 (25 September 2010)

Like ALIENS and TERMINATOR 2, PREDATOR is a timeless sci-fi action classic. Made in 1987, it hasn't aged one bit. Ah-nuld leads a team of commandos into a dense Latin America jungle on a mission that soon has them being hunted by an alien armed to the teeth and with the ability to make himself virtually invisible. One by one, Ah-nuld's boys are picked off until it's down to Ah-nuld versus the creature. We get no explanation as to why the creature is on Earth, nor does it really matter. We know through Ah-nuld's actions later in the film that the thing clearly is on the hunt for armed warriors as a test of its prowess, obviously a rite of passage where this thing comes from. Great overacting by the entire cast, especially Jesse "I ain't got time to bleed" Venture, great location photography and great music. It must have been very expensive to make, and no "Predator" flick since has come close in terms of production quality and tension and thrills -- no matter how much any of the many sequels cost to make. Special mention should be made of the actor, now deceased, who played the Predator, Kevin Peter Hall (who also plays the chopper pilot). Done up in tons of makeup and loads of costuming, he nevertheless manages to give the creature real personality. One of director McTiernan's best films.