Elliot Tritto
Staff Writer
If you were alone, hungry and trapped in a secluded jungle and having a giant, alien hunter tracking you with advanced technological advances, what would you do? Would you lure the hunter into a trap? Possibly, repeat his tactic to have the prey kill the predator? Perhaps, you’d let him finish you which will end your eternal paranoia and starvation.
Throughout this classic movie, the theme of survival of the fittest plays a massive factor alongside enduring our greatest fears. Predator stands tall as a prolific, sci-fi, action thriller for its imaginative storytelling, unforgettable characters, and thought-provoking setting. Predator shows a story of an alien hunter stalking his prey merely for sport to which one triumphs and defeats him. So, here’s a review of the original Predator flick.
To begin with, Predator starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and Carl Weathers, was written by John and Jim Thomas, and directed by John McTiernan.
The story follows a team of military special forces lead by Dutch (Schwarzenegger) on a secret assignment to liberate other operatives wherein attempting to infiltrate an enemy base in Latin America.
Once in Latin America, an old army buddy and present-day CIA operative, Dillion, (Carl Weathers) joins the team to help rescue the team and retrieve secret documents concerning CIA intelligence.
After easily subverting the military base, the teams recognize that the allied forces were not only killed yet skinned to the bone. Dutch distinguishes that the killer wasn’t the enemy, nonetheless a new player in the game. By this point, the Predator starts killing the team off one by one sparingly in a random fashion.
After each kill, they slowly recognize its hunter strategy by using advanced technological advances including a body heat monitor, invisibility and a plasma firearm. Also, to step away quickly, who couldn’t forget that deadly yet sick mask that the predator hones to and the “ugly mother****r” face.
Coming back, the end features Dutch, the sole survivor, defeating the Predator by using his military experience of planning and executing a trap for the predator. Dutch successfully kills the alien hunter and flees the scene thus ending the movie.
The film possesses as a classic, sci-fi, action story with few complications. Only 3 problems I have with the film exist as simply this. The pacing of the movie could’ve been improved by adding more information about the characters and mission in the beginning. By halfway through the movie, I finally understood the plot just by the action sequences.
The side characters could’ve made a better impact by having each character show at least a couple of their strengths and weaknesses to feel more of their side of the story.
The score of this movie feels very empty. The music element in every movie plays a major factor when immersion is placed. Having a lackluster drumbeat and a section of horn blares at random moments confuses me as the viewer. I wish the score should’ve captivated me instantly once the film started.
Despite the complications, this flick features a vast amount of great character development, cinematography and dialogue. The character development remains flawless. I loved how this picture includes these unbreakable and muscular men deeply scared of the unknowing by showing suspicion and unnecessary threatening decisions. The cinematography triumphs most movies by having the camera showing all angles of the jungle. For instance, towards the end of the film, we see Dutch prepare a trap for the Predator by having shots up close and far way. Showing an up-close shot of Dutch sweating and constructing his wooden ruse and next shot containing a massive ensemble of an alien mouse trap.
Likewise, the dialogue keeps your interest by having cheesy yet classic action lines. Such as “You’re bleeding. I ain’t got time to bleed.”, “Get to the Chopper!” and “If it bleeds, we can kill it.” Hearing the reaction of the soldiers can be funny or serious to which keeps the intrigue of the viewer in motion.
Correspondingly, the film feels as if it’s a two-part movie. The first part feels comparable to a military, action movie and towards the middle switches to a sci-fi, horror flick.
The verdict: 8.5/10.
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caption: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Carl Weathers starred in the original Predator in 1987. Photo credit: Hollywood Reporter.com