Review of Predator

Introduction

As I`ve embarassingly admitted elsewhere in the review archives of Reviewer, I`m a big Arnie fan. I`ll be the first to admit that it`s pretty cheesy at times, but there are some damn entertaining movies in his back catalogue and make no mistake, Predator is one of them.

In my quest to get all of Arnie`s films on DVD, Predator is my fifth purchase, joining Commando, Red Heat, Total Recall and End of Days (T2 Ultimate Edition is on order :) and I`ve got others on VHS...)

Predator is best described as Alien(s) in the jungle and suprisingly hasn`t aged as badly as I`d feared - it is in a different league to it`s sibling, Commando.

Video

Unfortunately video is letterboxed rather than anamorphic but does not suffer too badly because of it. The picture is stable and sharp and there are no artefacts or jaggies to be seen.

The special effects consist of the cloaking effect of the Predator which still looks acceptable (apart from the first encounter which is a bit ropey), some laser shots, several explosions and the Predator`s heat sensing vision. They all hold up well and add to the film.

Audio

This was a big and pleasing suprise. After the disappointment with the sound in Commando, this is quite remarkable.

From the opening sequence with the 80`s action film music booming powerfully from all five channels and the subwoofer you know the sound has been given some attention. The helicopter flights at the beginning make good use of the channels, and there is plenty of gunfire and explosions throughout the film to keep the speakers working. In addition there are a number of incidental jungle type noises which really add to the atmosphere.

Features

Yet again zilcho extras on offer other than a trailer.

Conclusion

This was a very entertaining 107 minutes of viewing. Image quality is good and sound much better than expected and although there are no extras, this is a worthy addition to my collection.

The film is enjoyable and has a good share of action (violence/gore) to keep the viewer entertained, plus there are the classic Arnie one-liners.

Predator also contains a "classic" scene where a minigun is used to mow down half a forest after the Predator is seen...the minigun itself omits a reassumringly low bass hum and is a delight with a good sound system!

Overall, fans of the movie will not be disappointed, and for those who haven`t seen it, Predator represents one of the better violent/action films to come out of the 80`s.

Recomended.