Predator

From about 1996 to about 2009 (roughly ages 4 til 17 for those playing at home), this was my all-time favourite movie. It was the first non-pirated VHS I ever owned, and it probably informed more of my youth than I'm comfortable with admitting. Predator is the sort of movie that somehow both encapsulates and transcends the 1980s, I implore anybody who unlucky enough to never have seen Predator to watch it, just to fulfil the life experience.

One of only five movies that I've ever given a 5/5 star rating to.

Final rating: Transcendent entertainment! An all time great.

Ball busting Vietnam allegory McTiernan style delivers wholesale.

I will start this by giving my ratings, yes plural because to me as a sci-fi/action film fan the film has few peers, it is 100% pure suspense testo explosive fun that along side John McTiernan's other action template Die Hard, stands the test of time to the point that it will be thrilling viewers long after we have left this earth. So with that I give it a personal rating of 10/10, it's faultless for my needs in a genre I indulge and lose myself in on a frequent roster. For any other movie fan aware of the genre's traits and peccadilloes without being a fan of sorts, then I rate the film easily at 7 or 8 out of 10, what's not to like here?

The film is without a shadow ...

Schwarzenegger vs. "the demon who makes trophies of man" in the Latin American jungles

An elite squad of commandos is enlisted for a mission to the jungles of Central America to rescue some VIPs after their helicopter is downed. They soon discover that they are hunted by some kind of predator not of this world. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Carl Weathers star.

Predator (1987) mixes jungle action with otherworldly sci-fi for satisfying adventure/horror. The macho cast is superb, counterbalanced by Elpidia Carrillo as Anna. The flicks iconic and uber-cool with exceptional jungle locations and cinematography, as well as F/X that hold up. Unfortunately, theres little depth. Its enjoyable as a popcorn movie, but also forgettable. Catch ...

It takes it's time to get going, this film - but once it does, it's amongst the best cat and mouse action adventures I've ever seen. Carl Weathers "Dillon" convinces his former commando mate "Dutch" (Arnold Schwarzenegger) to join him on a perilous rescue mission deep in the jungle. Once there they find themselves the prey of someone, something, that has ninja skills to die for - and, well, they do! Slowly and brutally picked off one by one, it becomes the ultimate battle for survival. This is my favourite from John McTiernan. He manages to use well, the claustrophobic environment; the heat-sensitive camera work is effective and the ascending sense of menace as these hardened men gradually realise that they are out of their depth is grippin...

Overall : Predators mastery of suspense and action cements it as one of the most iconic alien thrillers of all time.

Predator takes typical 80s action and mixes in Jaws-style horror to create one of the greatest creature features ever made. Arnold Schwarzenegger matches wits with the ultimate alien hunter along with his team of highly trained but in-over-their-heads mercenaries. As the body count rises, so does the improbability that anyone will make it out alive. John McTiernan raises the bar of action movies by delivering one of the best sci-fi thrillers filled with suspense, fear, action, gore, and one of the most iconic creatures in cinematic history.