Arnold Schwarzenegger’s action movies ruled the box office throughout the 1980’s. From “Commando” and “The Terminator” to “Conan the Barbarian” and “Running Man,” Arnold’s imposing presence and knack for picking the right vehicles established him as a well-connected Hollywood (and eventually California politics) player. Heck, even bombs like “Raw Deal” (yuck!) are at least watchable!
For my money Arnold’s quintessential movie from the 80’s was 1987’s “Predator” though. A John McTiernan-directed, Joel Silver-produced mixture of pulse-pounding action, grisly horror and intriguing science fiction ideas (Earth warriors at the mercy of their better-equipped equivalent from another world) that did something few movies could: create a foe that could genuinely put Arnold’s well-being (and chances of him making it alive at the end of the flick) in serious jeopardy. The Predator, a hunter from outer space on vacation in the tropical jungles of Earth, isn’t interested in interacting with the human race as much as collecting specimens from it as trophies. He’s like the ferocious beasts from the “Alien” movies, except he has an intergalactic sense of honor about his sport. It’s surprising it took Fox so long to listen to fans and get the new “Alien vs. Predator” movie made, but I digress!
Unlike other Arnold movies in which he’s the only cool dude on-screen that can crack heads though, writers Jim & John Thomas (with “Lethal Weapon” scripter Shane Black on board for last-minute rewrites) have created a squadron of hardened warriors for our hero to banter with and give the audience lots of cool characters to gawk upon. From Carl Weathers’ Dillon (the CIA operative that brought Dutch into the jungle to begin with) to Bill Duke’s ‘Mac’ and Jessy Ventura’s ‘Blain’ (whose weapon, a chain rail gun, has served as an inspiration for every first-person shooter of the 1990’s), the men of “Predator” are not to be messed with. And those manly lines? What young man hasn’t thought of Ventura’s ‘I ain’t got time to bleed’ line when hurt in a sports match or during a military exercise? The jokes are few and romantic interludes (hinted at by a Spanish prisoner played by Elpidia Carrillo) take a backseat to the war of wits between the hunted and the hunter though.
There are surprisingly few instances of gore or graphic violence in “Predator.” As with his 1988 hit “Die Hard,” McTiernan is more interested in bringing the vulnerability out of his star (Arnold) so the mano-a-mano duel with the Predator at the end of the flick carries more implied power than expected. It works though, and one has to wonder what happened to Schwarzenegger and McTiernan in the 1990’s and beyond. From “Rollerball” to “Eraser,” and from the uncalled-for remake of “The Thomas Crowne Affair” to “End of Days,” these two Hollywood veterans didn’t display the skill they showed at picking good projects that they did back in 1987 when they teamed-up for “Predator.” Oh well, that’s what DVD’s are for, right?
The Disc:
“Predator’s” Widescreen Anamorphic (1:85:1) Video Transfer spots some minor edge enhancement and grain damage, which are tolerable considering the print’s 17 year old age. Colors are vibrant (green forests, bloody red corpses, etc.) and the sweaty flesh tones of the muscular men walking through a tropical jungle are perfectly captured by cinematographer Donald McAlpine’s camera. Unlike most mindless action flicks (including “Predator 2”) the location shoot captures an atmosphere of stickiness, mugginess and desolation that the digital transfer captures remarkably well. The English DTS & Dolby Digital 5.1 Soundtracks are boss! Weapon blasts, laser shots and the subtle environmental background noises from a tropical forest take the viewer alongside Dutch into an aural sci-fi trip. There are also complementary French Dolby 2.0 Stereo & Spanish Dolby 1.0 Mono Soundtracks along with English & Spanish Subtitles.
Disc One has a lively and engaging Commentary Track with Director John McTiernan that is a far cry from his stodgy commentaries in prior DVD’s (particularly his two “Die Hard” flicks). A Text Commentary by Film Historian Eric Lichtenfield complements McTiernan’s track with a truckload of fun facts and trivia. A Sneak Peek at “Alien vs. Predator” and “I, Robot” rounds out the disc. Disc Two starts with a 30 min. ’If It Bleeds, We Can Kill It’ Documentary in which cast & crew reminisce about the making of the film and its impact on their careers. Typical DVD documentary stuff, but done well. Seven Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes cover the movie’s stunts & special effects (‘Classified Action’), the location shoot (‘Welcome to the Jungle’), the man behind the Predator mask (‘The Life Inside’) and many other production aspects. Again, nothing ground-breaking but stuff that fans of the flick will eat up with delight.
There’s also One Deleted Scene (in very bad shape and with incomplete SFX shots), Three Unseen Outtakes, Three ‘Predator Red Suit’ Special Effects Clips, Two Predator ‘Camouflage’ Tests, a Predator Profile and a well-stocked Still Photo Gallery. Last but not least, Fox has included a Free Ticket to “Alien vs. Predator” that effectively halves the title’s $20 price. I used the ticket to watch “AvP” over the weekend, and I’m thankful that Fox allowed me to watch this mediocre-at-best crossover movie (and that’s being generous!) for buying the far-superior “Predator” first installment on DVD.
bottom line:
Few movies are worth the triple-dipping DVD treatment, but this one certainly deserves it. The Collector’s Edition of “Predator” delivers the quality bonus material sorely missing from the previous stand-alone versions (which had picture/sound to match) but doesn’t come close to the deluxe treatment of the “Alien Quadrilogy” DVD’s. The free ticket for “Alien vs. Predator” and the timeless ‘guy’ appeal of the movie makes this an excellent buy.
By - J.M. Vargas
