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 of a doubt another allegory of Vietnam, a crack unit of soldiers are stuck in a central American jungle being killed off by an invisible enemy, the soldiers are there after being lied to by the powers that be, tactics are paramount but the enemy that stalks them holds all the aces. This crack special rescue team are a testosterone fuelled band of beef, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Sonny Landham, Bill Duke & Jesse Ventura, these five alone have a combined muscle weight heavy enough to have sunk the Titanic, and McTiernan uses the beefcakes to the max in a series of joyous ball busting sequences. The dialogue is sharp and funny with Schwarzenegger quipping his way thru the first reel, and the score from Alan Silvestri pumps the blood at just the right time, whilst the effects crew have done sterling work to bring this "hardest man in the world versus bad ass alien predator" to life, none more so than when viewing POV heat seeking infa-red shots as our deadly alien killer. The end throws up some interesting thoughts, that have for better or worse? Been fleshed out with further films involving the predator of the title, but one should judge this film as a single entry because it sits at the top of the tree as one of the best of it's kind; so truly this is a benchmark for the genre that will take some beating as far as I'm concerned. Enjoy 10/10
_**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 flick’s iconic and uber-“cool” with exceptional jungle locations and cinematography, as well as F/X that hold up. Unfortunately, there’s little depth. It’s enjoyable as a popcorn movie, but also forgettable. Catch “Apocalypse Now” (1979) for the real deal in jungle adventure/horror. The film runs 1 hour, 47 minutes and was shot in southern Mexico. GRADE: B-/B
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 gripping. It builds tensely to a denouement that even has a degree of honour to it. Nope, of course the writing is never going to win a Pulitzer, nor is the acting offering us interestingly nuanced or delicate performances. It's just an out-and-out adventure film with a fair degree of horror, a slice of grown up/black humour and I quite enjoyed it.
**Overall : Predator’s 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.
After being bitten by a genetically altered spider at Oscorp, nerdy but endearing high school student Peter Parker is endowed with amazing powers to become the superhero known as Spider-Man.
NYPD cop John McClane's plan to reconcile with his estranged wife is thrown for a serious loop when, minutes after he arrives at her offices Christmas Party, the entire building is overtaken by a group of terrorists. With little help from the LAPD, wisecracking McClane sets out to single-handedly rescue the hostages and bring the bad guys down.
Set in the future, the story follows a young soldier named Johnny Rico and his exploits in the Mobile Infantry. Rico's military career progresses from recruit to non-commissioned officer and finally to officer against the backdrop of an interstellar war between mankind and an arachnoid species known as "the Bugs."
When the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town's chief of police, a young marine biologist, and a grizzled hunter embark on a desperate quest to destroy the beast before it strikes again.
Police chief Brody must protect the citizens of Amity after a second monstrous shark begins terrorizing the waters.
After another deadly shark attack, Ellen Brody decides she has had enough of New England's Amity Island and moves to the Caribbean to join her son, Michael, and his family. But a great white shark has followed her there, hungry for more lives.
In 1983 East Berlin, dedicated Stasi officer Gerd Wiesler begins spying on a famous playwright and his actress-lover Christa-Maria. Wiesler becomes unexpectedly sympathetic to the couple, and faces conflicting loyalties when his superior takes a liking to Christa-Maria.
An alien is left behind on Earth and saved by the 10-year-old Elliot who decides to keep him hidden in his home. While a task force hunts for the extra-terrestrial, Elliot, his brother, and his little sister Gertie form an emotional bond with their new friend, and try to help him find his way home.
Strange phenomena surface around the globe. The skies ignite. Terror races through the world's major cities. As these extraordinary events unfold, it becomes increasingly clear that a force of incredible magnitude has arrived. Its mission: total annihilation over the Fourth of July weekend. The last hope to stop the destruction is an unlikely group of people united by fate and unimaginable circumstances.
After a police chase with an otherworldly being, a New York City cop is recruited as an agent in a top-secret organization established to monitor and police alien activity on Earth: the Men in Black. Agent K and new recruit Agent J find themselves in the middle of a deadly plot by an intergalactic terrorist who has arrived on Earth to assassinate two ambassadors from opposing galaxies.
Kay and Jay reunite to provide our best, last and only line of defense against a sinister seductress who levels the toughest challenge yet to the MIB's untarnished mission statement – protecting Earth from the scum of the universe. It's been four years since the alien-seeking agents averted an intergalactic disaster of epic proportions. Now it's a race against the clock as Jay must convince Kay – who not only has absolutely no memory of his time spent with the MIB, but is also the only living person left with the expertise to save the galaxy – to reunite with the MIB before the earth submits to ultimate destruction.