... But here's the worst part - some of Predator's juicier bits, including the rather splendid "Stick around" moment, were notably absent from this version. For once though, this wasn't down to some daft new BBFC legislation but simply because the British disc was transferred from the same master ... Read review
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Production Year: 1977 - Action/Adventure - Director: Clint Eastwood - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring:Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Pat Hingle, William Prince, Bill McKinney
Production Year: 2007 - Action/Adventure - Director: Paul Greengrass - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, Joan Allen, Edgar Ramirez, David Strathairn, Paddy Considine, Albert Finney
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Advantages: John McTiernan, Stan Winston, Alan Silvestri, Ah-Nuld! Disadvantages: Carl Weathers
...rambling, the point is that Predator has finally been given a bit of respect. Quite simply, this is one of the finest action films of the Eighties: an awesome, pumping, powerhouse of a movie so singlemindedly brilliant it should be shown on national TV every Saturday night.
Unlike other action greats that are remembered for redefining the rules (The Terminator, The Matrix etc...), Predator's beauty lies in its simplicity. It's Alien in the ... ...and lurks in the shadows, Predator roars, stampedes and goes straight for the action-jugular. This time the creature's prey are not a bunch of unprepared, ill-equipped, deep space salvage workers but a highly trained, supremely well armed military rescue unit who are sent to the jungles of New Mexico to find a missing US cabinet minister. Which they do, except that when they find him he's hanging upside down from a tree with his skin flayed off. ... more
And about bloody well time too. This 1987 Schwarzenegger flick has been released on DVD no less than four times but it looks as though this time they've finally got it right. The first edition was the bog-standard region 1 disc, released in the States several years ago: Picture - widescreen, letterboxed. Sound - Dolby Digital. Extra features - trailer. In other words, a bit dull. Then, some time last year, the Americans were treated to a remastered version: Picture - widescreen, enhanced (anamorphic). Sound - Dolby Digital and DTS. Extra features - trailer. Hmm, slightly better but still not wonderful. Eventually, us Brits got a look in when a region 2 disc was released last Christmas. The picture was enhanced but we didn't get the DTS soundtrack and we still only had the trailer to watch after the film. But here's the worst part - some of Predator's juicier bits, including the rather splendid "Stick around" moment, were notably absent from this version. For once though, this wasn't down to some daft new BBFC legislation but simply because the British disc was transferred from the same master used for the rest of Europe. Censorship laws in some European countries are even more stringent than ours, meaning that we had to watch the same toned-down version as the Germans and the Greeks. Needless to say, nearly every single copy of this DVD was returned to Fox Home Entertainment within a week, most of them accompanied with an abusive letter. Anyway, I'm rambling, the point is that they seem to have got the message and within six months the crappy original was withdrawn and this cracking 2-disc special edition took its place, complete with DTS sound, brand new animated menus, loads of extra goodies and, more importantly, all the blood 'n' snot in its full, uncut glory. Better still, this special edition is not yet available in America - Fox's way of apologising to the UK viewers for taking them for a mug the first time round. Hmm, apology accepted... just don't let it happen again, ok?
Anyway, I'm still rambling, the point is that Predator has finally been given a bit of respect. Quite simply, this is one of the finest action films of the Eighties: an awesome, pumping, powerhouse of a movie so singlemindedly brilliant it should be shown on national TV every Saturday night. Unlike other action greats that are remembered for redefining the rules (The Terminator, The Matrix etc...), Predator's beauty lies in its simplicity. It's Alien in the jungle, it's Arnie versus a big monster, it's Arnie the Man-Mountain doing what he does best. Let's be honest, it's only Arnie that COULD take on a ferocious, other-worldly warrior and have a convincing chance of winning. The plot doesn't matter, there isn't a plot: 'seven people get picked off one-by-one by an unfriendly alien creature until only one remains', just about sums it up but hey!.. the concept worked wonders for Alien and as the saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. However, while the basic storyline may closely resemble Ridley Scott's sci-fi shocker, the tone and look of the film definitely do not. Where Alien sneaks, creeps and lurks in the shadows, Predator roars, stampedes and goes straight for the action-jugular. This time the creature's prey are not a bunch of unprepared, ill-equipped, deep space salvage workers but a highly trained, supremely well armed military rescue unit who are sent to the jungles of New Mexico to find a missing US cabinet minister. Which they do, except that when they find him he's hanging upside down from a tree with his skin flayed off. Soon enough the culprit, a 7ft, heat-seeking, laser-wielding, partially invisible and seriously bad tempered alien starts dissecting Arnie's team for no other reason than the sheer thrill of the hunt.
Backup for the Big Man comes in the musclebound shapes of, among others, former wrestling star Jesse Ventura, bald headed bad boy Bill Duke, one time Rocky opponent Carl Weathers and the simply gigantic Sonny Landham. Okay, so Academy Awards may not be on the cards for any of these guys but, thankfully, director John McTiernan (Die Hard) seldom requires them to act, just run around looking hard, fire a really big machine gun and bleed horrifically at the right moment. This was McTiernan's first mainstream Hollywood picture but the competence with which he assembles Predator's many action sequences would have you believe otherwise. He knows the limitations of the script and doesn't bother trying to inject it with any unwarranted political subtext or social commentary. There's no trendy, tongue-in-cheek humour (the bane of so many of Arnie's more recent flicks), you won't find any drippy romantic subplots and you certainly won't find a shady government conspirator who wants to capture the creature alive to study it. The point here is that this is a really bad, nasty, horrible alien and what we have to do is kill it. Period. So, with none of these so-called 'plot devices' to get in the way, McTiernan is free to concentrate on the things that really matter in a 'popcorn' movie, namely thrills, suspense, excitement and, in this case, more firepower than you can shake an Uzi at. Indeed, weaponry fans the world over will reside in hog-heaven whenever Blaine (Ventura) unleashes 'Old Painless' - a supercool, deliriously noisy, six-barrelled gatling gun normally found on the front of an Apache helicopter.
However, it's not just McTiernan that deserves credit for this film. No review of Predator would be complete without a mention of Alan Silvestri's magnificent music - powerful, thrilling and instantly memorable, it's one of the best soundtracks this side of Star Wars. The fact that the last 20 minutes of Predator features virtually no dialogue whatsoever is a testament to the power of Silvestri's score, further proof (if needed) that when it comes to big-sound movie music, the composers to rival him can be counted on the fingers of one finger (John Williams). Of course, the verbal silence is broken when the creature finally reveals itself to Arnie and when it is, not only does it provide the best line in the whole film but easily one of the most crowd-pleasing moments in movie history. I clearly remember the audience at my first viewing of Predator exploding into whoops of sheer delight when Arnie muttered those immortal words. Sadly they can't be repeated here, this being a family website and all, but anyone with half a brain knows the ones I mean. Which brings me, rather neatly I thought, on to the creature itself... Designed and crafted by Stan Winston (creator of the Aliens, the Terminator robots and the Jurassic Park dinosaurs), the predator is a truly terrifying beast, powerful, agile, relentless and like all the best movie monsters, largely unseen until the final reel. It makes for a formidable opponent and just goes to show that a man in a convincing, rubber suit can still be just as effective as all this digital CGI nonsense that seems to crop up these days. And check this out trivia fans: The creature's slimy, facial mandibles were James Cameron's idea, just one of many curious snippets of info that can be found lurking among this DVD's bonus material.
Now then, most 'DVD-heads' have learnt to take the phrase 'digitally remastered' with a pinch of salt, as it often amounts to diddly squat in terms of actual improvement in presentation but this disc is different, this disc has been cleaned up to the extent that you can actually tell the difference. The picture quality really has been improved substantially and is noticeably brighter and clearer than all the previous editions. The soundtrack too has undergone quite a transformation, the rear speakers have a lot more to do and the soundfield in general seems to be a lot more active than before but hmmm... I dunno, it just sounds..... different. Predator's soundtrack has always been a thumping wall of sound that just gets better and better the louder you have it but jazzing it up with all sorts of digital surround-sound trickery seems to have taken away some of its raw power and reduced its impact. Maybe it's just me, maybe I'm that much of an anorak that after growing up with and never tiring of a movie for over 15 years, I just get offended when someone tampers with it. Aside from that, this film has never looked or sounded better.
The extra features are pretty good too. "If It Bleeds, We Can Kill It", is a new, 30 minute documentary on the making of the film and includes present-day interviews with all the major players (bar one, no prizes for guessing which), as well as on-set interviews from the time and some reasonably detailed analysis of how the stunts and special effects were done (quite interesting, no CGI in those days). It's also extremely funny in places (the first incarnation of the alien warrior, pre-Stan Winston, is hysterically bad - kind of like an orange Jar Jar Binks) and it contains just as much bad language as the film itself. Far better than the promotional fluff that comprises most behind-the-scenes features (Spotlight On Location, HBO First Look etc etc...). You also get a further 7 featurettes of about 5 minutes each, (featurettes? Sounds like a 1950's female soul group) which cover various aspects of the shoot a little more specifically - 'Classified Action', 'The Unseen Arnold', 'Old Painless' etc.. plus a deleted scene, some outtakes, a profile of the predator and all its weaponry and a nice photo gallery, always worth a browse when you fancy a new screensaver for your desktop. Throw in a couple of hidden 'easter eggs' and what you have is a solid, if unremarkable, set of extra value material. What IS a disappointment is McTiernan's commentary - a gifted director he may be but his DVD commentaries are dull, dull, dull! Given Predator's track record and how well it served his career, McT' is surprisingly unenthusiastic about the whole thing, stating that he much prefers his more recent works to these early Joel Silver productions (Die Hard being the other one). Considering that these more recent flicks include The 13th Warrior and Rollerball, one can only assume that McTiernan has lost the plot somewhat. Wake up John, you've never bettered your work here. Come to think of it, no-one else has either.
There's simply no getting away from it, Predator is a modern classic. It's as rock hard, souped up and testosterone charged as an action film can be and, for my money at least, is Arnold's best. With all these extra goodies on the DVD, not to mention the vast improvement in presentation quality, you simply owe it to yourself to own a copy.... even if it is for the umpteenth time.
Advantages: Great fun, lots of guns, original idea, good extra features Disadvantages: Arnies acting contains more wood than the jungle.
...the weapons and of the Predator itself.
Visuals
I don't know if any work was done on the film before it was transferred to DVD, but the visuals are very clear, and it's only the opening shot of the 20th Century Fox logo that appears dodgy. (McTiernan explains in his commentary that it's because 20th Century Fox refused to let him use a Widescreen version, so he had to stretch a "normal" version).
Director's Commentary
While offering up lots of ... ...characters who they were.
Predator Effects
Some of the footage used to produce the Predator camouflage effects used in the move, including footage of the red suit which was used to separate the actor from the surrounding jungle.
Outtakes and Deleted Scenes
Four different snippets - one deleted scene and three outtakes.
Predator Profile
A small photo gallery dealing with the final design of the Predator giving little snippets of information ...
TheDuke 28.04.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Predator (Special Edition) (DVD)
Advantages: Superb sound, crystal clear picture. Disadvantages: Waxed cardboard DVD case - will wear out!
...Kindergarten Cop.
The film predator (no not named after a football boot) is a classic 80s violent action movie. It should look dated, but thanks to the remastered DVD it is as fresh as a fish from Grimsby docks! (Sorry had to quote where I come from... not the docks but... oh never mind!)
It is an 80s classic - that remains a modern classic - due to the enhancements made to it. It mixed 'commando' type films with 'alien' science fiction to acheive ... ...the man who in both predator films was the preditor! We learn how the giant of a man was a lovable, soft caring chap. Sadly you learn he has since died. His huge size on screen certainly made Arnold look like a lad working behind the counter in McDonalds! It is quite amazing to see what he had to go through wearing that rubber suit.
Camouflage - This is a feature on make-up. We hear from the make-up artist who explains how difficult it was to keep ...
Dins 13.10.2003 (14.10.2003)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Predator (Special Edition) (DVD)
Advantages: Classic! Arnie! Big Mini-gun! Disadvantages: ermmmm.........
...Fleeing Predator"
-Outtakes
-Special Effects: Predator "Red-suit" Special Effects
-Text Commentary by Film Historian
-Still Gallery
-Predator Profile: Text Pages
-Predator Camouflage Tests
-Hidden Easter Eggs
Cast
-Arnold Schwarzenegger
-Bill Duke
-Carl Weathers
-Elpidia Carrillo
-Jesse Ventura
-R.G. Armstrong
-Richard Chaves
-Shane Black
-Sonny Landham
Director
-John McTiernan (Die Hard) Duration
-1 Hour 43 Mins
At the start ... ...is the Predator's pod. A predator is an alien being that hunts for honour and collects skulls as its trophies. It has the ability to camouflage itself by bending light using its suit. It can also see in infra-red to spot it's prey easily.
Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and his crew of special forces are sent in to a South American Jungle, along with his ex-member Dillon (Carl Weathers), to rescue some men from a helicopter crash. They storm a Guerrilla ...
liquidus1000 20.09.2005 (08.12.2005)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Predator (Special Edition) (DVD)
Advantages: very scary you dont know where it is?lots of guns Disadvantages: theres none
...the films about
The movie predator is about Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and a bunch of his commandos are hired by the CIA to go into to a central America and rescue people from the guerrilla fighters. But while they are there they encounter something more deadly than that, the fearsome Predator. The Predator is built for fighting it can not be killed by any man-made object such as guns knifes. And he is invisable which makes him the perfect Predator.
... ...like all the weapons the Predator uses. Its really well done
Whats good about the film?
The way that it is made. Arnies acting skills are quality and make the movie even better. Since the movie was made in the 80's it hasn't really dated and its become a all time classic. If we were to do it again some effects might be better but it can never be topped.
The way the director (McTiernan has added in the music it makesit seem more scary than it is. ...
nickyshark 20.08.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Predator (Special Edition) (DVD)
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Quick review of Predator (Special Edition) (DVD)
This film gave me nightmates for weeks when i first saw it, the story line and cinematography on this film are sublime. For the time, the special effects were amazing.
This is definatly a film that any Arnie fan should have in their collection. ...
khudgell 15.01.2008
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Predator (Special Edition) (DVD)
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Reviews which might be of interest for "Predator (Special Edition) (DVD)"
Advantages: great, fun movie, excellent C.G effects and loads of extras!!!!! Disadvantages: a little tame on the gore and violence factor compared to the previous films!
DVD title: Alien vs Predator
Certificate: 15
Genre: Horror/Sci-Fi
Sales and distribution: 20th Century Fox
Other information: two disk extreme edition, letter box version 16:9
The battle we have all been waiting for since predator 2. Two of the most fearsome alien races face off in a battle to the death, only this time they have brought it to our world, earth.
Well Alien vs Predator has been on the movie list for a long time. The idea for the two races to face off was the brief glimpse of the predator's trophy, an alien skull in the predator's ship at the end of predator 2. This sparked of a frenzy of excitement, the two races fighting each other for the title of champion species. The fans hunger for both the aliens and predators to confront each other set of the series of comic books and computer games, which would undoubtedly ...
Advantages: two DVD's of killing and blood Disadvantages: bit expensive but its ok
With the release of Alien Vs predator and the two disk specialeditionPredator 2 DVD's comes the collector's edition box set of predator 1 and 2!!
Predator is a pure killing machine that kills for fun, an alien who sees in infra red vision who can spot its pray by seeking body heat and has a brilliant sense of seeking hostile weaponry. A true predator to be scared of!
The two DVD collectors edition contains both films with bonus disks packed full of extras.
Predator 1
Predator 1 stars Arnold schwarzenegger in a action packed fight for survival!, a crack team of US solders are sent into jungle in central America to rescue hostages held by guerrilla fighters, as the story leads on "dutch" (schwarzenegger) finds out his mission is not a rescue mission but purely a mission to destroy a massive surveillance sight occupied by ...
Advantages: Gives the fans what the want Disadvantages: Not as original or as inspired as the first
harming an innocent. There are several excellent scenes, one in a slaughter house and another on a train and the gore is still kept at a high level for those that enjoy the sight of blood. The supporting cast are colourful and entertaining.
For me the major dissapointment of the film was the Predator himself. At time he seems unstoppable, then suddenly he spends the last 15 minutes of the film running away. This seemed out of character for a successful hunter who is supposed to face any challenge head on - the Predator in the first film was more than a match for Arnie and yet this one has huge trouble with Danny Glover!
The DVD extras are ok, but I think they are more something special for fans who were going to buy the DVD anyway, rather than directly affecting a purchase. They include:
- Available Subtitles: English, Spanish ...
Recruited by the CIA to rescue hostages held by guerrilla fighters in a Central American country, the commandos encounter an enemy more deadly than any on earth - because the Predator is not of this earth...
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
20TH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment; Deluxe Video Service - Fox
Release date
06/03/2006, 03/05/2004
No of Discs
2
Catalogue No
0151501034, 01515 CDVDX
Barcode
5039036026550, 5039036013314
Languages
Main Language
English
Technical information
Aspect Ratio
16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1
DVD Description
Recruited by the CIA to rescue hostages held by guerrilla fighters in a Central American country, the commandos encounter an enemy more deadly than any on earth - because the Predator is not of this earth...
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