PREDATOR
John McTiernan (1987)
3.5 STARS
It was the late ‘80s, the height of the alpha male action hero, the peak of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s career, the introduction of Predator. An alien has arrived on planet Earth, and it’s hunting season.
As many ‘80s kids will tell you, there is a tremendous amount to enjoy about this sci-fi action classic; memorable performances, dialogue that remains in the zeitgeist, groundbreaking use of special effects, as well as the incredible antagonist that was conceived. A monster that, like it’s predecessors, was a bloodthirsty, terrifying, menace, but this one had rules, it played fair, it was here for sport.
Cinema was finally introduced to a being that could provide competition to the, then ten year old, Xenomorph in the same way that Freddy did to Jason. Brilliant! As for the film itself though, it’s not even in the same league as Alien. Where Ridley Scott’s extra-terrestrial feature is embedded in horror, Predator draws its context from the military, action, genre. This is the root of the issues that plague the rapidly ageing film.
The paper thin sub-plot of Predator is all but forgotten by the time the third act rolls around, can you even remember why Schwarzenegger’s squad was sent to the rain forest in the first place? While, in stark comparison, the genius of Alien is that the Xenomorph itself actually IS the sub plot. The real villain is the Weyland-Yutani corporation. It is details like this that combine to create the division in longevity of the films that, with their crossovers, force the audience to compare.
On re-watching, the blockbuster has not aged well. From misogynistic jokes and homophobic slurs to a glorification of alpha male, military, ‘bro’ness’, it becomes clear that the film has developed a ‘rose-tinted glasses’ effect and one wonders whether future generations will find the same enjoyment from it as those that have grown up with it.
With a new film released in 2018 and another in the pipeline, the Predator franchise is still going strong, with good reason. There are many things to find to enjoy about the film but these will be harder and harder for new audiences to connect with and I wouldn't be surprised if this film, and it’s sequels, slowly fade from our cinematic memory.