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Predator (1987)

Started by checkoutgirl, September 22, 2017, 10:53:16 PM

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checkoutgirl

What a film. Any tiny gap in direction is immediately filled by excellent incidental music, brilliant acting, quality lighting, jokes and an almost constant kinetic sense of forward motion. Smoky, sultry and with a fairly unique, invisible, jungle alien villain, the practical based action sequences are convincing and hold up well.

Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura, that alcoholic red indian bloke and Arnie all in their prime give the final muscle sheen and sense of gravitas that push this flick into classic status. Any one of these elements missing could easily push it into B-movie cult status. But no, like Aliens or Terminator, this is A-movie cult status. 

Excellent, delicious and endlessly watchable, let us kneel at the altar of tha jewel in the crown of the Arnie Holy Trinity (Terminator, Predator, Running Man)

Shit Good Nose

Love it.

However, I do like Predator 2 even more.  Something about it just REALLY clicked with me at the time and I've loved it ever since.

But yeah, the first one is still a classic.  And about the only time where you think Arnie might not actually make it.


Don't forget Commando also belongs as a fourth, albeit for all the wrong reasons.

Replies From View

Yeah mate, Predator.

But:  Predators.

More of them.

The much less well known film Dark Angel / I Come In Peace (1990) starring Dolph Lundgren has a few things in common with the Predator series, especially the second one fighting aliens in a city and came out a few months earlier. The director had made a film with Carl Weathers just before it and is credited on Predator as stunt coordinator. I'm too lazy to summarise this below if you care to read it.

Quote from: IMDb Trivia
Few years before I Come In Peace (1990) was made, director Craig R. Baxley and Dolph Lundgren were gonna make another movie together titled Man To Man, which was going to be action sci-fi comedy and it also included alien crashing down on Earth. While he is in Nevada desert, alien hitches a ride with repossession agent and two of them go on action filled adventure while searching for alien's space ship.

Script for the film was written by Randy Feldman around 1986 or 1987 and Baxley also worked on the script to include more action sequences, and he was going to direct the film in 1988 after he finished directing Action Jackson (1988) in 1987. 'Joel Silver (I)' was going to produce the film and Arnold Schwarzenegger was originally going to play alien role, but after Predator (1987) turned out to be huge hit, Schwarzenegger became too expensive to hire so Dolph Lundgren was hired for the role. But then, almost few days before production began sometime in 1988, Baxley and Silver got into arguments, entire crew for the film was waiting in Las Vegas and they also couldn't decide who's gonna be the co-star, so everyone got paid off and movie was cancelled.

Baxley later said in podcast interview how entire project "sort of self-destructed", the script for the film was "hilarious, but great", they were gonna let him use any locations in Las Vegas he wanted for action sequences and how one of those sequences he added into the script was big car chase scene which was gonna have cars going from one side of casino downtown to the other.

The full film is on Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsNj2tkZJAc

Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth

Quote from: checkoutgirl on September 22, 2017, 10:53:16 PMthe Arnie Holy Trinity (Terminator, Predator, Running Man)
What about Total Recall?


Paaaaul


Yep we're in the age of reality television.

Shay Chaise

The minigun scene is probably the greatest of any film ever made.


The way that other lads turn up and just start unloading on they know not what, and running out of bullets and just go straight into another gun while the black guy is scything through the fucking rainforest with a minigun until you're left with that screaming whirr of the empty rotating chambers. And they hit it, once.

It'll take a week to run this stiffy out.

Bazooka

Can't really praise it enough. I mean a scene in which chaos is going on all around and a huge man calmly throws a knife into some poor fuck and then quips "stick around".

greenman

Quote from: Shit Good Nose on September 22, 2017, 11:13:52 PM
Love it.

However, I do like Predator 2 even more.  Something about it just REALLY clicked with me at the time and I've loved it ever since.

But yeah, the first one is still a classic.  And about the only time where you think Arnie might not actually make it.

Don't forget Commando also belongs as a fourth, albeit for all the wrong reasons.

The sequel ends up as a greatest hits of mid/late 80's action Cinema, Glover and Busey playing there Lethal Weapon characters, Paxton playing his Aliens character, Conchita Alonso playing her Running Man character plus the Predator himself of course.

zomgmouse

John McTiernan made this and then followed it up with the colossus of great classic action that is Die Hard and then went off the fucking rails and I think he's still in jail.
Also this is a very good film.
That's all I have to say about Predator.

popcorn


phantom_power

I would disagree with most of the original post about the quality of acting, directing etc but would still say it is a great film. It transcends all that stuff due to being almost innately iconic. It is the epitome of the shit/awesome 80s action film, along with Commando, Bloodsport etc

Dr Rock

Quote from: zomgmouse on September 23, 2017, 06:12:45 AM
John McTiernan made this and then followed it up with the colossus of great classic action that is Die Hard and then went off the fucking rails and I think he's still in jail.

Had no idea. Wikipedia says he's out of jail (for wiretapping) but bankrupt. I think every Die Hard/Predator fan should bung him a few quid, he's done his time and it was hardly moider.

Custard

It's a marvellous, endlessly rewatchable, endlessly quoteable, FUN action blow-out. It's pretty much the perfect popcorn flick

Predator 2 is indeed good too, though as I always say anytime it's brought up, people should treat themselves to the blu-ray, as the picture on the DVD is well bums. Same situation with Commando, for some reason. And it's not a small difference in quality either, it's blinkin' massive

biggytitbo

Quote from: Hello! Replies Hidden on September 22, 2017, 11:51:58 PM
Hasn't aged well.


I'm sure I read somewhere that Verhoeven made that film look cheap and plasticy on purpose.

spamwangler

Quote from: biggytitbo on September 23, 2017, 09:30:37 AM

I'm sure I read somewhere that Verhoeven made that film look cheap and plasticy on purpose.

yea i love how strange and dated that one looks. everyhing looks like its made of bakolite and felt

mothman

You could argue endlessly about the Holy Trinity Of Arnie but there's no doubt that stream of movies in the mid to late eighties were quite a thing to behold and experience at the time. After the two Conans and Red Sonja it could have all gone wrong. Instead it was just wham, wham, wham. Terminator. Commando. Raw Deal. Predator. Running Man. Red Heat. Then Total Recall, and beyond! I remember one Mr. J. King occasionally of this parish highlighting Predator on Entertainment USA, it was the film that propelled him into the A list. And it remains so watchable today. As does the sequel. I like that they are such different films, I'd never be able to sa which is better or which I prefer.

Blumf

Quote from: Replies From View on September 22, 2017, 11:20:28 PM
Yeah mate, Predator.

But:  Predators.

More of them.

How do you pluralise a plural? Because that should be the next Predators film - Predatorseseses in 3D!
Like, there's a bunch of Predators, but then, over there, there's even more Predators! And then a spaceship, with more Predators! A whole fucking clown car of Predators!!!

biggytitbo

The holy trinity of sci-fi Arnie has to be Terminator, Predator and Total Recall - all time greats one and all. I don't think Running Man is much good in comparison.

For such a shite actor, his filmography really is exceptional isnt it? Good taste in material, writers and directors at his peak. Not sure what happened after True Lies but the drop off in quality was precipitous.

Shit Good Nose

I've always had a soft spot for The Running Man, despite the mostly shit cameos, and still like it now.  Its premise, even compared with the original short story, and execution was quite novel back then, and it has some great characters and performances in it - Richard Dawson and Jess Ventura are particularly good.

I think it will stand the test of time.

mikeyg27

Quote from: zomgmouse on September 23, 2017, 06:12:45 AM
John McTiernan made this and then followed it up with the colossus of great classic action that is Die Hard and then made his best film The Hunt For Red October and then went off the fucking rails and I think he's still in jail.

Fixed.

Seriously though, that's a pretty fucking great three film stretch.

On the other hand, he also directed the remake of Rollerball. Yikes.

Mr Brightside

Terminator 2 is way better than the first one.

mobias

Its amazing how much of a critical revaluation of Arnie's 80's movies has gone on over time. When they came out they were pretty much laughed at. I well remember when Predator came out and people marvelled at why such amazing special effects were being wasted on an big Arnie movie.  I don't think anyone took Commando or Running Man seriously. At the time they were just seen as yet more vacuous movies staring the ex Mister Universe who's inability to act brought a huge amount of  bewildered entertainment to people.  They were just part of the late 80's blockbuster cinema fodder that was about at the time. All of them are hugely enjoyable and very watchable but I'm not really sure anyone takes them any more seriously now as they did at the time of their release. Or maybe they do?  I think with modern cinema being so utterly shit for various reasons we yearn for a time where films like this were simpler and kind of effortlessly had a certain amount of charm about them. Back then it only took Arnie armed with a huge gun and few decent one liners per movie to make something like Commando watchable.

But for what its worth I fucking love Predator. Does anyone here remember watching the Entertainment USA show, hosted by that charming ex music mogul Jonathan King, when it previewed Predator? I remember videoing it and watching it and rewinding the Predator clip and trailer time and time again. People forget that back in those days the USA always got movies about 6 months or so before they opened here so it was always ultra exciting seeing what films we were going to be getting in what seemed quite far off in the future.

And yes Predator 2 is also really good. A very different movie since the first was more just a vehicle for Arnie to be in, despite the rest of the cast also being very good.   

Here is the amazing Predator trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1txEAywdiw

Shit Good Nose

Quote from: Mr Brightside on September 23, 2017, 01:16:54 PM
Terminator 2 is way better than the first one.

I will, probably controversially, say I completely disagree.  BUT I've always thought 2 as being massively over rated.  Just doesn't have the grit, grime and nihilism of the first one.  In fact, I think that's been the subsequent problem with the series as a whole, most obviously in Genisys - ever increasing humour.  "Hey - do you want a brand new Terminator film with lots of jokes and irony!?!?!?!?"  Fuck off.


In terms of the whole contemporary views of Arnie's films, I think Predator was quickly taken reasonably seriously and achieved a reputation as a genuinely and unironically decent 80s action film very soon after its release, and it wasn't that long before it was talked about in a positive way by your higher brow critics.  These days, of course, it is rightly considered as a properly good - and classic - 80s American action film.  Commando, on the other hand, was, is and always will be an objectively shit film, but its absolute stupidity and ridiculousness just makes it an infinitely entertaining watch.  A bit like Shark Attack 3.

Replies From View

Quote from: Shit Good Nose on September 23, 2017, 01:44:56 PM
I will, probably controversially, say I completely disagree.  BUT I've always thought 2 as being massively over rated.  Just doesn't have the grit, grime and nihilism of the first one.

Correct opinion.  As an unrelenting nightmare chase film, the first one can't be beaten.  The T-1000 is so overpowered that he keeps pulling his punches (walks slowly when his targets are within running distance, picks up speed when they are in a vehicle - things like that), whereas the T-800 in the first film does everything he can to get Sarah, and you feel it.

Yes T2 does other things besides being a nightmare chase film, but lacking those qualities of the first film makes it inferior in my book.  Plus it all just feels shinier and more glossy, not in a good way.

Shit Good Nose

Quote from: Replies From View on September 23, 2017, 01:52:45 PM
Correct opinion.  As an unrelenting nightmare chase type film, the first one can't be beaten.  I think the T-1000 is so overpowered that he keeps pulling his punches (walks slowly when his targets are within running distance, picks up speed when they are in a vehicle - things like that), whereas the T-800 in the first film does everything he can to get Sarah, and you feel it.

Yep.

And, also, the now iconic/setting-up-shit-one-liners-for-the-rest-of-his-career-like-a-steroid-addicted-Tim-Vine "I'll be back" in the first one is just a no-nonsense bullshit free throwaway comment.

Glebe

Quote from: checkoutgirl on September 22, 2017, 10:53:16 PMthat alcoholic red indian bloke

Just passed away last month.

Quote from: checkoutgirl on September 22, 2017, 10:53:16 PMRunning Man

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jm4FEjICVog#t=45s

From a Stephen King story... and featuring another wrestling star!

Quote from: Shit Good Nose on September 22, 2017, 11:13:52 PMHowever, I do like Predator 2 even more.

I think I only saw it once and was not impressed.

Quote from: Replies From View on September 22, 2017, 11:20:28 PMYeah mate, Predator.

But:  Predators.

More of them.

And more orange and teal. Possibly.

Quote from: Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth on September 22, 2017, 11:43:29 PMWhat about Total Recall?

Yep. And let's not forget that other (non-Arnie) classic science fiction actioner Robocop, also directed by Paul Verhoven.

Quote from: zomgmouse on September 23, 2017, 06:12:45 AMJohn McTiernan made this and then followed it up with the colossus of great classic action that is Die Hard

Indeed, top work Mr. McTiernan, from back when Bruce Willis was still likeable.

Quote from: popcorn on September 23, 2017, 06:51:16 AMBit boring I reckon.

Mate, if you want a boring Arnie movie try Conan the Barbarian.

Quote from: mobias on September 23, 2017, 01:33:51 PMBut for what its worth I fucking love Predator. Does anyone here remember watching the Entertainment USA show, hosted by that charming ex music mogul Jonathan King, when it previewed Predator? I remember videoing it and watching it and rewinding the Predator clip and trailer time and time again. People forget that back in those days the USA always got movies about 6 months or so before they opened here so it was always ultra exciting seeing what films we were going to be getting in what seemed quite far off in the future.

I remember them previewing Gremlins, but I was too afraid to watch the clip.

Quote from: Shit Good Nose on September 23, 2017, 01:44:56 PMI will, probably controversially, say I completely disagree.  BUT I've always thought 2 as being massively over rated.  Just doesn't have the grit, grime and nihilism of the first one.  In fact, I think that's been the subsequent problem with the series as a whole, most obviously in Genisys - ever increasing humour.  "Hey - do you want a brand new Terminator film with lots of jokes and irony!?!?!?!?"  Fuck off.

Well, it's a bit like Alien and Aliens... top sequel with lots of cool stuff, louder and more action-orientated, but the first one is more mysterious and impactful.

DukeDeMondo

I also prefer the original Terminator. I like T2 a lot, but it comes nowhere near to matching the intensity of the first.

Single minded and relentless, as RFV says. As perfect a synthesis of Halloween and Duel as anyone's ever come up with.