"Predator" is the ultimate 'man movie.' It's loaded with muscular hulking men, both brooding and brutish, huge machine guns, knives, explosions, swearing, dirty jokes, gratuitous killing and more.
Predator: Ultimate Hunter Edition (1987, Blu-ray)
Directors: John McTiernan
Producers: Various
Writers: Jim and John Thomas
Features: * Featurettes * Commentary * Text Track * Documentary * Outtakes * Deleted Scenes * Photos * Sneak Peek
Characters:
Arnold Schwarzenegger ... Dutch
Carl Weathers ... Dillon
Elpidia Carrillo ... Anna
Bill Duke ... Mac
Jesse Ventura ... Blain
Sonny Landham ... Billy
Richard Chaves ... Poncho
R.G. Armstrong ... General Phillips
Shane Black ... Hawkins
Kevin Peter Hall ... The Predator / Helicopter Pilot
Genre: Action/Adventure
Review:
Available on Blu-ray 6/29! http://tinyurl.com/2d3h5hj
THE FILM:
I'm not really sure how or when, but somehow, "Predator" became a franchise thick with sci-fi lore and mystique. Just look at the recent "Predator" variations, "Alien Vs. Predator" and "Aliens Vs. Predator: Requiem" and you'll see what I mean. But the original film was not thick with sci-fi lore, or mystique. Rather, the Predator creature itself is sort of an after thought to the real meat of the film--muscle.
"Predator" is the ultimate 'man movie.' It's loaded with muscular hulking men, both brooding and brutish, huge machine guns, knives, explosions, swearing, dirty jokes, gratuitous killing and more. Absent from the film is gratuitous female nudity, but a 'man movie' doesn't necessarily need such things. Rather, a 'man movie' just needs to be about guys that are so unrealistically 'alpha' that men fantasize about being half as cool, and powerful, as they are. Even look at the character's names: Blain, Dutch, Mac, Poncho, Dillon. These are awesome names.
Loaded with wrestlers, action stars, Native Americans, soldiers and Arnold Schwarzenegger, the film follows an uber-elite team of mercenaries hired to recuse a cabinet minster in the deep amazonian jungle. Once there, they learn they've been double crossed by their employer, but that ends up being the least of their problems as they find themselves being hunted by a skillfully trained other-worldly creature, hell bent on collecting each one of their over-sized 'man' skulls. One by one, the elite team is hunted down and killed until only their hulking action figure looking leader, Dutch (Schwarzenegger) remains to fight the beastie.
There isn't one single frame of this film that isn't muscle-infused. From the opening scene when our team arrives smoking cigars, chewing tobacco, arm wrestling, telling jokes, calling each other "son of a bitch" and toting various weapons of mass destruction, to the finale, where Schwarzenegger decides to take on the Predator hand-to-hand and survives a nuclear blast. The word "primal" comes to mind, and it's a solid description of what's on screen. The "Predator" franchise may currently be rooted in science fiction, but it's origins are far less civilized.
"Predator" isn't a great movie, it's pretty sub par in terms of alien mayhem. But what makes it work above it's "Alien"-clone brethren, is it's brutish nature--it's unyielding bravado and sense of self-aware confidence. Schwarzenegger carries the picture, to be sure, but his colorful compatriots aide in every scene they're in, be it Carl Weathers, Bill Duke, Jesse Ventura, Sonny Landham, Shane Black or Richard Chaves--there isn't a single weak link among the cast.
It wasn't surprising to learn that, behind the scenes, these guys were quite competitive, often times spending hours in the gym before shooting and holding weight lifting competitions. Carl Weathers, who's no small man, said that even he got a bit intimated by the testosterone-infused nature of the cast.
It's stories like that which take away from the mystery of the Predator creature, though it's well designed by effects master Stan Winston. Also forgotten is the "Most Dangerous Game"-inspired aspects of the plot. They are, of course, necessary ingredients to why this is the premiere 'man movie', but they're only small pieces of a larger whole. Perhaps that's what been lost in the latest "Predator" installments--that sense of testosterone-injected comradely, power and hulking muscle. 'Man movies' are largely absent from mainstream cinema in general these days. There are films with an appeal towards men, but nothing as ostensibly 'man' as "Predator" is. Let's hope we see a film like this again in the future. It's been a long time.
Film Report Card:
Entertainment Value: A
Film Value: B
Final Grade:
A-
THE BLU-RAY:
Video:
Click on the image above to see a full-res 1920x1080 screengrab of Predator!
"Predator" is presented in 1.85:1 widescreen using the AVC codec on a dual-layered BD50 disc. The film consumes 33.4 gigs of space.
The previous Blu-ray release of "Predator," encoded in MPEG-2, was far from perfect, but compared to this new "remaster," it was near-reference material. The problem here is that Fox saw fit to apply heavy DNR to virtually every single frame of this feature. This, of course, removes film grain (and noise), but it also drastically reduces textures, depth, details and more. The result is a transfer that, while certainly more polished than the original, looks more like video than film. Ultimately, this is one of the most muddled, disappointing catalog titles Fox has put out since the "dark ages," (the early days of Blu-ray) when every title Fox released looked terrible. But wait...the first Blu-ray of "Predator" came out during that era. Hmmm, scratch that. This is one of the worst catalog transfers they've put out, period.
Audio:
Audio choices are English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 4.0 Surround, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, and French DTS 5.1 with Spanish and French subtitles and English captions for the hearing impaired. Being a 'man movie', one expects greatness from the surround track and Fox provides. Thankfully, Fox leaves the audio mix alone. This DTS-HD mix is a thunderous one, loaded with robust front and rear surround effects. Just watch the main attack sequence when Dutch's team take on a guerrilla camp and you'll see what I mean. Gunshots, gun blasts, bombs and explosions surround you in a way that's hard to top. I did feel that the track occasionally felt a bit overcrowded and even inorganic on occasion, particularly towards the beginning of the film, but as far as intensity, this track is hard to top. Softer, quieter scenes are well mixed too, with clean, clear dialogue being spewed from the center channel.
Still, sound design is a bit wobbly from time to time. There are goofs in the sound that I've always noticed even back in my VHS days. Certain scenes will be crowed with ambient noise in one shot, and clean in another. A perfect example comers shortly after the main attack. Dutch is talking to Dillon and there's a small hiss in the background. The next shot, the hiss is gone and it never comes back. It's probably not anything that could have been fixed with this mix, but it does take away from a near reference catalog mix.
The disc is D-Box encoded, too!
Extras and Packaging:
The BD copy of the film, provided from Fox, came packed in a blue elite single-disc BD case with the film’s re-release artwork. It's not perfect, but it's far better than the previous release.
Fox finally delivers the goods for this film on Blu-ray. The extras include all the supplements found on the previous two-disc DVD release. Fox even ponies up a few new goodies for fans to enjoy. Sadly, it's not a perfect collection. I would have liked to see a Digital Copy included as well.
• Commentary -- The classic John McTiernan commentary is ported over. It's a little dry, but worth a listen.
• Text Trivia Track -- A subtitle trivia track by film historian Eric Lichtenfeld. Interesting stuff!
• If It Bleeds, We Can Kill It Featurette (29 minutes, SD) -- A great retrospective featurette.
• Inside the Predator Featurettes (31 minutes, SD) -- A vignette consisting of seven making-of featurettes.
• Special Effects Featurettes (5 minutes, SD) -- Two quick looks at effects tests.
• Short Takes w/ Filmmakers (10 minutes, SD) -- Four amusing conversations regarding the film.
• Deleted Scenes and Outtakes (6 minutes, SD) -- Nothing too earth-shattering, but the four included scenes are worth a look.
• Trailers (HD/SD) -- Trailers for the first two "Predator" films. The disc also includes a trailer for "Predator" which plays before the disc menu.
BD-Exclusive Content:
• Predator: Evolution of a Species Featurettes (11 minutes, HD) -- Yet another retrospective piece, this time focusing on the franchise as it's evolved through the years. The focus seems more guided towards the new film than the old.
• Predator Sneak Peek (2 minutes, HD) -- Basically an extended trailer complete with interview bits.
• Photo Gallery and Predator Profile (HD)
Final Thoughts:
A terrific disc is completely ruined by a terrible transfer. I suggest fans hold on to their old discs and buy this one used as a "special edition" bonus disc.
Blu-ray Report Card:
Video: D
Audio: A
Extras: A-
HD Content: D
Packaging: A
Recommendation: Buy the disc, but keep the old BD for the actual film presentation.
***
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----R. L. Shaffer