My Review of Predator (1987) · 11:32pm May 14th, 2023

Rating Scale:

12/10—a complete masterpiece; flawless and outstanding
11/10—Excellent, near-perfect film
10/10—the standard rating; awesome film with a couple of flaws
9/10—a wonderful film with several flaws
8/10–a great film with numerous flaws but not enough to ruin it
7/10—a fun and entertaining movie; not great but still enjoyable
6/10—a slightly above average film; it is something I might watch again
5/10—mediocre movie; not awful but not great either
4/10—a below average film; it could have been much better
3/10—a bad film; poorly written and poorly executed
2/10—a very bad movie; the few good things in the movie overshadowed by the bad things
1/10—a terrible movie; a total waste of time
0/10—a worthless piece of abomination; should have never been made

Greetings, everyone! This is Mr. J back with another movie review for today! This afternoon, I will be reviewing Predator (1987)! Just like “The Terminator”, this is yet another classic, phenomenal movie of the 1980s that is filled with action, adventure, and some degree of horror. For this film franchise, it tackles on another fascinating aspect of the science fiction genre and utilizes it in a creative fashion for both the critics and general audiences to enjoy.

For me, the concept of a highly skilled alien hunter to roam around and take down multiple armed opponents in a secretive manner is very interesting to me. So here’s what I think of the movie overall:

Dutch, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, leads a paramilitary rescue team to a guerrilla-held territory within a Central American rainforest until they are individually hunted down by the Predator. Who will emerge victorious: the Predator or the prey?

The number one aspect the movie did well was the goosebumps-inducing suspense. As a viewer, it makes you wonder when the Predator is gonna show up, and whenever he isn’t on screen, it makes you anxious because you have no clue when he’ll pop up. You can feel his presence throughout the film despite the little screen time he got. And whenever he does show up, especially in the beginning, you start to see things through his perspective whereas our heroes have no idea they’re being watched.

As the saying goes, there’s always a bigger fish.

Speaking of the Predator, he was a terrifying force of nature from start to finish. The vocal effects were quite eerie yet cool to listen to, thanks to the epic vocalizations by Peter Cullen. Not only is he a cunning warrior with advanced alien technology but also a hunter with a code of honor. Both his design and body language were well-portrayed. Plus, whenever he was recording words from the human characters and speaks them in his own manner, it has some contextual meaning that signifies his way of understanding his enemies. It’s a little clever and thoughtful, in my opinion.

The action and choreography were done amazingly too! Maybe it’s just me, but the 80s fighting style looks so cool to me, and the use of explosions, sound effects, and gunfire were a little over-the-top but still epic.

The film even has iconic lines—one of which is so memorable it was repeated throughout the rest of the franchise. “You are one ugly motherfucker!” The way Arnold delivered that line was so funny, I dunno why. But it makes sense, seeing he has never seen a hunter so monstrous and beastly-looking. It made the final fight between them more authentic and exciting.

From what I got out of the film is that not only will the strongest survive but also the smartest. Dutch managed to outsmart the Predator at the last second which probably impressed the latter to some degree as his species always admire prey who are defensive, mighty, smart, and brave regardless of their stature.

Overall, I love this movie which also warrants a solid 10/10. For those of you who are interested in watching a sci-fi/action movie franchise, start with this one. You’ll love it!

RIP Kevin Peter Hall, R.G. Armstrong, and Sonny Landham.