Review: Predator Is Arnold Schwarzenegger's Aliens
- Jun 13, 2017
- 2 min read
30 years ago Arnold Schwarzenegger did battle with one of the greatest aliens ever seen on screen in one of the most manly action films ever released. Blood, muscles and the manliest handshake of all time are just scratching the surface of what is now known as Predator.
Dutch Schaeffer (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is not only a top black ops soldier but just an all around badass. He's recruited by CIA agent and old friend Dillon (Carl Weathers) for what seems to be a routine operation. Recover documents from an insurgent hideout deep within the Central American jungle. They and their team are the best military force on planet Earth. They're ruthless, brutally efficient and, unknown to them, are far from the most lethal thing in the jungle.
Directed by John McTiernan, a man perhaps better known for his work on Die Hard, Predator arrived hot on the heels of James Cameron's Aliens. It's a Vietnam War movie at its heart, much like Aliens, though it embraces it more fully with the jungle, an outclassed American force and plenty of violence, much of it delivered by its star, Schwarzenegger.
And the action is, in a word, glorious. Massive guns, bigger muscles and and a deadly creature combine to create something that is both unique and explosive. It's one of the most quotable films ever made and much of what is memorable comes from the predator itself. It still remains one of cinemas greatest beasts, on par with the Xenomorph of Alien fame.
Predator is no masterpiece but it transcends the genre. It has everything one might want from an action and it stands as testament as what an action movie can be. Add to this the fact that it's so manly that watching it will make you a goddam sexual tyrannosaurus (just watch the movie) and you have a recipe for greatness.
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