Introducing one of cinema's most horrifying villains, John McTiernan’s Predator raises the bar for both action and horror films.  Nonstop pulse-pounding excitement jolts the screen as macho man Arnold Schwarzenegger duels a vicious, gigantic, otherworldly trophy hunter.  A more explosive blend of science-fiction, suspense and firepower, all rousingly garnished with thundering music by Alan Silvestri, you won't find anywhere else.

Major Dutch’s (Arnold Schwarzenegger) elite team of soldiers is conned into invading the blistering jungles of Central America. On a so-called rescue mission, the rough and tough commandos march into the dense brush to wipe out an enemy stronghold and free hostages.  But something hellish and alien is hunting down his team one by one, pausing along the way to collect human trophies.  Matching wits, will and brawn against a physically and technologically advanced predator proves to be the ultimate challenge for the squad of heavily armed professionals (not unlike the Colonial Marines of “Aliens” one year before), each possessing unique, memorable personalities.

Predator’s approach is all guns and guts and this makes for a very unique thriller.  Introducing the crew of oversized warriors, the opening scenes take their time to demonstrate the team’s massive firepower and its ability to move swiftly and silently.  Slinking into the enemy camp, they engage in a heated shootout with enough ammo to start World War III.  It’s exciting and explosive, but McTiernan doesn't forget that his star must also have time for valiant one-liners.  Schwarzenegger plays his usual straightforward hero who uses brute force and bulging muscles only when necessary for saving lives or defending against attacks.  This time he’s slightly more calculating and even primitive when it comes to surviving, but he never crosses the line of white-knight heroism as he plots to conquer the enemy beast. Arnold’s charisma and the intense gunplay thoroughly distracts the viewer from the existence of an alien being, which provides the perfect grounding in reality and tonal seriousness - always appreciated in these kinds of movies to keep things as believable as possible.

The Predator camouflage suit and related special effects are a bit outdated, but the creature design and makeup are ageless.  Still as terrifying 20 years later, the towering humanoid creature with its targeting shoulder-mounted cannon, razor-sharp hunting blades, and four-jawed grimace, is a spectacular image, thanks to Stan Winston and his crew (who were nominated for a Visual Effects Oscar).  The infrared mask the predator uses to track its prey is iconic and adds dread and foreshadowing as audiences watch the creature stalk the team from afar, through its perspective, during the first half of the film.  This method of not revealing too much too soon is also a welcome and foolproof suspense tactic.

Despite the humorous coincidence of costar Jesse Ventura and Schwarzenegger both ending up in politics, the acting in the film is exactly the way it should be, with authentic fear, camaraderie and fortitude. The sheer intensity of the skilled troopers makes for some worthy chase sequences, battles, duels, covert operations and bloodshed. While it is entirely for entertainment, the violence in the film enhances the severity and immediacy of the situations, increasing the scares of the hunt. Transcending typical creature features with its mix of genres, including action/adventure, horror and science-fiction, Predator has proven itself to be much more than just a monster movie contemporary classic.  Often imitated but rarely equaled, seeing Schwarzenegger’s one-man-army persona duke it out with the mother of all alien baddies is absolutely not to be missed.

- Mike Massie

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