Movie Debate #51: Predator

[TDIRunner | 2,734]

7 for me.  Definitely the best in the series.  I can't even remember the last time I watched it.  The 2nd one is ok too, but I can't get into any of the movies after that.  

[Brickman | 3,983]

7/10 (but a high 7). Great one liners and cast, but I did find it drags a little in some parts. It's a movie worth watching at least once or twice but I wouldn't go out of my way to watch it on a regular basis.

[guitarzombie | 924]

6 hours ago, fox said:

 "Characters" are all just generic tough guys and you already know the answer to mystery of what is stalking them, so not much story to speak of. 

The design of the monster is cool though.

Im inclined to believe you did not grow up in the 80s.  BTW people don't watch action movies for story, then want action and excitement!  Stories are usually as direct and straight forward as possible.  

[fox | 1,667]

12 minutes ago, guitarzombie said:

Im inclined to believe you did not grow up in the 80s.  BTW people don't watch action movies for story, then want action and excitement!  Stories are usually as direct and straight forward as possible.  

Ok boomer?  Not every movie deserves a 9 or 10 just cause the decade it was made.

Action is forgettable.  Generic characters.  No scares.  No mystery. A simple story is fine, a boring one is not.  Slow pacing.  Predator is a bit of a slog.

[guitarzombie | 924]

56 minutes ago, fox said:

Ok boomer?  Not every movie deserves a 9 or 10 just cause the decade it was made.

Action is forgettable.  Generic characters.  No scares.  No mystery. A simple story is fine, a boring one is not.  Slow pacing.  Predator is a bit of a slog.

Thats not what I was saying .  The 80s just happened to be filled with great ACTION movies, where story and plot weren't important and gun fights/explosions were.  People who are this boomers age have a fondness for em and dont need to judge its cinematic art the way people do with the Godfather or Casablanca.  Its just curious to me that your critique of Predator not having not much of a story or forgettable characters, when its about the action/fighting and Arny delivering awesome one liners is like saying "Filet Mignon isn't a great dinner cuz im a vegitarian" haha

[Sumez | 2,949]

Been wanting to see this movie for ages, but it's an elusive one.

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,104]

It's a great action movie and the Jesse Ventura one liners are classic. 8/10.

[Californication | 1,477]

I'm looking at the grading system and 8 sounds like a higher up level than 9, imo.

Also, I think 10 year old me would give the movie a 10. I thought the movie Predators was the second best iteration of the franchise.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,521]

2 hours ago, Californication said:

I'm looking at the grading system and 8 sounds like a higher up level than 9, imo.

Also, I think 10 year old me would give the movie a 10. I thought the movie Predators was the second best iteration of the franchise.

shrug

I am always open to amending the lines and improve things, but that's first time I've heard that particular observation in 180+ threads.

I do admit that there's room for improvement.  ie Maybe 1932 wasn't a particularly great year for movies.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,521]

8 hours ago, Sumez said:

Been wanting to see this movie for ages, but it's an elusive one.

His name is Dutch, dammit!

[Californication | 1,477]

4 minutes ago, Reed Rothchild said:

shrug

I am always open to amending the lines and improve things, but that's first time I've heard that particular observation in 180+ threads.

I do admit that there's room for improvement.  ie Maybe 1932 wasn't a particularly great year for movies.

You know what, nm. It says"maybe," one of the best movies. I should have probably went with an 8.

[Tabonga | 2,317]

4 minutes ago, Reed Rothchild said:

shrug

I am always open to amending the lines and improve things, but that's first time I've heard that particular observation in 180+ threads.

I think the descriptions work fine - a great movie isn't necessarily a  killer fucking movie but a killer fucking movie is perforce going to be a great movie.  And there are a lot of "one of the best movies of the year" (most often that appellation applies to the most recent blockbuster (at least when everyone had bought a ticket)) but fewer fit the killer fucking club.  The distinction may be tight between 8 and 9 but with so many choices one would expect that between adjacent levels.

[Dr. Morbis | 2,088]

14 hours ago, fox said:

Action is forgettable.

Action is forgettable??!?!?!  Dude, did we watch the same movie?  The action scenes that I watched in Predator were some of the most memorable of all time; hell, the handshake at the start of the movie was unforgettable.  Like, every word spoken was unforgettable.  Maybe I'm just a true child of the 80's, but I feel like most of the scenes and lines in this movie are soooo memorable that I could close my eyes and watch the movie from start to finish without even needing a TV...

9/10 easily.

[fox | 1,667]

14 hours ago, guitarzombie said:

Thats not what I was saying .  The 80s just happened to be filled with great ACTION movies, where story and plot weren't important and gun fights/explosions were.  People who are this boomers age have a fondness for em and dont need to judge its cinematic art the way people do with the Godfather or Casablanca.  Its just curious to me that your critique of Predator not having not much of a story or forgettable characters, when its about the action/fighting and Arny delivering awesome one liners is like saying "Filet Mignon isn't a great dinner cuz im a vegitarian" haha

I'd personally cook a steak, but am totally fine with a protein substitute.  I never said it needed to be cinematic art or compared to the Godfather or Casablanca, I get what you saying though.  I was looking at all elements, not just story, and found it lacking.

[JamesRobot | 5,800]

I'm officially updating my score to a 10.  I'ma show it to my 10 yr old this weekend. 

[PII | 1,885]

I went with an 8.  I wanna say that its arguably the best of its kind but I also feel like it doesn't really have a kind, being just a bit too unique for that.  At heart, it is a monster movie and personally, I found it to be far more intriguing than any other monster movie I've seen. 

I think the most terrifying moment in the whole film is simply the opening shot when you see the predator's "landing capsule" disengage from the ship and fall into orbital/decline.  That is the moment of mystery and wonder at all the horrible possibilities that await.  It was definitely a landmark turning point in how films were made.  Essentially, the premise is the whole movie.  It's so elegantly simple ("the medium is the message" comes to mind.)  Prior to the late 70's/early 80's, storytelling and character in Hollywood films had been a lot more complex (think The Godfather or Taxi Driver for example.)

For a long time I was not terribly motivated to see it because I thought that the Predator looked rather hokey and over the top.  I was like, 'why does it have dreadlocks?  Was this made by the same boardroom of suits who brought us Megaman Soccer?"  Eventually I realized they are not dreadlocks.  A lot of the enjoyment of the film for me was just waiting to see the Predator and all the teases and tension prior leading the boys ever deeper into the Jungle.  There's a bit of a "the end is the beginning" going on here too when taking into account all of the long slow shots/scenes that consist of little more than jungle and the boys.  It harkens back to the early days of film making when the public was thrilled to watch something simple slowly unfold, so I guess it's kind of ironic or paradoxical considering this is generally thought of as an action/thriller type movie.  The first reveal scene in which Predator is finally seen albeit with his mask still on definitely goes down as one of the most imposing Monster moments of all time.  

Getting back to that first scene, I think what makes this movie so damn freaky is the - it could really happen factor.  How many planets are out there?  If a race this malevolent could be stable enough to keep from destroying itself, it's survival of the fittest mentality would allow its technology to develop very quickly...  That being the case, its intriguing how the Predator species does have certain codes of behavior, honor etc.  (I will not get too specific for those who have not seen it yet.)  Would like to raise a question about the ending, but won't.

On the topic of the characters being generic, It's not without a function.  There is often a character in a film that can be referred to as "Every man" (think Keanu Reaves in the Matrix.  He was def. chosen for that role for a number of reasons I won't go into, but a lot of them sum up to - he doesn't stand out too much, hence the largest percentage of the viewing public being able to identify with the character.  I think that is what's going on with Arnie and the boys.  They stand out as far as being a tough, hyper-muscled elite military group, but aside from that they are basically playing the role of 'Every group of guys', hanging out/drinkin'/shootin' shit/tellin' dirty jokes etc.  which is basically what the movie is about.  And of course we've all seen the monster's mouth at one time or another, although as Sherlock Holmes would say, that mouth usually went unobserved in spite of being seen ie. into the subconscious rather than the conscious mind.  At opposite ends of the spectrum we have the predator's fascinating technology which is the real tell in the movie and has the ability to lead us somewhere...................... and we have its basis which can be summed up with the following two pics.

Like it or not, it was sumthin; and we were definitely shown it for a reason...

[Ferris Bueller | 495]

"I ain't got time to bleed."

One of the best all time one liners delivered by a future US governor. 10/10

[PII | 1,885]

18 minutes ago, Ferris Bueller said:

"I ain't got time to bleed."

One of the best all time one liners delivered by a future US governor. 10/10

 

Warning: The preceding was not politically correct.

[themisfit138 | 523]

Easy 10. Classic action cheese. 

[BlackVega | 583]

I watched that cheesy movie probably 5 times and still can't grasp some of those cheesy scenes. "GET TO THE CHOPPA! ! ! ! ! ! !11111111111 "  8/10

[G-type | 2,480]

I rewatched this recently.

It's a classic for a reason. Lots of great and iconic moments  in it: "Ain't got time to bleed", "Dylan you son of bitch!" (Carl Weather's is one of the only guys who could try to have a bicep-off with Arnold), when Mac grabs Blain's minigun and is joined by the rest of the squad as they mow down the jungle... "if it bleeds, we can kill it!" The minigun looked so cool that James Cameron was inspired to add it to T2.

Alan Silvestri's soundtrack kicks butt.

Stan Winston's creature design is one of the all time great "man in a suit" monster costumes plus the awesome looking semi-invisible mode.

its not without its flaws too... the raid on the guerrilla camp at the beginning feels tonally out of place from the rest of the movie. Cheesy one-liners like "stick around" for the guy with a knife to the chest, seemed more fitting to Commando than Predator. Bringing the woman along seemed tacked on... feels like some Studio exec was like "There's too many dudes in this movie... we need a woman!" and then she is unceremoniously dropped from the movie before the final showdown because they didn't need her anymore. "Get to the choppa!" and she's never seen again.