DVD : Predator [Blu-ray] [1987]

Rating: - predator
Dutch(Arnold Schwarzenegger) is recruited by the CIA to rescue hostages held by guerrilla fighters in a Central American country. But Dutch and his team soon become the hunted and a deadly cat and mouse game begins. Can Dutch get his team of men out before they all die. The predator is on safari so let the hunt begin. Good film but i was a bit disapointed by the blu-ray disk. Not as clear as i thought it was going to be. If you want some good blu-ray film get 300, casino royal, the day after tomorrow or 30 days of night. Jean claude van damme was originally the predator until kevin peter hall took over.

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Rating: - Classic 80's action
Predator. Where it all started for one of the best movie aliens of all time.

I love this film it must be said. This is classic 80's action with a whole group of clichéd beefcakes and cheesy dialogue thrown into the mix.

If you're not familiar with the story here's the rundown: An elite rescue team of soldiers are sent into the South American jungle to release some government officials in guerrilla hands. As the team close in on their objective they realise that something is stalking them and picking them off one at a time for sport. This enemy is unseen as it wears a cloaking device and attacks with relentless ferocity and efficiency and also has a penchant for skinning its victims! That's it! It's a simple plot but it's just a great excuse for lots of guns and great action!

Arnie is the leader of the group but is ably supported by Jess Ventura and his "mini" gun, Bill Duke and Sonny Landham who is the native American soldier skilled in tracking and pathfinding and a few others.

The predator is kept hidden for some time but the tension in the film is gradually notched up through the trick of letting us see through the predator's eyes and hear it's weird vocalisations. I have to admit I remember first seeing this film as a kid and was utterly disappointed the very first time the predator was shown on screen - the special effects seen in that first snatched glimpse are shockingly bad and I was mortified. However, I needn't have worried as the later sequences with the cloaked predator are good - pretty amazing for the day and they hold up ok today too.

There are some classic lines in this film such as when Arnie shouts "get to da choppa" and when Jesse Venturer's characters remarks upon being told he's bleeding "I ain't got time to bleed". Ultra macho and cheesier than an unwashed sports sock but great fun. The film progresses towards an almost inevitable conclusion where Arnie has to face off with the predator one on one and make use of whatever is to hand to aid him.

Apparently Jean Claude Van-Damme was the predator originally because the film makers wanted an agile and lithe killer but he was thrown off the project for (allegedly) intentionally hurting a stunt man. Kevin Peter Hall was brought in and a new direction for the Predator was undertaken - one of a 7 foot tall brute!

This is one of the best sci-fi action films of the 80's with arguably the best action film start in Arnie directed by John McTiernan, arguably one of the best action directors at the time (his follow up film was Die-Hard).

But why only 4 stars? Well I guess because the film transfer definitely does not reach the quality levels of other titles on Bluray. I know the film is 21 years old now but the picture quality is not the best. You can tell it's hi-def but it's not high quality hi-def. Still better than DVD and the lossless soundtrack is great but maybe with a bit more care it could have been tidied up a touch more.

But still, if you're a fan the decision is easy: buy this bluray!

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Rating: - Brilliant film - not great Blu Ray though
Ok, first up I love the film. It's one of my all time faves. It travels along nicely with classic "end of chapter" cliffhanger lines such as "If it bleeds we can kill it" and "something's out there waiting for us, and it ain't no man". The action and the pacing of the film are excellent, and despite what the plot is, it's done so well that it's almost believable.
The reason I'm only giving it four stars is because the blu-ray transfer isn't really all that great. It is slightly better than the DVD, but as stated by another reviewer the source material was already a little grainy and the High Def transfer seems only to highlight this further. There are also no extras unlike the DVD, so you really aren't getting value for money. As Blu-Ray's go, it's not one of the better ones, but I love the film so much I can just about forgive it for that.
In short, if you've already got the DVD (probably available for about £3) then you're not likely to feel that you're getting your money's worth here.

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Rating: - Arnold's best performance - superior action movie.
Predator is a fine story and reasonably well made and filmed. Arnold acts very well in this and far better than some of his colleagues. The alien is beautifully realized and, catchphrase lapses aside ("Knock knock", "Stick around" etc) it's really rather plausible.
The Blu-Ray transfer is, I think, very good. The problem is the source material. The film stock and camera work have added a huge amount of grain and 'noise' into the images. I thought, during the opening scenes, that the transfer was very poor but then other scenes appeared that clearly showed a spot on HD image. For example, in the opening scenes the characters are in a tent. The tent scenes look bad but then the action cuts to a map and the map is perfect. It's the original film at fault and not the transfer folks. Some parts of the jungle scenes look great, the attack on the compound for example, whereas others look sub DVD. I think it was a low budget production working in extreme conditions and the quality of the filming suffered as a result. It IS better than DVD though.
What's not better than DVD is the extras. There are none. There are some trailers but those aren't extras they're studio adverts. My DVD copy has a whole extra disc of documentaries and other stuff so why is the much more expensive Blu-Ray version bereft?
In short, worth buying but not massively better than DVD.

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Rating: - PREDATOR - BLU RAY STYLE
PREDATOR - BLU RAY

- If you have not seen this top action sci fi movie you are in for a treat. Arnie and a team of crack professional soldiers are sent out to the South American Jungle to rescue a disappeared General and his team of soldiers.
- Unbeknown to anyone a transparent alien is killing and eating? any humans it finds in the jungle.
- The rest is heavy physical and weaponry action from Arnie, Jesse Ventura and several other colourful characters.
- Arnie and Jesse are now in politics and it is easy to see their no nonsense attitude to anything that gets in their way. It is one of Arnie's best movies both in terms of action and his acting ability, displaying his annoyance with Governmental (agency) dirty tricks.

Blu Ray Transfer
Following poor reviews in the press of the transfer I was reluctant to buy this on Blu Ray. I expected it to be no better than the HD DVD Rambo disc that was so disappointing and not much different to the ordinary SD dvd.
However always liking the film I could'nt resist the temptation of having a go.
So I bought one and to my pleasant surprise found the disc to be very good. Clear, colourful and dynamic with a good soundtrack there is plenty to admire here. I love the deep blacks contrasting against the dark greens of the jungle. Good skin and muscle tones, face and body paint and weapon detail all highlight what a good transfer this is.
Finally you get the Alien and all its gory detail.
Overall great stuff from Blu ray.