Predator

John McTiernan brilliantly portrays the fear of unknown danger. Even the scene of the massacre of the camp, although I'm not too keen on it, has its place. The viewer is surprised that this bunch of supermen who can easily dispatch an overwhelming number of mercenaries, have to bow down to a mysterious evil. And the ending, Arnold with the resources of a Stone Age hunter fighting a stronger predator, is a treat. Together with Conan the Barbarian, this is Arnold’s best movie. (15.07.2002)

Arnie’s best movie :) Horror movie of the year. (26.08.2007)

I watched Predator again after about ten years. I can state without exaggeration that this film is more perfect than I thought. Even after all these years, a group of tough mercenaries hunted by an alien skull hunter captivates with a perfect atmosphere that benefits especially from the creeping voyeurism of the camera and Silvestri's unnerving music. Keeping a firm hand on all this is director McTiernan, who was one of the absolute best in the action genre in the 1980s... and went crazy in the 1990s. (05.08.2009)

Ein hervorragender Actionfilm mit einer Beimischung von Science Fiction. McTiernan beweist, dass er nicht nur ein abgestumpfter Routinier ist, sondern dass er auch Spaß an der Action hat. Besonders gut gefällt mir die Kameraführung im ersten Teil des Films, wenn unsere schönen und muskulösen Helden ausspioniert werden (hervorragender Einsatz von Thermografie und Kamerafahrten, die einen sehr beengten Eindruck vermitteln). Die Atmosphäre eines Haufens von Söldnern, die mitten im Urwald zu Freiwild werden, ist zweifelsfrei dumpf und überzeugend. Ob das Fehlen von schauspielerischen Leistungen von Nachteil ist, ist schwer zu beurteilen, denn einige von Arnolds Grimassen gehören einfach zum goldenen Fundus des schauspielerischen Antitalents und tragen irgendwie zum Kultcharakter des Films bei. Ich mag keine Actionfilme, aber dieser hat mir wirklich gefallen... (12.05.2004)

Predator - ein außerirdischer Schürfer mit ungewöhnlicher Garderobe und leidenschaftlicher Jäger mit einem Sinn für Fair Play. Also ziemlich sympathisch, leider hatte er das Pech, dass er sich ausgerechnet für seinen Jagdausflug den Dschungel aussuchte, in dem zur gleichen Zeit der Terminator mit seiner ultraharten Einheit operierte. Ihm gelang es zwar, diese zu vernichten, vor allem dank seiner chamäleonartigen Tarnung, aber es war Arnold Schwarzenegger, der ihm seinen Schädel nicht umsonst gab. Dieser gab letztendlich das Militärtraining auf und erlernte die Technik der prähistorischen Jäger, mit der er dem außerirdischen Jäger ebenbürtig wurde. Der finale Kampf erinnerte an einen Kampf der Titanen. Bäume, Felsen, Schlamm und natürlich eine faire Faustkampf-Auseinandersetzung, nach der sich auch der berühmte Conan krümmte, aber aus dem Duo stellte sich heraus, dass er der schlauere war. Der Spaß endete jedoch nicht komplett. Der Bruder des Predators kehrte nämlich einige Jahre später zurück, um sich an einem weiteren "Schwarzen" Rache zu nehmen, diesmal an Sergeant Murtaugh. (31.03.2016)

A significantly overrated film that capitalizes on nostalgia and the age of reviewers. It does not come close to the genre's peak by any means. It is literally an embodiment of genre clichés and besides the action, it offers only the exoticism of the Central American jungle. A simple story, characters that don't need to act due to script requirements as long as they look fierce and shoot wildly around them. Lots of stupidity - one of the mercenaries is holding a machine gun in his hand that is mounted on the undercarriage of planes and weighs so much that if I had to drag it through the extreme conditions of the jungle with 100% humidity, I wouldn't wait for a predator and it would end right there for me (probably after five minutes). The film does not have particularly innovative direction, but John McTiernan maintains a certain level - within the genre, there are undoubtedly incomparably worse films. I would give it three stars, even though I'm not a fan of the genre, but the political backstory, when the American commando fights against evil guerrillas, was simply disgusting. The political reality of Central America in the 80s was exactly the opposite - the American government supported any dictatorial scum... Overall impression: 45%. (13.01.2009)

One of the movies I grew up on. A captivating atmosphere augmented by Silvestri’s music, an invisible, mysterious and cunning enemy and a team of soldiers led by Arnold Schwarzenegger, who in 1987 was enjoying his best years (and me too, in fact ;). A classic. I still have a VHS cassette with German dubbing and a simultaneous Czech translation. (27.09.2006)

First-class and now deservedly legendary action movie, whose director managed to get the most out of the minimum. But that was back when John McTiernan still had form and didn't direct nonsense like his last few outputs. Predator has all the attributes that a proper action movie should have: tough heroes, a merciless killer, gripping atmosphere, excellent use of the harsh nature, which with the help of solid camera work often instills fear even without the direct presence of the hunter. And last but not least, there is also the great Arnold, who is tougher than the whole terrorist camp combined. A milestone that became a classic of its kind a long time ago. (14.01.2008)

Wenn Sie zu mir "Actionfilm" sagen, antworte ich wahrscheinlich "Predator". Dieser Film hat vom Anfang bis zum Ende ein Höllentempo und legt nie eine Pause ein. Die Regie, die realistische Action, Silvestris ausgefeilte Musik, der Dschungel, wo man das Gefühl hat, dass hinter jeder zweiten Liane eine Gefahr lauert. Auch wenn ich Predator auswendig kenne, schaue ich mir diesen Film immer wieder gern an. (14.06.2009)

Plain and simple: fucking perfect. I rewatched Predator after a long time and I realized that it belongs to that proud group of my beloved cinematic works from which I would not remove or add a single frame. Without a doubt, this is the most masculine film in history, where tough guys first dish it out loudly to declaim their fearlessness, and then get their asses kicked in a way I wouldn't wish on perhaps a cancer cell on my most sensitive body part. And it ends with the most thrilling one-on-one fight, where a man in the face of a real monster accepts its rules and, as a hunter from ancient times, adapts to the conditions of the surrounding wild nature. Bad Ass Arnold is unbeatable as usual, but the biggest stars here are definitely Alan Silvestri, whose soundtrack is an amazing embodiment of suspense and confrontation with the mysterious evil, and director McTiernan, who shot the whole story without a single stumble and staged so many iconic moments that no sequel will ever be able to top this original (I single out the mass "shootout" scene with the invisible enemy, which is one of the funniest of the entire 1980s for me – I can see it five times a day, but I will never tire of Arnold's face as he shoots into the void for a minute). 100% (26.08.2011)

Sweaty machismo grossly overstepping the boundaries of heterosexuality is a thing my childhood memories of Predator have mercifully kept from me, but in the field of gun-fetish and male-bonding of his day, McTiernan was in the big leagues. This film proves it from the shot of a casual Arnold flicking away a cigar butt in a helicopter to the final dick measuring with Winston's amazing creation. (26.07.2016)

It's still excellently rough, the great effects are still here, unbeatable Arnold, and above all, the incredible mask created by Stan Winston. The character of the Predator is so great on its own that it could carry the film, which to some extent happened here, but the jungle and the fear of individual mercenaries also work well. It's still entertaining, even after all these years. (22.10.2014)

One of the purest, testosterone-fuelled macho actioners of the 80s, mixed with sci-fi horror. It's part horror, but the main characters are not some whiny tourists, but seasoned soldiers who are unmatched by anything on the planet. Until, of course, the planet is visited by something from outer space they're not prepared for. The soldiers then have to completely change their minds and figure out how to fight the unknown entity. The whole film stands purely on the aforementioned premise, it doesn't need to linger on any long exposition or side-lines, it gets straight to the point right from the start and doesn't lose the pace for a moment. The characters, typified by the well-chosen actors, are portrayed in an austere, but concise manner. Each of them has a distinct demeanor, a style, and clear distinguishing features that define them (e.g. different weapons), which are expressed through the action (without the need for extended dialogue). Like typical 80s macho action heroes, they constantly show off their masculinity with pumped-up biceps and oversized guns, which they use at every opportunity to demonstrate their firepower, enough to cut down an entire forest. No weapon is big enough for them, so why not, for example, remove a heavy rotary machine gun from a helicopter. But that’s not enough for the nimble and virtually invisible Predator. The unforgettable Stan Winston-designed titular monster is a great counter to Arnold Schwarzenegger. An unmissable character is the devious jungle itself, where director John McTiernan brilliantly evokes a sense of constant danger (the Predator's presence can be felt in almost every shot, even when we don't see him at all) and works very imaginatively with image depth, camera movements and refocusing (techniques you don't see much in today's fast-cut and overstuffed action films). (20.06.2013)

Jaws in the rainforest with a monster from another dimension: "You're one ugly motherfucker!" A hardcore survival romp, on which the ravages of time have made their mark in only the best way, with the label of "instant classic". Arnie in his prime and also in one of his best roles. (03.06.2018)