The Bunker: Predator

Welcome to The Bunker where we hunker down to shoot the shit. On the menu for today is a movie very near and dear to my heart, Predator. We are having an anniversary of the film’s release so why not appreciate the masterpiece that it is by talking about it a little. 

TKR: I think Predator has aged very well due to lack of descriptors in the jungle, urban environs change… the badass bush doesn’t. The same for the military, the military doesn’t do style, so it doesn’t go out of fashion. They do practicality. And one thing that never changes is natures green.

A: There isn’t much in the way of negative that would reveal the age of that movie. Maybe the Predator’s vision is a bit clunky by today’s standards but other than that I can’t think of any. On the topic of Arnold though, I think he did tremendous job acting in this movie. The whole cast is so stellar and the how well the movie establishes the team dynamic is beautiful. You can pick any one thing from the movie and it’s always amazing, look at the score by Alan Silvestri for example, iconic music. 

TKR: Am I right in remembering all of Dutch’s crew have had military service in real life? I think Carl Weathers could be the odd one out there. 

A: I wouldn’t be surprised if they had. Good luck to anyone finding a cast that dynamic and have them work together like they did in Predator. Despite all the macho egos, they put all that aside for the benefit of the movie. How Arnold gets ragdolled by the Predator and how thanklessly his team gets butchered by it before the finale. There is no glory, even for Billy who sought after it but in the end gets his spine ripped out on a tree branch.

This brings me to another beauty of the movie, the creature itself and how it isn’t just a force of evil like it would have been in the hands of most. The Predator is a very sophisticated “villain” with cultural and societal reasons for his actions. 

TKR: I was so disappointed with the 3D version. I recognise that it can in fact be done. Jurassic Park and Titanic are two very good examples. So when certain sites hyped the transfer up, seeing the final product was a major let down. You have several minutes that are very, very good. But out of a full length feature movie that is no good. Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

The 2D version that came with it is the old waxwork version. If I had to sit and watch Predator now again, I’d probably go with the original Blu Ray release, the grain city MPEG encode disc. At least this won’t happen with Aliens, Cameron wouldn’t allow it. John had no say I’m betting.

C: We will never see another movie like Predator. Maybe James Cameron could’ve done something like it but look at his career. It has gotten progressively softer, maybe because he knows that the big wigs only do family shit. I can’t think of a movie even remotely that could be described as the modern day equivelant of a Predator movie. A practical manly horror sci fi action.

I don’t think it can be done but maybe Scott Adkins would be good starting point. 

A: The visionaries aren’t there and what little talent is left in Hollywood has been lured into making comic-movies, surely with top dollar rather than legitimate interest towards those properties. Adkins is one of the few guys left who wants to keep it real but I have no doubt he wouldn’t take a big pay day role in a PG-13 superhero movie if one presented itself to him, and seeing what it has done to his career by doing what he has I wouldn’t blame him for selling out essentially.

There is John McTiernan though, he is out of the big house and I’m interested in what he will do now that he is back. I doubt anything involving Predator, but the man is one of the greats and I just hope the Hollywood machine gives him a chance to provide for his fans. 

C: There are a few visionaries… but more studio tyranny. McT rejected the script for Red Squad then finally co-wrote it. Big studios don’t let you do that. 

TKR: Well the only other thing I can say is, to me, the movie is perfect. I think a strong contender for the manliest movie ever filmed. I think it has a pacing edge over Die Hard and is mean and determined in a way that Aliens just quite isn’t, much as I love Aliens. I don’t know a single man who will turn this movie off if it appears on some channel on TV. I think, even for the first 170 viewings, even women can’t resist it. There are classics but then there’s Predator.

A: Amen, brother.