BEFORE: And now for some movies about creatures that are both monsters AND aliens...starting with the Predator. I didn't have this film when I did my Schwarzenegger chain last year, premium cable ran it just a couple of months ago, so let's fit it in here.
THE PLOT: A team of commandos, on a mission in a Central American jungle, find themselves hunted by an extra-terrestrial warrior.
AFTER: Once again, we see that a good alien film gives its invader(s) a good motivation - here, it's not water or salt or classic films, the Predator is on Earth for sport, the thrill of the hunt. OK, maybe some tasty man-flesh, but really, it's about the sport - unfortunately he doesn't seem to believe in "catch and release". And come on, isn't man the ultimate prey? Or is he "the other red meat"?
This is what I call a "Reese's Peanut Butter Cup" of a movie - it's an alien invasion film, wrapped in a military film - two great tastes that go great together...but I don't know which one's the chocolate and which is the peanut butter. Unfortunately I'm not THAT into big, steroid-induced renegade mercenary films. All I know about guns I learned from playing "Grand Theft Auto" (actually, that probably covers quite a lot...)
But I didn't really grok a lot of the military strategy on display here, from setting trip-wires and claymores to some of the stealthy (and let's be honest, not so stealthy...) methods for surviving in the jungle. Schwarzenegger and company are big, loud, hot and sweaty guys - and since the Predator has heat-tracking vision and very sensitive audio-receptors, it's sort of like shooting fish in a barrel.
Since the Predator is (presumably) an advanced life-form - although one that apparently never got over the primitive practice of killing for sport - with light-refractive technology that makes him all but invisible in the jungle, there's a very high learning curve as these muscle-heads try to figure out what exactly they're up against. I don't think anyone even says the word "alien" in the whole film... Here's a tip, guys - you see that man-shaped thing that's rippling as it runs through the leaves? Yeah, shoot that.
Again, I'm not that big on violence, or watching people get blown apart, but if that's your cup of tea, then I don't fault you.
Also starring Carl Weathers, Jesse "The Body" Ventura (hey, 2 future Governors in one film!) and Bill Duke (who I mistook for Andre Braugher - my bad!)
RATING: 5 out of 10 grenades
No comments:
Post a Comment