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Predator(1987)
A rescue team in South American jungles becomes the prey for an extra terrestrial predator which is advanced in every way.
John McTiernan is one of those directors that is right in between commercial directors and auteurs. His movies have strong directorial feel to them but at the same time they satisfy the share holders of the movies.The movie starts at a costal base of the army that is right at the edge of the jungle. So we do not see any cityscapes at all. That is a very good decision by the director. In movies like these its is always better to stick to a landscape throughout the movie. Any drastic change in the location lessens the impact of the movie. I noticed a similar thing in avatar by James Cameron. In the collectors edition there were some scenes in the beginning that take place on a blade runner-esque Earth. But Cameron started off in the spaceship. Even that is a wise decision. You don't start with the jungle or with a cityscape. You start with a location that can carry the build up to the destination. City has a life and feel of its own that has zero resemblence to that of a harsh jungle. But a costal military base is the ideal spot to lead up into jungle. I did feel that the attack on the South American rebel camp was a bit of a weak point in the movie. Because it was just a lead up into the rest of the movie. But I do feel that the win at the camp made them a worthy opponent.
Testosterone is a huge part in the movie. Even though most of them are wearing outfits that reveal their muscles ,for the most part it doesn't contribute to the Testosterone in the movie. It has more to do with a species dominating another species. Its the concept of hunter vs hunted that adds to the masculinity in the movie. The intention of the filmmakers is to create an air of mystery and legend around the creature. So they use the local woman to tell them stories about the predator from her past. From what we can gather we realize that the creature or someone like it comes to the jungles during hot summers to hunt. It can be interpreted as an alien species proving dominance over humans by hunting them. Like a man-hunter. During my initial viewing I felt that these guys were acting like idiots trying to face the creature. Because from early on they see the actions of the creature without knowing who did it. But the moment the creature kills one of the members, they more or less connect the dots. At that point I thought they would be quick. But after a while the movie presents a much more simple reason why are fighting back and that is in the worlds of Arnold himself - "there won't be anyone left to be rescued if we don't take a stand". A much more deeper answer would be that these men in a way are predators , so a predator don't like to be prey. It will try and reclaim its position as the hunter. That deeper thought process embedded in the DNA of these guys kind of explains every decision they make. Because , this is not something that is taking place in a city where a bunch of misfits are escaping this creature. All these men are trained killers. So its in their DNA to fight and kill. The prospect of being the hunted doesn't sit well with them.
The final 20 or so minutes in the movie is very gripping. The weakness of the alien is revealed in a clever way. Most of the climax is dependent on the director. There isn't much dialogue on plot structure. Its just hunting.The final fist fight makes it clear what the intentions of the predator were. It could have killed him at will. But the fact that it wanted him to fight proves that its a game for it and not an attack. The pacing of the movie is good. The structure in which they see the attack of the predator before the gun battle at the camp and later the fight for survival with predator increased the tension in the movie. Initially they chalk it up to some militia but then they realize the dead bodies from earlier are not done by a man. On the face value this movie feel like a generic action movie for people who haven't seen it. But it is a movie that has a very primal core and solid plot built around it. It's theme is universal.
A rescue team in South American jungles becomes the prey for an extra terrestrial predator which is advanced in every way.
John McTiernan is one of those directors that is right in between commercial directors and auteurs. His movies have strong directorial feel to them but at the same time they satisfy the share holders of the movies.The movie starts at a costal base of the army that is right at the edge of the jungle. So we do not see any cityscapes at all. That is a very good decision by the director. In movies like these its is always better to stick to a landscape throughout the movie. Any drastic change in the location lessens the impact of the movie. I noticed a similar thing in avatar by James Cameron. In the collectors edition there were some scenes in the beginning that take place on a blade runner-esque Earth. But Cameron started off in the spaceship. Even that is a wise decision. You don't start with the jungle or with a cityscape. You start with a location that can carry the build up to the destination. City has a life and feel of its own that has zero resemblence to that of a harsh jungle. But a costal military base is the ideal spot to lead up into jungle. I did feel that the attack on the South American rebel camp was a bit of a weak point in the movie. Because it was just a lead up into the rest of the movie. But I do feel that the win at the camp made them a worthy opponent.
Testosterone is a huge part in the movie. Even though most of them are wearing outfits that reveal their muscles ,for the most part it doesn't contribute to the Testosterone in the movie. It has more to do with a species dominating another species. Its the concept of hunter vs hunted that adds to the masculinity in the movie. The intention of the filmmakers is to create an air of mystery and legend around the creature. So they use the local woman to tell them stories about the predator from her past. From what we can gather we realize that the creature or someone like it comes to the jungles during hot summers to hunt. It can be interpreted as an alien species proving dominance over humans by hunting them. Like a man-hunter. During my initial viewing I felt that these guys were acting like idiots trying to face the creature. Because from early on they see the actions of the creature without knowing who did it. But the moment the creature kills one of the members, they more or less connect the dots. At that point I thought they would be quick. But after a while the movie presents a much more simple reason why are fighting back and that is in the worlds of Arnold himself - "there won't be anyone left to be rescued if we don't take a stand". A much more deeper answer would be that these men in a way are predators , so a predator don't like to be prey. It will try and reclaim its position as the hunter. That deeper thought process embedded in the DNA of these guys kind of explains every decision they make. Because , this is not something that is taking place in a city where a bunch of misfits are escaping this creature. All these men are trained killers. So its in their DNA to fight and kill. The prospect of being the hunted doesn't sit well with them.
The final 20 or so minutes in the movie is very gripping. The weakness of the alien is revealed in a clever way. Most of the climax is dependent on the director. There isn't much dialogue on plot structure. Its just hunting.The final fist fight makes it clear what the intentions of the predator were. It could have killed him at will. But the fact that it wanted him to fight proves that its a game for it and not an attack. The pacing of the movie is good. The structure in which they see the attack of the predator before the gun battle at the camp and later the fight for survival with predator increased the tension in the movie. Initially they chalk it up to some militia but then they realize the dead bodies from earlier are not done by a man. On the face value this movie feel like a generic action movie for people who haven't seen it. But it is a movie that has a very primal core and solid plot built around it. It's theme is universal.