Predator (1987)
Soon after watching perhaps the best transfer of an old movie I've ever seen in a cinema with the
2020 4K remaster of 'The Shining', I sat down to watch what is definitely the worst. I can't believe this notorious old 2010 transfer of
'The Predator' (generally considered to be the source of one of the worst looking blu-rays to hit the market) is still what is being screened in cinemas (despite a new 4K transfer having been done in 2018). It's been DNRd to the point of looking like the people's faces are "deep fakes" and shots of the jungle look like they were shot on late-90s mobile phones and not 35mm. This visual smearing and the extreme darkness and lack of contrast to the picture verge on eye strain, even in the dark of a movie theatre.
Look at the third screenshot of Arnie in the red top from this comparison, it's beyond belief:
https://www.dvdexotica.com/2018/10/controversial-blus-predator-with-and.html
With that said, I've never had the chance to see this stone-cold classic at the cinema before, so not even the appalling video transfer could wipe the smile off my face. Plus hearing the pounding militaristic orchestral score by
Alan Silvestri on a theatre setup was heaven. 'The Predator' is one of those contenders for the title of "a perfect movie". The development of character and visual story telling is masterful. Every shot and line establishes character and builds your impression of Arnie's squad as a formidable force. They're all shown to not only be tough but also smart, seeing right through Dillon's lies as easily as Dutch. They operate on an almost telepathic level with each other. Arnie holds his gun up and a hand takes it away and replaces it with a pair of binoculars without even a gesture. Unlike the cocky, complacent Marines of
'Aliens', these guys haven't a hint of inflated arrogance, they can't be fooled, they're silent assassins but can also turn into a savage 6-man army and they aren't "afraid of no man". So their total helplessness and terror in the face of the Predator when he arrives in the middle act, instantly establishes their antagonist as a seemingly unstoppable force.
The small cast are all terrific, investing their characters with tons of personality and depth with little dialogue and screen time, they include several politicians, film directors and writers.
Arnold Schwarzenegger has "star power" and buckets of charisma but his talents as an actor are variable and limited, however, in 'Predator' he delivers a genuinely great performance. Director
John McTiernan goes in for close-ups of his eyes and face in a
Clint Eastwood style and maybe that was the direction and inspiration for the actor. The first act's jacked-up, explosive action would've easily been enough to sustain the movie, the introduction of the sci-fi element takes it to a different level.