I love this “trend” of movie studios visiting their archives to deliver the finest home video quality possible for some of their most beloved titles. Among recent highlights is the Paramount Pictures’ release of the Jack Ryan series in 4K and their Mission Impossible franchise. Now, 20th Century Fox has given us the 4K Ultra HD treatment for their beloved Predator—just in time for the coming-soon-to-theaters arrival of Shane Black’s The Predator.
It’s hard to believe, but when Predator first landed in theaters in 1987, star Arnold Schwarzenegger had only appeared in a handful of films. There was The Terminator, two Conan flicks, Commando and Red Sonja. But it was Predator that helped Arnold become “Arnold” and added to his cache of flip lines that would permeate their way into the pop culture lexicon (such as “get to the choppa!,” “stick around,” and “if it bleeds, we can kill it.”).
The film also starred Rocky veteran Carl Weathers and came from director John McTiernan (Die Hard). The actioner featured a team of covert military specialists (led by Schwarzenegger’s Dutch) heading into the jungle to do battle with an alien that has thus far, left no clues as to what it is exactly, other than a few mangled corpses. When Dutch and his team arrive, they appear to be next on its list of targets. What this alien Predator does not know, is that Dutch is up for the challenge.
With its arrival on 4K, it has accomplished something extraordinary. Visually, it is as out of this world as the Predator itself. Considering the cameras that filmmakers worked with in the mid-to-late 80s, what transfer experts are able to do and present to audiences with a visual spectacle that they deserved, is unreal and a gift to fans of Predator.
Like we stated in our Jack Ryan 4K review, this is also another case of a studio making up for lost opportunities. See, the Blu-Ray transfer from DVD (and really videocassette) for Predator was less than desired.
With the Predator 4K upgrade, Fox has atoned for those sins and delivered a movie marvel of the highest order for home video aficionados. Making matters worse, there was not one, but two Blu-Ray releases of Schwarzenegger’s 80s action fest and neither did the film justice to the new(er) home video format. Unlike that Jack Ryan release, the sound quality is also improved on this release and that attention to detail will make many, many fans of the film quite pleased.
When it comes to bonus features, there are a few highlights (especially for those who do not already own Predator). See, there is nothing new from the Blu-Ray releases. Still, the featurette Predator: Evolution of a Species: Hunters of Extreme Perfection is terrific due to having a filmmaker as insightful as Robert Rodriguez adding his two cents as to why the flick has been so resonant and influential for an entire generation of filmmakers.
The almost-thirty-minute long making of featurette, If It Bleeds, We Can Kill It: The Making of Predator is a nostalgia-laden look back at the making of the film from script to screen. Moviemaking has come a long way since the 1987, but one thing remains constant—people love action films featuring larger-than-life heroes and villains that are literally out of this world.
The other featurette that I can recommend is the filmmaker commentary. As history has shown, McTiernan is an expert on the art of action and this commentary track is like a master class in making not only action movies of that era, but the director gives us insight into the moviemaking process that is utterly timeless.
Predator 4K Upgrade Grade: A-