Released just in time for the September 13th launch of The Predator, 20th Century Fox have packaged the original 1987 feature Predator, its much-maligned 1990 sequel Predator 2, and 2010’s semi-sequel/reboot Predators in triple DVD, Blu-Ray, and 4K box-sets.
Before writer/director Shane Black (Iron Man 3, The Nice Guys) – who coincidentally had a supporting role in the original film – unleashes his 2018 version of the extraterrestrial hunter on modern audiences, one best be wise to re-visit the creature’s origins where the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny Glover, and Adrien Brody were all its potential prey.
Now considered one of the best action films of all time after years of subsequent re-evaluation, 1987’s Predator is a satisfactory slice of nostalgia for those craving machoism cheese at its most brawn-worthy. The acting is questionable, the dialogue is outdated, and the violence isn’t quite as impactful as it was once considered…but that’s really all part of its throwback charm.
Whatever decade-limiting advances Predator may appear to have to viewers today, it’s a sheer masterpiece compared to the sequel, although the Danny Glover-toplined actioner is an orgy of excess that can’t help but be entertaining in that so-crazy-we-have-to-watch-this type of way. Predator 2 at least earns points for trying something new and shifting its setting from the Amazonian jungle of the original to the concrete jungle of L.A. where the titular creature chews down on the likes of a suitably-psychotic Gary Busey before a wildly over-the-top finale hints at the eventual Alien crossover that Hollywood attempted and failed at so spectacularly.
A series that ended before it truly had a chance to begin, 2010’s Predators was seen as both a long-awaited sequel and a re-introduction to unversed audiences. Nabbing considerable talent (Oscar winner Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, and Laurence Fishburne to name a few), director Nimrod Antel (who helmed the little-seen Kate Beckinsale thriller Vacancy) adopted an intriguing premise where a group of murderers and similarly undesirable figures are abducted and placed on an unknown planet, unaware its a hunting ground for two opposing predator tribes. The film earned considerable change at the box office and appeared as a planned start for a new franchise but, much like its predecessors, it lingered too long in development limbo before the execs opted for a fresh do-over…
…enter The Predator! 2018’s take on the classic creature will finally be unleashed in Australia on 13th September with an impressive ensemble including Thomas Jane, Trevante Rhodes, Jacob Tremblay and Olivia Munn on board to fend off what early reports suggest is the most terrifying representation of the character yet.
The Predator (TBC) will be released through 20th Century Fox in Australian cinemas on 13th September 2018.
The Predator trilogy boxset (MA15+) is available to purchase through all major retailers now in DVD, Blu-Ray and 4K formats.
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