Predator 1 & 2 Box Set

Balls to the wall sci fi action horror. Two classics back to Back

Both are excellent films and well acted. The first, starring Arnie Schwarzenegger is set in a South American jungle, where Arnie's military group of mercenaries attack and wipe out a guerilla camp, but are then hunted themselves on their way back to their pick-up point, by a terrifying and seemingly invincible (and almost invisible) alien (the Predator of the film title), which collects the skulls and attached spines of its victims as trophies! The final showdown between Big Arnie and the Alien Predator is as physical and bloody as you'd expect. I won't spoil the ending by telling you who wins, but if you'd like a hint, the victor went on to become the Governor of California!!!The second film, starring Danny Glover, is set in a gangster-ridden Los Angeles, where homicidal drug gangs of Hispanic and Caribbean ethnic origins are battling it out for supremacy, while Glover and his hard pressed, often outnumbered and outgunned police colleagues are vainly trying to retake the streets from their murderous opponents, who only interrupt trying to kill each other when they're trying to wipe out the police instead. Into this scenario intrudes a much more lethal killer - an alien hunter (another Predator of the species which wiped out Big Arnie's combat group in the first film) which proceeds to hunt and kill any armed human, who thus qualifies as prey. Danny Glover gradually comes to realise what he's up against and the storyline then develops into a personal battle between him and the Predator - with the added twist that a shadowy government organisation (CIA?) is also trying to capture the alien alive in order to acquire its technological knowledge and weaponry (same idea as in Sigourney Weaver's "Alien" films). The final showdown between Glover and the Predator is just as good, and maybe even more surprising, as that of Big Arnie's in the first film.

I love this film. The action, mystery and suspense build superbly; looks like a normal every-day hostage extraction mission set in the South American jungle at first, but then it becomes apparent that Arnold and his team of mercs are being stalked and dispatched one at a time by someone... or something. The creature is revealed in tantalizing glimpses that lead to a horrible full-on reveal, and I do mean horrible. Best moments: a couple of nice one-liners from Arnold, a great scene where the mercs devastate a whole plantation with a mini-gun and of course that reveal. When you've watched the film, come back and read this bit: The creature is trapped and dying, Arnold approaches and says "What the hell are you?", the creature repeats back "What the hell are YOU?". Which is the predator, creature or Arnold? Wonderful.

Predator is an entertaining thriller which works because it tells a simple story in a claustrophobic environment. It isn't as smart or scary as Alien, and its characters are too basic, but it's good fun. Arnold Schwarzenegger gives a note perfect performance; he plays Dutch, a Major with a soft side, who's led into Central American jungle under false pretences and ends up facing an alien predator. He's accompanied by his team of soldiers, played by Bill Duke, Jesse Ventura, Sonny Landham, Richard Chaves and Shane Black. They each have gimmicks - one tells dirty jokes, another chews tobacco - which serve as their personalities. The main cast is completed by Carl Weathers and Elpidia Carrillo, who respectively play Dutch's former teammate and a hostage.Predator's third act is masterfully staged and suspenseful; the creature is mysterious, tracking Arnie with weird technology as they stalk the jungle. A Vietnam allegory could be drawn from how this alien, despite being outnumbered by the American soldiers, becomes invisible and slaughters them with ease. He's a vicious creature who behaves like a big game hunter; we, as humans, are basically his deer on safari. He collects our skulls the way moustachioed British colonists collected animal heads and mounted them on their walls.The setting is inspired; it's a close space where we rarely see landscapes not dominated by tall trees. Here the predator moves like a murderous Cheshire cat, camouflaging itself as it rests on branches. Carrillo plays the typical native character who calls it a demon and is more willing to accept its presence. She was my favourite character, though her development is clunky; she goes from hating the soldiers to helping them very suddenly. Some plot points in this film aren't as effective as they should be because of the basic characterisation, but overall Predator is a tense, enjoyable movie.On the other hand, if this DVD just contained Predator 2 it'd get one star from me. Predator isn't a perfect thriller, but compared to Predator 2 it's on a par with Psycho. To my mind this sequel is one of the worst films ever made; it makes Roland Emmerich's films look like Greek tragedies.Danny Glover plays a cop in a Los Angeles torn apart by fighting between Jamaican and Columbian drug dealers. Then the predator shows up and gives everyone something new to worry about. That's about all the plot there is. Bill Paxton plays a rookie who's a more annoying version of his Aliens character, and Gary Busey is an FBI agent or something. Sadly this isn't one of his nuttier performances; he's just bland. The only other character with enough lines to warrant mention is Leona (María Conchita Alonso), a butch cop with a secret, revealed in her last scene, which has no impact on anything. It's as if the writers said to each other "hey, why not throw in this one line of exposition?" "Might as well". Oh, there's also one of those movie journalists (Morton Downey, Jr.) who cares more about the scoop than ethics.For some reason this is all set in 1997, seven years after the film was released. That detail means nothing. I'd hazard a guess that the writers just thought it would make the gang stuff seem like social commentary, as if they're presenting a dystopian Los Angeles. Bullpoop. Predator 2 isn't a comment on anything except how much commercial filmmakers hate humanity.This film is more graphic than its predecessor. There's buckets of blood and a nasty torture scene among the drug dealers. Rather than shock, however, the gore simply betrays how creatively bankrupt the filmmakers are. They can't create suspense or tell a story so they fling viscera.

2 great films. I believe they are the uncut versions as well.

What can be said about the Predator films that hasn't already been said? Both brilliant classic films must have in any sci/fi collection. But at all cost avoid this edition complete ripoff for the price instead buyPredator Quadrilogy [DVD] cheaper and includes more films, but no special features, although ask yourself are you really going to spend £4 extra to have making of etc... or are you going to spend £4 less and get 2 extra films. Please i beg you dont get cheated out of your money by corporate giants

If you haven't had the opportunity to see these films I suggested you do. Buy it now, Best Scify movie ever made.With such classic quotes as:"You'll never know how much i missed this dutch.""You never will it's smart""get to the choppa""It didn't kill because you weren't armed, no sport"Only wish I had bought these in blu ray so that i could watch them in high def