“Predator” is easily part of the Mount Rushmore of 80s action films. John McTiernan’s masterpiece mashup of jungle war and sci-fi horror more than deserves to be in the same conversation is “RoboCop,” “Terminator,” and “Die Hard.” On top of its testosterone-soaked atmosphere with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, and Jesse Ventura all vying for the most manly man, it also has a streak of humor. The Shane Black script is eminently quotable with all-timer lines like “I ain’t got time to bleed” and others too profane to be said here.
While the film has some clever moments amid the action, its not what most people would call a comedy. The humor in the movie is mostly situational or just to help underline the inherent ridiculousness of an alien hunting mercenaries in Central America for sport. The very careful tone could easily jump into parody if nudged in the right direction. We’ve found some great examples of how close it veers into comedy when you add familiar theme songs.
My favorite part is how it highlights while the rest of the cast is all warm smiles, Arnold apparently isn’t in on the joke and just looks stern. He comes off as the overworked father figure or principal who is just trying to keep all these jokers in line.
Also, don’t forget we’re getting a “Predator” prequel film, “Prey,” from “10 Cloverfield Lane” director Dan Trachtenberg!
