The Film
One nice thing about Blu-ray Disc is that you can re-discover your favorite films, seeing them in a whole new light. With the release of Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem on Blu-ray, Fox has also chosen to release the original Predator on Blu-ray as well - a classic Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle from 1987. Over 20 years after its release, the film has held up surprisingly well.
It's chock full of clichés and cheesy one-liners - "I ain't got time to bleed!," but perhaps that's part of its charm. Indicative of 80s excess, and full of ultra-violence and political incorrectitudes, Predator involves a team of elite special forces sent in on a "rescue mission" in Central America. As the film progresses, it's they who need rescuing as they face a powerful, elusive and bloodthirsty alien warrior out for a bit of sport, with humans as the prey.
Featuring a supporting cast of, well, really big dudes (Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura, Sonny Landham, Bill Duke), Predator packs some good old-fashioned testosterone-laden, suspense-filled, action-packed, entertainment. It's short on message, long on action, and that's OK.
The Picture
The film is presented in a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1 in full 1080p resolution with MPEG2 encoding on a single layer 25 GB Blu-ray Disc. Considering the age of the film and the inefficient MPEG2 codec, I wasn't expecting much in the video department, but I was pleasantly surprised. Apparently Fox allocated just about the entire disc to video and audio, foregoing any meaningful extras and this created a fairly clean, sharp and detailed transfer. It blows away the DVD version, though I'm sure they could have done better with MPEG4/AVC and with a dual-layer disc.
The Sound
The lossless 5.1-channel DTS HD Master Audio mix on this disc packs a whollop. I did find myself jumping for the volume control on multiple occasions, bringing up the low dialog and bringing down the riotous machine gun and mortar fire attack sequences. But this is actually more a sign of excellent dynamic range than it is any flaw in the soundtrack. The eerie score, menacing Predator sounds and cacaphonous jungle noises are represented cleanly without excessive harshness. This leads to an immersive and tension-filled auditory experience that enhances one's enjoyment of the film.
Extras:
The Extras? Some trailers. That's it. Oh, plus D-Box motion codes for the select few who can afford to own D-Box motion-enhanced home theater seating systems. Even the DVD version of the film has more extras than this. And while it's interesting to see the original trailer for this film and some other Fox titles now on Blu-ray, I think Fox could have done better on Blu-ray - a lot better.
Final Thoughts
When the original AVP (Alien Vs. Predator) film came out in theaters, Fox released a special edition of Predator on DVD to capitalize on the interest in the franchise. Now they've done the same. As AVP:Requiem comes out on Blu-ray Disc and DVD, Fox has released Predator on Blu-ray. And while the video and audio quality of this release is pretty good (and much better than its DVD counterpart), the complete lack of extras makes the list price of almost $40 seem a bit excessive.
It's almost as if Fox prepared this back in 2006 when MPEG2 single-layer Blu-ray discs were the norm, but waited until 2008 to release it. For $40, I would have expected Fox to invest in a dual layer disc, use a better video codec and at least include the extras from the Special Edition DVD. In any case, it's worth a rental just to enjoy the film again and to do so on today's large high definition home screens and multi-channel home theater systems. But as for a purchase, we might be better off waiting for the inevitable Special Edition set that must already be in the works.
Where to Buy
Product Details
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