Predator (Widescreen Collector's Edition)

I used to consider myself a film purist but I guess I no longer can because I really enjoyed this 'digital noise reduction' version of the film. That's because the excessive DNR was noticeable mostly in the first 10 minutes (before they got to the jungle) and for a few scenes outside of that - scenes which had incredible amounts of grain which is why they look bad when they were DNR'd to death in this release - but I imagine they would have looked worse, and more out of place, if they weren't grainless like the rest of the film (Ah, but film grain is good, and it should have been left in - in the first place - right? Yes, I'll elaborate later). For film, grain IS good. Grain basically 'is' the detail in the film. There's no denying that. I already have the 2-disc Collector's Edition DVD, which I've watched many times so I know how grainy it looks. It never bothered me because I understood that that's how the film was shot. The thing is, the original Blu-ray release of 'Predator' used a poor codec and the disc was only single layered. So, the compression artifacts made the grain look even worse. People complained, and FOX came out with this release. If they did it right the first time, and used the proper codec and bitrate (due to having the 50GB dual-layer disc that they have now), I'm sure there would be a lot less complaints. But, they screwed up the first time.Wanting to satisfy fans and milk this franchise for all it's worth (since they left out all of the special features on the last Blu-ray), they decided to "clean up" the picture, put back all of the special features, and give a little sneak peek to the new 'Predators' movie. It was a good business strategy, but film purists would not agree. At first, I was very against the idea of this release. But hell, Amazon was offering it for $13.99 and I always wanted to own 'Predator' on Blu-ray (with the best picture possible and all of the special features), so i decided to give the disc a try.The first scene of the movie looks excessively DNR'd. I'm not denying that at all. However, I'll live with that since the rest of the film looks BEAUTIFUL. It looks like it was shot yesterday. I know, I know. It wasn't shot yesterday. It was shot in 1986 and released to theaters in 1987. The film stock used was cheap, hence the film should look grainy. I know that. But damn, the picture looks so gorgeous now. I still have my Collector's Edition DVD for when I want to be a film purist and see the picture in all of its grainy glory. I wanted the film on Blu-ray, and I wasn't about go to buy the original release which was more like an upscaled DVD. If the movie were released, grain in tact, with the proper codec and bitrate, I would have bought that. I feel that this disc is the lesser of two evils.If you want the movie to look like it did when it was in theaters, please, go and buy the lovely 2-disc Collector's Edition DVD. If you want the movie to look like it was shot yesterday, buy this release. I've seen the movie enough times to know how it's supposed to look. If you can get over the first scene looking excessively DNR'd, then give this release a try. I've included a page with some comparison shots of later scenes in the movie (to see the comparison, check out the 'Comments' section). If you prefer the grainy pictures, buy the DVD or the original Blu-ray. If you prefer the 'clean' (DNR'd) image, buy the 'Ultimate Hunter Edition' Blu-ray. Aside from the first scene (the infamous shot of waxy looking Arnold - which really didn't look as bad in motion on my TV as it did in the screenshot), there really aren't too many parts of the film where detail is lost due to the DNRing that took place. I know, grain is detail, but I'm talking about the lack of sharpness that can occur when too much DNR takes place. That doesn't really happen at all, aside from that first scene. Give the screen shots a look and judge for yourself. The detail looks very well preserved, which is the ONLY reason I recommend this release. If the whole movie looked like the first scene did, I wouldn't go near it at all. But, the picture quality ends up being pretty damn amazing, albeit artificial (since I know what it SHOULD look like). Like I said, I think this release is the lesser of two evils, especially since I don't think FOX will re-release it AGAIN any time in the near future. The lossless audio (DTS-HD MA) track is amazing, the special features are great, and the picture quality (artificial, I know) is astounding. If you are a film purist, stay far away. If you don't even know what DNR means and you just want a nice looking movie, you won't be disappointed.On a side note, the menus can be a little annoying. They are very Predator-like, but they take too long to navigate and while you fastforward, an image pops up on screen showing you what chapter you're on - this is the only disc I have that does this. That stuff was only a minor annoyance that doesn't really detract from the awesome disc.In summary, I normally wouldn't recommend such a DNR'd release like this, but since the only HD alternative was the lower bitrate (and worse codec) Blu-ray that was already released (with no extras), this seems like the obvious purchase - especially since the DNR is only distracting in that first scene. Once the action starts, the film looks beautiful - and the sound is amazing.PLEASE CHECK THE 'COMMENTS' SECTION FOR A SCREENSHOT COMPARISON!

A team of green berets with seasoned Vietnam veterans are in the jungle of Guatemala stopping communism. They have seen this before...what can go wrong. Except a master hunter from a far-off planet. How will this end?This was the original expendables movie of the 1980's. Personally, I think they should have had Sylvester Stallone in it as the native American tracker dude. This was the start to a great film franchise, and you will not be disappointed with this film at all. I hope soon they make a new predator where Arnold makes his comeback.

Pro reviews praise this picture quality and this is likely going to be the best that this will ever look until TV's give us straight blacks and 10K NITS, and we get to buy our collection all over again!I'll be honest, I had the previous BD with the 'waxy' DNR and it was what it was. I actually forgot that this came out on 4K, then I picked it up and I had it for like 2 years and I just got around to watching it through. The setup scenes were not the sharpest not the most rich in color, let alone varying colors, but as the main point (once the team started their mission) began, the picture got sharper and the colors got stronger.Now, the picture never got Thor:Ragnorak or 1917 strong and the colors were not so distinct that it seemed as if you were there, but it improved. In truth, they could have maxed out a BD and put this film on that, because HDR did not really make it pop like it should have, except for a few scenes with fire and toward the end with the Predator's tech showing. Other than that, this basically looked like a raw, BD. Yes - you could attribute it to the 80's film stock, which seemed to have taken a hit after 1982, for the dull and murky side of things.I still stand by MY belief that if 4K does not bring something that clearly distinguishes itself from BD or if it CANNOT - don't even bother! Just like only TV shows prior to HD shot on videotape cannot be improved with HD, they are best left on DVD, as that format is the best that can be done for them - unless there is something that I don't know! Predator is really one of them that should be left to BD since that is the best it can look and 4K has to eek out more of what BD does not have, but only by a pinch.The sound is what the BD was - not bad, but nothing special. The voices were too low and the music and action overpower the voices, making it hard to watch with neighbors around, and I hate having to keep a remote in my hand to adjust the volume.Again, after watching this, unless there is a new miracle or they have an 8K scan of this with Dolby Vision, I have serious doubts that anything more than what you see here can be pulled out of this movie, quality wise. As a movie, it is still one of Arnold's best.

One of my favorite movies!

PREDATOR 3D [1987 / 2013] [3D Blu-ray + 2D Blu-ray] Return to the Hunt In 3D! Soon The Hunt Will Begin!Arnold Schwarzenegger wages an all-out war against an unstoppable enemy in this pulse-pounding action thriller, now in spectacular 3D for the first time ever! On a rescue mission deep within a Central American jungle, a team of U.S. commandos find themselves hunted by a terrifying creature more powerful and deadly than any on Earth...because the Predator is not of this Earth.Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Elpidia Carrillo, Bill Duke, Jesse Ventura, Sonny Landham, Richard Chaves, R.G. Armstrong, Shane Black, Steve Boyum (uncredited), William H. Burton Jr. (uncredited), Peter Cullen (The Predator (voice) uncredited), Henry Kingi (uncredited), Sven-Ole Thorsen (uncredited), and Kevin Peter Hall (The Predator / Helicopter Pilot)Director: John McTiernanProducers: Beau Marks, Jim Thomas, John Davis, John Vallone, Joel Silver, Laurence Pereira and Lawrence GordonScreenplay: Jim Thomas and John ThomasComposer: Alan SilvestriCinematography: Donald McAlpineVideo Resolution: 1080pAspect Ratio: 1.78:1Audio: English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French: 5.1 DTS, Spanish: 5.1 DTS and Italian: 5.1 DTSSubtitles: English, French, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Thai, Italian, Norway and SwedishRunning Time: 107 minutesNumber of discs: 2Region: All RegionsStudio: 20th Century FoxAndrew's Blu-ray Review: A group of mercenaries lead by Major Alan “Doesn’t my accent sound ‘Dutch’” Schaefer [Arnold Schwarzenegger] is hired by his old military buddy, George Dillon [Carl Weathers], to rescue a captured presidential cabinet member from guerrilla forces in Val Verde. When they get there, they find a downed helicopter and the skinned bodies of an Army Special Forces unit. They take out a nearby rebel encampment, but soon start to realize that there’s something else in the jungle, hunting them with thermal vision, a laser gun, cloaking device, and dreadlocks. This is a very cool sci-fi action flick.Some consider ‘PREDATOR’ to be the best action film ever made. While I wouldn't go quite that far, it's certainly up there in the top 10, and it's also one of my favourite films of all time. It easily ticks all the right boxes with a simple plot, big beefy men with big beefy guns, some cracking one-liners and plenty of blood and gore. And speaking of the plot: Dutch [Arnold Schwarzenegger] and his team of commandos are sent on a mission to a South American jungle to rescue some missing dignitaries. Instead, they end up being hunted by an alien. But who will win out in the end. Even after multiple viewings, `Predator' still manages to be tense, exciting and surprising. It's easily one of the biggest Arnold Schwarzenegger's best films yet and it certainly helped to cement his place on the Hollywood map and Carl Weathers, best known as Apollo Creed in three Rocky films, has not done anything half as good since.It's big; it's loud and incredibly well-paced. And to top it all off, it's got one of the best movie villains ever created and the Predator himself, a marvellous piece of design from special effects supremo Stan Winston. Sadly, the sequel and `Alien vs Predator' spinoffs have all been terrible. It's true to say that they just don't make them like this anymore. ‘Predator’ definitely holds up. The story leads you in one direction before dropping an alien on you to make it science fiction, and the action is still great fun to watch and the film is still great and still entirely watchable, even by today’s standards. ‘Predator’ gets “So you cooked up a story and dropped the six of us into a meat grinder?” out of “I ain’t got time to bleed.”As the film moves along, John McTiernan shows great control of the camera by maintaining focus on his main attraction, namely Arnold Schwarzenegger. And later, when the elite commando team raids a rebel encampment, the filmmakers have us fully convinced that things will continue in this direction. Essentially, the entire first act is nothing more than a setup, a crafty swindle of sorts to draw viewers in with expectations of a typical Arnold Schwarzenegger action film. It's much like what Dillon [Carl Weathers] does to Dutch in the story. It's no coincidence the film follows a small fighting force into the jungles of Central America with what at the time was standard action violence.Despite the humorous coincidence of co-star Jesse Ventura and Arnold Schwarzenegger both ending up in politics, the acting in the film is exactly the way it should be, with authentic fear, panic, camaraderie, and fortitude and who would have thought Arnold Schwarzenegger could ever find another role as fitting as his turn in ‘The Terminator’ [1984]. The sheer intensity of the skilled troopers makes for some worthy chase sequences and boisterous battles. While it is entirely for entertainment, the violence in the film also enhances the severity and immediacy of the situations, increasing the nerve-wracking nature of the hunt and rousingly garnished with thundering music by Alan Silvestri. Transcending typical creature features with its mix of genres, including action/adventure, horror, and science-fiction, ‘Predator’ has proven itself to be much more than just a cult monster film, especially seeing in glorious 3D. This superior blend of firepower, machismo, bloodshed, and one of the most exhilarating showdowns in cinema is often imitated but rarely equalled.3D Blu-ray Image Quality – The 3D is nothing short of stunning and awesome and this ‘PREDATOR’ upgrade has been done 100% perfectly. There is not a ghosting to be seen, and the 3D effect really does enhance the film and taking you deep into the jungle with Arnie and his men. You can almost feel the sweat and smell the danger and the terror when the Predator attacks are palpable. And this is probably the best the film has ever looked much better than previous inferior DVD and 2D Blu-ray releases. Can we please have MORE Blu-ray films like this?3D Blu-ray Audio Quality – ‘PREDATOR’ offers the same multiple audio options that graced the Ultimate Hunter Edition, with most audiophiles probably gravitating to the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio mix. While this isn't as ubiquitously immersive a mix as that found in newer action fare, it's still a fairly relentless onslaught of effects, especially in the several set pieces where Arnold and the boys take out their big guns and defoliate the jungle with bullets. There's a very notable low frequency sound effect that accompanies each shift into the "thermo imaging" point of view shots from the Predator's perspective, and those are forceful enough to perhaps provoke a startle response in some viewers. For me, anyway, the most remarkable thing about this mix is Alan Silvestri's almost nonstop underscore, one which utilizes a lot of cool percussive effects. Alan Silvestri's score easily fills the surrounds and really helps to augment the awesom listening experience. It's an unusually effective score for a film that is often dominated by sound effects and it deserves more attention than it routinely gets, even by fans of the film.Blu-ray Special Features and Extras: All supplemental material can be found only on the standard definition 2D Blu-ray disc and most are the same set of documentaries from the “Ultimate Hunter Edition” and with this United Kingdom 3D release, you get a few extra supplements. The 3D Blu-ray only contains the actual film version.Audio Commentary with director John McTiernan: This is a slow laborious, lumbering slog. There are long stretches of uncomfortable silence, and most of the highlights have already been tackled elsewhere on the disc. John McTiernan does delve into why Predator was shot flat rather than in scope, expands on some of the specifics of the creature suit, and covers the frequently told story about trying to put a monkey in a red suit for the alien effects, but there's too much repetition and far too much dead air to be worth a bother. He also has a tendency to get caught up in random tangents, ranting about studio politics and the role Hollywood plays in tragedies like Columbine. Not really worth a listen.Special Feature: PREDATOR: Evolution of a Species: Hunters of Extreme Perfection [1080p] [1.78:1] [11:13] Producer John Davis and filmmakers Robert Rodriguez and Nimrod Antal discuss Predator's lasting impact in this new documentary. We get to hear especially from Producer John Davis discussing about the script that came his way and who has worked with Arnie before and on top of all that Arnie also suggested John Davis make the film. We also get told by John Davis that `Predator' nearly never got made, as the money ran out, but eventually it got made and that he didn't realise what an impact it would make on the audience. Filmmaker Robert Rodriguez who is the Director of the latest re-make of the ghastly `Predators' talks about how the original `Predator' made an massive impact on him. And finally, filmmaker Nimrod Antal also tells how `Predator' made a massive impact on him and how it gave him an incentive to make films.Special Feature: Text Commentary by Film Journalist and Historian Eric Lichtenfeld: This text-only commentary, when selected, runs as subtitles across the bottom of the screen. It's mostly comprised of interviews with the film's editor, sound effects designers, stunt choreographers, casting director and screenwriters.Special Feature: If It Bleeds, We Can Kill It: The Making of ‘PREDATOR’ [1080p] [1.78:1] [29:00] This making-of documentary is actually a retrospect that features footage from the set and allows a good majority of the folks who worked on the film to speak. Conversations cover everything from the script literally landing at the doorsteps of Fox Studios, the origins of the alien's fearsome appearance, and filming under humid conditions. For those fans unfamiliar with the history of 'Predator,' this makes for a must watch.Special Feature: Inside the ‘PREDATOR’ [1080p] [1.78:1] [31:00] Inside the ‘PREDATOR’ gives us seven vintage documentaries. Classified Action [5:21] takes us on set for some of the stunts, the cast and crew discuss Arnie's star-power in The Unseen Arnold [4:42]; Old Painless [3:30] is an ode to the massive Gatling gun that Ventura totes and The Life Inside [4:26] is a tribute to the late Kevin Peter Hall. Wrapping it up, we have Camouflage [4:54] a look at the make-up work, Welcome to the Jungle [2:40] a discussion of the film's sense of place, and Character Design [4:41] which covers each characters' personality.Special Feature: Special Effects [1080p][1.78:1] [4:00] Five really short pieces which are weirdly organised makeup and is a look at the camouflage effects in the film.Special Feature: Short Takes: Four short interviews that didn't fit anywhere else. In John McTiernan on Learning Film [3:05] the director talks about his film school experience, Jesse's Ultimate Goal [2:18] is about Jesse Ventura's venture into politics, Stan Winston: Practical Joker [3:02] is the story of a bullfrog-related prank and Don't Drink the Water [1:58] is expert advice for all travellers to Mexico.Deleted Scenes and Outtakes [5:00] Includes four scenes: Fleeing the Predator [1:43], Chameleon [00:28], Building a Trap [2:12] and Sliding Downhill [00:56].Special Feature: Photo Gallery: It goes without saying that these on-set stills are only interesting to those who like looking at production photos.Special Feature: Predator Profile [1080p] [1.78:1] A text-and-photo-only profile of the alien predator, detailing all of his weapons and armour.Theatrical Trailers [1080p] Includes trailers for ‘PREDATOR’ [2:11] and ‘Predator 2’ [1:36].Sneak Peak: Predators [2010] [1080p] [1:44] Director Robert Rodriguez talks about his vision for the upcoming ghastly third re-make of `Predators' film.Finally, in the end, ‘PREDATOR’ is one brilliant sci-fi/action extravaganza of all time, with a shrewdly understated sense of irony, using genre conventions effectively for a fun time at the films. No matter how we look at this now classic, the creature-feature was a novel twist to the summer blockbuster, igniting a popular franchise. Today, it remains just as entertaining as ever with one of Stan Winston's most memorable creations. John McTiernan's ‘PREDATOR’ 3D is a fun and entertaining creature-feature which revels in its animated machismo and an exuberant display of graphic action. The movie is a surprisingly well-structured blend of genre conventions which draws viewers in with one set of expectations and abruptly changes pace for a suspenseful thrill ride. The 3D Blu-ray surprises with a strong 3D spectacular image. The bonus Special Features and Extras is only accessible via the accompanying 2D Blu-ray disc. All in all I can heartily recommend picking up `Predator' 3D. A totally brilliant film, with an excellent transfer and of course a wonderful 3D Blu-ray disc and it is a massive honour to add this special Arnold Schwarzenegger film to my Arnie Blu-ray Collection. What is also beautiful about this Blu-ray is the fantastic Slip Blu-ray Cover, which is a totally brilliant design, and gives you a sort of insight into what to expect from this awesome 3D film. Highly Recommended!Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film AficionadoLe Cinema ParadisoUnited Kingdom

手持ちのBlu-rayに傷みが出てきましたので購入しました。映画の公開当時、単純に楽しめる、想像を越える内容に驚いたものです。ターミネーターも含め、シュワちゃん、バリバリ！でした。

Great film and excellent service.Blue ray quality is excellent and you wouldn't believe the film was from 1987.Also 10/10 for Arnies cheesy lines

excellent movie especially in 3d

I have the "Ultimate Hunter Edition" version that came in pairs with Predator 2 and I found the image quality unnatural "too DNR " look like video games which is why I decided to order thie original version. Well this one is very grainy and encoded with the old mpeg2 codec. The image is much more natural than the Ultimate Hunter edition but not more detailed see a little less even. Nevertheless I prefer this version to the Ultimate Hunter edition. I suppose it’s a matter of preference, but for my part the film grain does not bother me too much. I give a 3 out of 5 for this version while I would give 2 out of 5 to the Ultimate Hunter Edition.