PREDATOR film analysis - story structure and plot logistics - by Rob Ager

foreign soldiers go on a Rescue Mission in the jungle of  a fictional country in Central America during the   course of their mission and alien hunts and kills  them one by one until there's one man left who   defeats and kills the alien the end it's not very  often that a movie worthy of detailed critical   study can be summed up so simply in terms of its  plot structure but Predator is one of those films   that Simplicity plus a number of other factors  give the illusion of a film lacking artistic   and intellectual depth there's the fact that  it's a gun's blazing action movie with a level   of violence and go virgin gone horror action and  horror are two genres that often chain out brain   dead father and have a reputation for doing so it  stars Arnold Schwarzenegger who while being a mega   star in terms of box office success is severely  limited in is acting range by his superhuman   physique and his rigid accent there's the visually  simplistic jungle setting apart from the alien and   soldiers there's not a great deal to look at in  the film just a sea of green foliage and even   the base plot itself lacks originality the group  of people trapped with a monster that hunts them   down one at a time structure had already been  done in lots of other movies it just happens   to have the unusual setting of a jungle and  predator regardless of the multiple factors   suggesting a movie of extremely limited artistic  and intellectual scope Predator has a huge fan   base and despite the massive franchise of sequels  comics and the likes that the original prez's film   spawned it still stands definitely at the peak  of its own franchise pyramid discussions about   classic 80s action movies will typically bring up  Predator as being near enough on par with RoboCop   the Terminator Mad Max 2 and the likes this  kind of long-lasting popularity of a simple   commercial genre movie is virtually always and  indicator that there's something deeper and more   sophisticated below the surface plot something  which uniquely Taps into the subconscious   personally I categorize predator in terms of basic  plotting as being part of the trio of all-time   classic team of people hunted by a monster they're  trapped with movies the other two films in natrio   are alien and the thing like Predator alien  and the thing have their own dedicated cult   fan bases and have produced their own swathe of  inferior franchise spin-offs but those two films   are more widely recognized these days for their  artistic and intellectual merits the critics loved   alien upon its release and it took them years to  overcome their disgust at the gore in the thing   but they got there in the end like alien it's now  a universally praised masterpiece Predator however   hasn't fared so well with critical hindsight  principally because unlike alien in the thing it's   a gun's blazing action movie critics and audiences  are happy to praise its obvious entertainment   value its capacity to tap into adolescent fantasy  but it seems their senses are still being drowned   out by the gunfire and the pump of physical  adrenaline this artistic Beast of a film which   after 30 years continues to draw its audience back  for repeat viewings is still cloaked in camouflage   now we're going to go deep in this video as  there's quite a tapestry hiding behind the   fauna but first I want to take you through the  aesthetic sophistication of how the surface plot   is constructed and dramatized acting is  key to predator's dramatic strength which   was also true with alien and the thing by the  way a movie with a Fantastical and outrageous   plot requires particularly strong acting to  keep the audience engaged emotionally all   the performances in Predator are up to standard  and each actor is appropriately a cast according   to their physical traits but there are two  performances that for me really carry this film   first is Arnold Schwarzenegger himself I consider  Predator to be his best acting performance unlike   the Terminator we get a genuine sense of humanity  from his role as Dutch he looks and acts like a   leader his physical attributes are perfectly in  accordance with his tough Soldier regressing to   Primal survival of the fiss's journey and while  there are a couple of now famous one-liner jokes   that reduce the film to silliness in places that  stuff has gotten out the way early in the film   after the raid on the camp the film turns all  serious in tone as the team are hunted and Arnie   is thankfully given consistently serious  dialogue which he pulls off perfectly well   we get the genuine sense that he cares  for his men that he's trying to keep his   team psychologically balanced in the face of the  Hidden enemy and especially we get the sense of   him being pissed off with Dylan the tagalong CIA  officer who's technically in charge of the mission   despite the outlandish setting I consider  Arnie's role as Dutch to be his most   naturalistic performance in The Terminator  his accent was dismissable as a limitation of   robotic artificial intelligence but in most movies  ania's passed off implausibly as a red blood of   American leaving us to assume that his accent is  purely a product of sky-high testosterone levels   but Predator handles this in a stroke of Genius  Simplicity that allows us to take him seriously   his nickname is Dutch implying that his accent  has a European source though I said that there   are two key acting performances that really drive  this film the other one is Carl Weathers who is   superb as Dylan he's one of the few actors who has  a physique that plausibly competes with Arnold's   and he actually conveys intelligence despite  the testosterone pumped physique the conflict's   relationship between Dutch and Dylan is crucial  to the film's dramatic drive and so Carl Weathers   massively contributes to the film's emotional  tone all of his lines are delivered like a pro   you saying that Glenn and Hawkins were killed by  [ __ ] lizard it's a [ __ ] psych job there's two   or three men out there at the most [ __ ] lizard  and even when he's given a Cheesy line he makes   it work so well that it doesn't even come off as  a joke so what are you going to try next cheese he's a great actor and I  wish he'd been a bigger star   something that I think is very important regarding  all the acting and Predator is that while the   lions are pretty much as was scripted the precise  wedding of the Lions is often quite different   typically this happens because what reads well  on the page often doesn't sound good when acted   so a good combination of actor and director  will allow lines to be slightly altered when   shooting to make the performance  come across as more naturalistic   it might seem like a minor point but it can make  a huge overall difference to acting performances   another key factor in predator's success as  a commercial entertainment piece is that the   script Direction and editing consistently  prioritize Dramatics and pacing over realism   so for example after the team are dropped  into the jungle they almost immediately find   the crashed helicopter that they were looking  for and then basic plus information is rapidly   conveyed by Billy via his virgin gone superhuman  perceptual abilities this trait of his is used   several times to speed up the story there were 12  gorillas they took the two men from the helicopter   but there's something else do you mean  six men wearing U.S issued army boots   they came in from the north and  then they followed the gorillas what happened here Billy strange major it was a  firefight they were shooting in all directions to Jim Harper walked into an ambush I don't  believe he did I can't find a single track   after finding the crash Chopper there's then  an appropriate slow build up to the founding   of the skinned bodies it's important to slow  things down here because this sets up the fear   elements relating to the alien and then crack  on with the story with this simple one-liner [Music]   when the team sneak upon the enemy camp the  realistic thing would be to have them carefully   and slowly plan their attack and perhaps conduct  that attack at night but that would be boring   in terms of Dramatics so the solution half Dutch  see one of the hostages executed Outdoors at the   very moments he looks upon the camp miraculously  convenient timing guy this means he has to order   a fast and messy battle to try and prevent any  more hostages being killed in other words get   the [ __ ] on with the story it's these kinds of  fast narrative transition choices that determine   whether a movie ends up being paced just right  or being 20 minutes too long the film is full of   let's get on with it moments but balanced wisely  against the choice of when to slow things down   the sequence where Mac and Dylan try to hunt the  alien together and both of them get killed is my   favorite example of this these are both important  characters that we've built up a lot of empathy   with so the quiet snail paste leading up to  their loud and violent executions is appropriate   it's also an important scene because this is the  first time the characters try a stealth approach   to hunt the alien actually knowing where the alien  is and yet they still fail in their effort so you   don't rush a key scene like this the slow  silence approach followed by loud and Rapid   violence is actually reversed here the film's  noisiest moments suddenly flips to near silence with the still spinning battle conveying the  adrenaline come down then the slow movements and   music and gently moving smoke from adrenaline  rage to hypnotic calm in seconds foreign this is very important engaging movies vary  their pace and tone regularly instead of trying   to capture a single type of emotion for their  entire duration the occasional bits of humor   in Predator serve that same purpose give the  audience a little breather from time to time   a lot of the unrealistic narrative details are  there to convey character traits like when Dutch   is leading the attack on the camp and decides to  change plan without telling anyone by pushing a   vehicle into the camp in realistic terms this  could have confused his buddies and ruined   the attack altogether but think about what his  decision here says about his character it reveals   his ability to spot opportunities as they present  themselves and to seize those opportunities in the   moment it's the same mental process that leads him  later to make decisions like setting a camouflage   homemade trap for the alien and making the most  of available natural resources in the end battle   scene plus it's an opportunity to convey how  his raw physical strength can be advantageous   the character brain carries a minigun that  looks totally awesome on screen but in reality   it would severely limit his ability to move  about either quickly or in terms of stealth   real versions of this gun are not handheld  they're attached to helicopters usually   it would have too much recoil if using live  rounds instead of blanks and it would require   too much attachable ammunition to be carried by  the wearer the barrels had to be slowed down and   the fire rate reduced to make the rotation of  the barrels actually visible on screen and to   make the prop manageable even by stocky Jesse  Ventura normally the battles would move so fast   it would just be a blare but the last realism  trade-off of having a fictional handheld minigun   in Predator is well worth it because the scenes  involving this gun are so dramatically memorable   as far as I know Predator was the first movie to  feature this weapon so it gave a real wow factor   when the movie was released I think some people  were more impressed by the minigun than the alien   it was so impressive that the fictional handheld  minigun has since been used in lots of other   movies and video games even Jim Cameron got one  into Terminator 2. when an action director of that   caliber copies your movie you know you've done  something that has had a dramatic impact though   there's another potential reason why Jim Cameron  opted for the minigun prop behind the scenes   reports from Predator reveal an ongoing who's the  toughest competition between Arnold Schwarzenegger   and actor Jesse Ventura Ventura would probably win  this on account of having been an actual Navy SEAL   before his acting career so Arnie having perhaps  mistakenly felt that the show was stolen from him   a little bit in Predator may have requested  to become a minigun wielder in Terminator 2.   but in Predator it's not just about the weapon  looking cool it conveys the physical strength   and adrenaline surge of the soldiers who are using  it I can't think of any other movie weapon that   conveys testosterone aggression this intensely  the terminator's usage lacked that paradigm   incidentally Blaine wears a cowboy hat  which kinda speaks for itself in terms   of his wild personality we could even think of  the minigun as akin to the danger of bull riding   even the awesome multi-barreled grenade launcher  and predecessor is overshadowed by the minigun   so minigun multi-barrel grenade launcher and the  weapons of the alien Predator goes out of its way   to do something different in the arena of basic  weaponry the attack on the camp is riddled with   unrealistic features Our Heroes kill virtually all  the enemies and none of their owner killed even   though they run around out in the open half the  time the enemies are particularly bad shots often   firing their guns randomly as a gesture rather  than an actual attempt to kill in the two moments   where enemies have a clear opportunity to kill  Dutch they stupidly opt for a stealth approach [Music] wow stick around these moments however convey that Dutch has strong  sensory awareness even during a loud battle he   pays attention to the smallest of noises around  them this relates to the and battle scene where he   and the alien face off and their battle is as much  about Stealth and perception as raw physical power   the other thing is chaotic in the camp  attack because the purpose here is to   convey the power of the soldiers  rather than their tactical skill   the action is mostly close up to the  camera it's colorful and brightly lit   and the continuity chaos is revealed by the  fact that the same explosion is used twice foreign the two clips can  be pieced together actually we get some Stealth at the start of the  fight but it's the unrealistic kind where   enemies can be grabbed and stabbed and  immediately die without making a sound   a major factor in the sequence is outlined by  Stone's coordinator Craig Baxley for Hollywood   Reporter the shoot was way behind schedule and  was on the verge of being shut down by Executives   so the camp attack was shot rapidly and over  the top in order to be shown to Executives to   reinvigorate their commitment to the production  and it works in the film because it provides a   traditional action movie gung-ho contrast to the  more stealth-based action in the rest of the film   ammunition usage is ridiculous too Dutch fires  a rocket into this guy's chest I assume for fun [Music]   if that rocket had blown up upon  impact Dutch could have killed himself   he expands probably a third of  an entire Magazine on another guy and his anticipation of that guy coming out from  behind the chop of edges on the supernatural   there's lots of shooting from the hip and the  biggest waste of ammunition comes in the scene   where Mac takes control of the minigun they must  have blown at least half their Collective ammo   in a single minute here they're also supposed to  be tailed by incoming gorillas less than a mile   away so surely this big Firepower display  would thoroughly announce their position   despite this dirt shops to  set up camp nearby [Music]   defensive position above that bridge  mind with everything we've got   but all of that stuff doesn't matter because this  scene establishes important General points about   the relationship between the soldiers and the  alien they can release all the Firepower in the   world and it won't make a difference because  the alien has Superior stealth and Agility   the scene also conveys their frustration Lomax  realism for very high marks for Dramatics   perhaps an even more off-the-wall break  with realism is that when Dutch tests is   handmade bow the arrow goes straight  through a thick tree trunk [Music]   even a bullet wouldn't manage that back to  basic plot holes the team set a trap for   the Predator but how do they know it will  come through here and stand on the ground   how did they know the Predator isn't  watching them as they set the Trap   a more elaborate situation might  have settled for more plausible trap   scenario but would it have significantly  helped the film dramatically probably not   later in the story there's the Highly  Questionable issue of whether being   covered in mud would actually stop Dutch being  seen by the alien the scriptwriters were aware   of this because they wrote The Dutch closes his  eyes awaiting his own death I assume that was   also to justify why the alien is unable to see  the heat of his eyes which aren't covered in mud   in the film he keeps his eyes open and I think  that's the better choice as it allows Duchess to   get a proper look at his opponent before setting  his traps for the final fight the idea that the   heat of Dutch's body wouldn't still be visible  through the mud as contradicted In This Very scene   in An unscripted Edition the Predator is able to  see a small creature Through the Wood of a log   there's a serious continuity error as well Dutch  is only Park covered in mud on the shore as he   crawls away but in the next shot of him mothers  conveniently appeared all over his face and body   as if he's getting the facial and surely his  heat signal should have become at least like   streaked instead of completely blocked  order's breath might have been visible   this is cold mud but the mud he wears in the end  fight scene would dry up and be warmed by his body   so it doesn't really work when you  think about it these logical errors   are minor enough to bypass casual viewers  on first viewing of the movie so it works   I was thinking an alternative would be for a  section of forest to be set on fire and that   the creature would see Dutch standing in front  of the fire and he's Blended in against the Heat   Dutch could then make use of fire camouflage  in the end scene as well as mud have him set   the forest on fire around the big dead tree  to obscure his own heat signals even further   oh a change here is that it was scripted  for Dutch to look at himself reflected in   a pool of water and then realize it was  the mud that obscured the alien's Vision   but the straight-up realization in the film  allows the scene to move on much quicker [Music] couldn't see me so tons of unrealism  moving on something that works very much in   the film's favor is the slow reveal of the enemy  start with seeing some of the kanjit has already   caused then show its bizarre point of view a  few times which is a great visual Counterpoint   to the excessive amount of green foliage in the  movie that it's humanoid hand then its bizarre   camouflage as it makes its first kill of the  team that it's flashing guys and then it's blood   the first non-camouflage reveal  of the creature is very clever [Music] show its hands and its leg but when cutting to  show it in full including the head the Revelation   is short-lived and spliced into two very brief  shots one from behind the head so all we see is   the spiny dreaded like hair then a shot which  shows the face from the front but includes the   sun shining right into the camera creating a spiky  lens flare this slightly distracts us from looking   at the creature's face and to communicates  the pain the creature is in bright light is a   good metaphor for sharp pain and the sunlight  is positioned by the creature's injured lag the film does a great job of gradually  revealing the enemy bit by bit right up   until the final fight scene it doesn't make  a lot of sense why it would wear a completely   face covering and line of sight restricting  helmet if it can actually breathe our air   but I suppose the targeting system being built  into the helmet is the point however the helmet   justifies saving the reveal of the creature's  actual face until the very end of the movie   the helmet feature wasn't scripted by  the way so it was a wise change during   production after More insectoid Design  was experimented with and then dropped   this slow revelation of the enemy isn't just  about what it looks like though its abilities   motives and beliefs are slowly revealed too it's  a curiosity about the human enemy as in watching   the camp attack before attempting a first kill its  desire for human victim trophies to be acquired   one at a time its desire for knife-wielding kills  instead of just weapon blasts this shows that it   enjoys the more Savage close combat kill and  there's its tentative respect for a human who   can finally give it a proper challenge of a fight  giving him the opportunity of a no weapon Showdown so the gradual reveal of the Predator's  appearance psychology and abilities keeps   the momentum of the film going  each scene involving the alien   reveals something new about it  but also leads to new questions   the consistent balance of new Mysteries and New  Revelations relating to non-human characters is   also used in Alien the thing A Nightmare on Elm  Street The Exorcist the fly E.T Gremlins and so on   however compared to the incredible creature  designs in alien and the thing I was personally a   little bit disappointed in the monster design when  I first saw predator for me it was too obviously   humanoid and stature and had costume details  that reminded me a bit too much of giga's alien   but the facial design beneath the mask was  very good and quite convincing looking as well   I also think a major opportunity was missed  in the film regarding creature presentation   that would have been brilliant the opening shot  showing a spaceship approaching Geth is painfully   similar to the opening shot of the thing but the  ship design isn't nearly as good so it feels like   yeah been there before seen it done better but the  big problem here and I guess the same criticism   might be leveled John carpets is the thing is that  showing the alien ship at the beginning lets the   audience know right off the bat that the monster  is a science fiction Creature From Outer Space   if that shot had been left out of the openings of  both of these films the audiences would have been   left with the possibility that the creature  stalker was some sort of Supernatural demon   and Predator it would fit very well with Billy's  mystical interpretation of the situation and to   then have the Predator halfway through the  movie be shown using technology instead of   being a magical demon would be a surprising  narrative shift it could have made for an   all-time classic narrative twist I do like though  that the presentation of the creature and its   motives is almost entirely non-verbal especially  in the amphite sequence and I like that a lot of   questions about the creature go unanswered we  never find out if it was the predator or the   gorillas who shot this chopper down we don't know  if it crash landed on Earth and is trapped here or   comes back and forth for hunting holidays in the  script the spaceship is included toward the end of   the story with Dutch chasing the injured predator  on photos that tries to get back to its vehicle to   take off he picks up its dropped weapon and Fires  at the ship killing the alien and causing the ship   to spiral out of control and explode I'm really  glad they changed it to a self-destructing alien   in the movie though because I think showing  the alien ship may have been a bit too out   there or even worse if its design was generic  then it may have been even more of a letdown   now I've had quite a few people say that they  thought the end fight sequence was a little bit   below par with the rest of the movie and I do  concare with that for the simple fact that once   all Dutch's buddies are dead and he's preparing  for a showdown the outcome is obvious they're   going to fight to the death and it'll be tense  but Dutch will win it's just a question of how   so I had to think about alternate endings that  might have worked better and came up with two   basic ideas the first is that Anna could show up  during the fight and join in by offering yourself   up as a sort of decoy to distract the predator  or maybe she picked up the gun the Dutch had   kicked out of her hand earlier and so she and  Dutch fight the creature together and defeat it   but Anna gets killed as well or maybe even Dutch  could be the one who dies my second idea is the   one that I think would have been a lot better  we're told early in the film that gorillas are   about a mile away and headed their way after they  destroy the camp but the threat of the gorillas   disappears from the story so wouldn't it have  been good to have the alien and the gorillas be   drawn towards Dutch's firelight war cry touch and  the Predator stopped fighting and their battle is   interrupted by the gorillas so Dutch and predators  spontaneously fight the gorillas and save each   other a couple of times during the fight because  they each want to kill the other themselves   and not have their prize taken from them by the  gorillas the team up would be a totally unexpected   twist so they defeat the gorillas and then finish  off their own fight or the alien could be badly   injured during the battle with the gorillas  being the Dutch had damaged its camouflage   ability and then it could have been given a  messy execution by Dutch or self-destructed   I just think the involvements of some gorillas  would have been a much more Dynamic ending

Channel: Collative Learning

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Keywords: predator film analysis, predator retrospective, predator themes, collative learning predator, rob ager predator, collative learning film analysis, rob ager film analysis, predator movie production, predator original, predator 1986

Id: i4LEiU51STg

Length: 26min 49sec (1609 seconds)

Published: Wed Aug 02 2023