Predator: Ultimate Hunter Edition (Blu-ray)
Steve Barton
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Reviewed by Uncle Creepy
Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Bill Duke, Jesse Ventura
Directed by John McTiernan
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
When this special “Ultimate Hunter Edition” Blu-ray was first announced months ago, all I could think of was one thing … “I’m gonna have me some fun! I’m gonna have me some fun!” And that’s exactly what happened once I got my hungry little claws into this stellar package from Fox.
Speaking of which … do yourself a favor and take your older Blu-ray, if you are one of the unfortunate few who bought it, snap it in half, and toss it in the trash. Fans everywhere, including myself, were horribly disappointed when it came out a while ago sporting a transfer that was maybe a step above the DVD and providing no extras at all. I’m happy to announce that this package atones for every one of the previous version’s sins.
To go over the plot line of Predator seems pretty pointless. But for the few uninitiated or, for that matter, the new fans just discovering this material …
Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as Dutch, a no-nonsense soldier who’s team only know how to do one thing … get the job done. Dutch and his boys are sent on a hostage rescue mission to Central America, where they encounter a murderous extraterrestrial who enjoys hunting man for sport. In a nutshell, a great big explosive spine-ripping nutshell, that’s about all there is plot-wise; and honestly, that’s all their needs to be. I can spend an entire day talking about why director John McTiernan’s flick kicks a copious amount of ass, but it really does speak for itself.
The treatment (i.e., the remastering of both the image and the sound) we have here is nothing short of amazing. Every conceivable detail is presented here in stunning clarity with a color palette that pops like you wouldn’t believe. In fact, the picture in tandem with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 channel will make you feel as if you’re traversing the jungle with the guys. It’s that damned immersive and will quickly wash away any of the funk left in your mouth by the previous bare bones Blu-ray.
There were tons of supplemental material present for the film’s various DVD released. How none of it made the jump to the first Blu-ray will forever remain a mystery, but rest assured it’s all here now. See the below listing for all that’s included.
Now let’s talk about the new never-before-seen stuff!
Along with the beautiful new digital restoration, we get three new bits of goodness, the first of which is the eleven-minute Evolution of the Species: Hunters of Extreme Perfection featurette, in which the film’s director and producer reflect and wax on about the film itself and the impact that it had with fans. From there we have something called the “Predator Profile”, which is basically a photo/text analysis of the creature’s gear and weaponry. And finally we get a two-minute preview of Predators, which will leave you absolutely salivating for more.
True, the new stuff isn’t exactly groundbreaking, but coupled with the older materials (which are all presented in standard definition), it makes for quite the haul. Still, the star of this show is the movie itself, which has never looked or sounded better.
Do yourself a favor … click the link below. Buy this Blu-ray. Hold it close to your heart. Cherish it. Do it now. You’ve never ever seen the movie like this before, and for a fan with the tech this is nothing short of a total must have immediately type package.
Special Features
4 1/2 out of 5
Special Features:
5 out of 5
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