celph-33003

I loved every second of this. I always appreciate a good 'behind the scenes' doc, yet for the most part they usually seem too short. The fact that this is as long and comprehensive as it is, is nothing short of feeling like I've received 44 Christmases all at once.

The love and appreciation the makers of this have for the source material shines through in every single moment. The actors and production guys all seem to be loving every moment they get to reminisce.

Honestly if I could get a doc series of this depth and quality for every one of my favourite 80's flicks I'd literally be living heaven on earth.

The OG Predator is one of my all-time favourite movies. It's no Citizen Kane, but it ticks every box that I need it to. Awesome cheesy dialogue, incredible creature design, more testosterone than a high school football team, easily the best cast ever assembled in an 80's action film, and the fantastic visual device of the 'Predatorvision', which was incredibly original at the time.

I'll admit upfront that yes, the void left by Arnold not returning is not completely filled. Danny Glover is great in the lead here, so are Maria Conchita Alonso, Reuben Blades and especially the always fantastic Bill Paxton. Even the one-scene characters in this movie are fantastic. The TV news reporter, The Scorpion gang lieutenant at the start, the Voodoo Posse guys in the apartment of the Scorpion gang leader, and my personal favourites, King Willy and his bodyguards all manage to be infinitely entertaining despite being ridiculously stereotypical. Despite all this, the cast from the first film is just so iconic that even with all these positive aspects, this cast and it's characters just don't reach the same heights.

The task force lead by Gary Busey and the subplot revolving around them is the weakest element at play here. It just feels at odds with everything else, and Busey in general seems to be a strange choice for that character. I've heard it said that this was a rewritten version of the Dutch character from part one, and if that is true, then it makes it seem even stranger.

The decision to use an urban setting is inspired, and I'm a big fan of the 'heightened reality' approach used here. For me it echoes Robocop more than the first Predator, and actually makes a great double feature with that movie.

Overall, this is a really enjoyable film with far more positive aspects than negative.

I watched this over the weekend in one sitting, and had one of those moments where you feel like you found the perfect show to watch at the time you saw it.

Without going into details, I've got some stuff going on in my life right now. I've no idea what made me decide to watch this doc when I did, but it really was exactly what I needed to provide me with some much needed clarity in regards to my own life at the moment.

I'm under no illusion that a lot of the grimier aspects of Mr Schwarzenegger's life are glossed over. I'm also acutely aware that it's very one-sided due to how much of a hand he had in its production. What i appreciated the most was the insight into his personal drive, and his ability to make his dreams become reality. To sum it up, it's very much a self-curated highlight reel, featuring a lot of entertaining anecdotes from the man himself and a lot of other people who have been part of his life. If you can view it objectively with that in mind, it's a very entertaining and inspiring way to spend a few hours.