Title: Predator
BD-25 Single-Layer Disc
Video: 1080p/MPEG-2
Audio: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
Aspect Ratio: 1:85:1
Subtitles: Many Languages
Run time: 107 minutes
Studio: Fox Home Entertainment
Rating: R
Region Coding: Region A Only
Player used for review: LG BH200
Cast/Crew Info:
Arnold Schwarzenegger as Dutch
Carl Weathers as Dillon
Bill Duke as Mac
Jesse Ventura as Blain
Sonny Landham as Billy
Richard Chaves as Poncho
R.G. Armstrong as General Phillips
Shane Black as Hawkins
Elpidia Carrillo as Anna
Kevin Peter Hall as The Predator
Directed by John McTiernan
My take: (the breakdown)
I have always been a loyal of fan of both Predator movies even though the first one is slightly better than the second, but that's to be expected with sequels. The story follows the mission of a Special Forces squad as they look to find Green Beret hostages that have gone down somewhere in the jungles of South America. They are the best at what they do, which is search and rescue, but things don't exactly goes as planned. One by one Dutch (Schwarzenegger) sees that his team is being hunted by some powerful force, who they can't even seem to actually see. What unfolds is an all out battle for survival for these men against some unknwon predator. This is definitely worth a purchase for fans simply because it's a decent improvement over the DVD.
Predator has been ripped apart ever since it was released on Blu-ray in April of 2008, but to be honest it's really not that bad. Colors receive a noticeable boost when compared to the DVD version. Also, flesh tones appear to be accurate for the most part. Grain is rather heavy, but it never becomes noisy. Fine detail is rather hit or miss though. Some scenes look fantastic while others, especially wider shots, look extremely soft. I also noticed no EE, DNR, or artfifacts at all. Considering the film was 21 years old last year I was rather impressed by this Blu-ray transfer. Is it demo material? No, but it still looks significantly better than the DVD.
We are given a 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio track that is actually performs rather well in the majority. Dialogue is clear and conise for most of the run time. Surrounds get plenty of work during the action scenes and from musical score throughout the entire run time. Your sub will get some work, but it seemed slightly muted to me, which could have been attributed to the age of the film. I was actually surprised at how well the movie sounded.
Sadly, there's no supplemental material whatsoever, but a trailer would have been nice. If you own the two disc special edition DVD of Predator that was released a few years ago be sure to hold onto it for its wealth of supplements.
Movie: 8/10
VQ: 7/10
AQ: 7.5/10
Supplements: 0/10
Final word: A Purchase For Fans
Title: Predator 2
BD-50 Dual-Layer Disc
Video: 1080p/AVC MPEG-4
Audio: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
Aspect Ratio: 1:85:1
Subtitles: English and Spanish
Run time: 108 minutes
Studio: Fox Home Entertainment
Rating: R
Region Coding: Region A Only
Player used for review: LG BH200
Cast/Crew Info:
Danny Glover as Lieutenant Mike Harrigan
Gary Busey as Peter Keyes
Rubén Blades as Danny Archuleta
Maria Conchita Alonso as Leona Cantrell
Bill Paxton as Jerry Lambert
Robert Davi as Captain Phil Heinemann
Adam Baldwin as Garber
Kent McCord as Captain B. Pilgrim
Kevin Peter Hall as The Predator
Directed by Stephen Hopkins
My take: (the breakdown)
Predator 2 was released three years after the first installment of the franchise, but the actual movie takes place 10 years after the first film. The story follows that of Lt. Mike Harrigan (Glover) and his extremely rocky career as a Los Angeles police officer. Fighting and arresting bad guys seems to be just another work day for this guy. When both Colombian and Jamacian drug leaders start getting slaughtered it is up to Harrigan and his crew to find out what's going on. Before they get too far though Peter Keyes (Busey), who claims to be working for the DEA, is starting to get in the way. Harrigan later finds out that he is dealing with something a lot more menacing than he first realized. Of course it's not as good as the first film in this franchise, but it still works and I have always enjoyed it.
I felt that Predator 2 looked slightly better than the first installment. Colors are saturated extremely well and flesh tones seem to be accurate. Grain is fair, but I did notice some minor DNR in some places but at least it wasn't excessive. Fine detail is actually quite good in the majority and looks noticeably better than the DVD version. Again, like the first one it looks decent, but I wouldn't choose to use it as a demo disc.
Like the first film we get a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio that is rather aggressive. Dialogue is crisp and clear and never struggles to be heard. The surrounds get plenty of use especially during the heavy action scenes and the musical score swells nicely. The sub seems to get a little more work and sound slightly better than it did with the first film though. Again, it sounded good, but I wouldn't use this one as a demo disc.
Unlike the first film we get a decent supplemental package consisting of two audio commentaries and several making of features. Unfortunately, all of the features are presented in 480.
Movie: 7/10
VQ: 7.5/10
AQ: 7.5/10
Supplements: 6/10
Final word: A Purchase For Fans
As always thanks for reading folks.