Click here to buy now!

This latest edition is basically a rehash of the standard DVD special edition with a couple of brand new special features and a new crisped up version of the film. The new digitally restored print is the best option for viewing Predator in all its glory. While I’m usually reticent to purchase older movies on Blu-Ray, simply because there’s only so much you can do with a print from back in the day, I can honestly say that the transfer for the Ultimate Hunter Edition is definitely worth the upgrade. The image is crisp, free of any grain, and keeps the movie from looking so damn dated, a problem that existed on the standard DVD and the original Blu-Ray release.

Special Features:

The Ultimate Hunter Edition is loaded with tons of special features, including the following:

• Predators: Sneak Peek
• Predator: Evolution of a Species: Hunters of Extreme Perfection
• Commentary by Director John McTiernan
• Text Commentary by Film Historian Eric Lichtenfeld
• If it Bleeds, We can Kill It: The Making of Predator
• Inside the Predator
• Special Effects
• Short Takes
• Deleted Scenes & Outtakes
• Theatrical Trailers
• Photo Gallery
• Predator Profile

The Predators sneak peak is basically a two minute long version of the trailer intercut with some interview footage of Robert Rodriguez trying to convince fans that he and Nimrod Antal aren’t bastardizing the source material. After seeing some of the footage on display here, I have to say that I’m convinced.

The Predator: Evolution of a Species featurette is an eleven minute piece created for the Ultimate Hunter Edition. In the piece, various individuals talk about the impact and the success of the film. Some of the individuals featured are Robert Rodriguez and the director of Predators, Nimrod Antal. It’s basically just another piece that allows you to hear what the people behind the newest Predator film think of the original flick. They also throw in some cool info about Predators. It’s a solid piece, albeit not of the “must-see” variety.

Jonh McTiernan’s director commentary is an at times sluggish, at times fascinating glimpse into the mind of a director. McTiernan is refreshingly cynical about his own film, and the stories that he has to tell are relevant, interesting, and often times enlightening. He does leave a lot of dead space on the audio track, and if you watch some of the featurettes after listening to the commentary, you’ll find yourself hearing some of the same stories over and over again. This is the same commentary that was featured on the standard DVD special edition.

The “If It Bleeds, We Can Kill It” featurette is basically a 30 minute “making of” feature. It provides some cool set interviews and other bits of info which will satisfy the Predator enthusiast. Some of the interviews are older and from the set, but it’s basically your only chance to see Jesse Ventura and Arnold Schwarzenegger talk about the film they starred in, as they are conspicuously absent from the newer features on the disc. This is also a feature from the standard DVD special edition.

Inside the Predator is a collection of seven very short featurettes that examine various elements of Predator, from Blaine’s “Ol Painless” minigun to how some of the characters develop their own identities, the pieces are short, but interesting watching. Nothing here is “must-see,” but they are interesting nonetheless.

The rest of the features are rather disposable. The trailers are cool, and the behind the scenes still gallery is pointless. Some info about the special effects consists of workprint and test-run bullshit that has little to no sound. The deleted scenes and outtakes are very similar in quality, and most of them are rather underwhelming.

Packaging and Presentation: I love the Blu-Ray format, but honestly, the packaging and presentation of this Blu-Ray is substandard. A standard-issue Blu-Ray case can’t compare to the p&p of the standard DVD Predator special edition, which came with an aesthetically pleasing black sleeve, a nice foldout cardboard sleeve for storing the two discs, and an insert with scene selections and a table of contents for the bonus features.

The cover of the Blu-Ray edition is fairly cheesy and lacks compared to the standard DVD edition. Even the back of the Blu-Ray is pretty generic, with a vague list of special features. If I’m a fan of a movie and I’m paying thirty bucks for a film that I most likely already own, why not take advantage of the opportunity to make something aesthetically pleasing and memorable?

Final Synopsis: This is a solid Blu-Ray and definitely one worth adding to the collection. It’s not as pretty as the standard DVD special edition, but the new transfer is definitely worth the price.

Points Lost: -1 for poor packaging, -1 for a weak detailing of special features

Blu-Ray Score: 8/10

If you’re looking for a review of the actual movie: click here!

Tags: 1987, 2010, action, adventure, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bill Duke, Carl Weathers, jesse ventura, john mctiernan, latest blu-ray review, latest movie reviews, predator, recent3, sci-fi, science fiction, shane black, Sonny Landham