While San Diego Comic-Con is running full steam ahead without us (not jealous, swear) we'd be remiss if we neglected to mention that The Predator is getting a Blu-Ray 3D release.
Attendees in San Diego can even stop by the Predator booth and have their photo taken to be rendered into an action figure as a pre-order bonus for the Blu-Ray release. Maybe action figure is too lofty of a description:
"In a first-of-its-kind activation at Comic-Con, fans can enter booth #3528 and have their photo taken with state of the art cameras courtesy of 3D Systems. Their image will then be used to make them the victim as a customized figurine is created using 3D Systems 3D printing technology that features the Predator alien holding the fan’s severed head!"
Yup, you get to become a Predator trophy. So, so dope. Compelling pre-order bonuses aside, the 3D Blu-Ray release of the original 1987 film begs a larger question. Why after 25 years is the The Predator such an enduring fixture of pop culture?
Countless appearances in comics, hundreds and hundreds of action figures, multiple video games (more on those), and a virtual merchandising empire has cemented The Predator as a movie monster with staying power on par with Frankenstein and the Wolfman. And we couldn't be more grateful.
I saw the original 1987 film way younger than I should have. Director John McTiernan had yet to invent the holy grail of action film equations (Die Hard wouldn't be released for another year) and as such, was still untested in the well-chummed waters of 80s Hollywood excess. The Predator would go on to be produced by Joel Silver and perfectly encapsualted everything memorable about 1980s action films.
(This epic handshake for example)
Russians running drugs in South America; commandos so bad-ass they have no need for last names; a professional wrestler playing a tobaccoo chewing, mini-gun wielding Texan; Arnold Schwarzenegger at his prime; a creature created by the legendary Stan Winston, and 'voiced' by Peter Cullen (of Optimus Prime fame) all combined to enshrine the film, and the titular monster, as pop culture icons.
Even the comic relief in the film, the foul mouthed, joke cracking Hawkins played by future Iron Man 3 and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang director Shane Black, was a memorable accent to the film's palette.
The Predator, from its sequence of a chopper descending into the dense anonymous South American Rainforest thundering Little Richard's 'Long Tall Sally', to the monster's ability to see heat signatures and bend the light spectrum to become invisibile are instantly recognizable. The Predator as a species have made their fair share of appearances in video games to varying degrees of success.
What is an absoloute is that the character isn't going anywhere. These video games are just a handful of the times of The Predator has appeared, but we think give the best cross-section as to why the chracter has endured for so long. Read on for Why The Predator Won't Die in Video Games Either
Predator on the NES.
Year of release: 1987
Publisher: Activision
The most outstanding similarity between the 1987 Predator game released for the NES, Amiga, and Commodore 64 and the actual film ends at the name. Sure, you get to play as Major Dutch Schaeffer and traipse around the jungle, but that's about where the corollaries end. Yes, the Predator is the end guy and he battles you by... pulling his head off?
We totally remember the floating head and fireballs from the movie. The game didn't manage to capture any of the subversive political commentary, or the gritty, visceral hyper-violence of the film, but it was an officially liscensed game tie-in. Activision slapped Arnold's face on the front of the box and units were moved. If you managed to beat the final dismebodied floating head you'd be rewarded with this:
Not much in the way of pomp, but it did manage to convey the sense of stark realism of defeating an alien trophy hunter and finding yourself stranded and alone in the South American rainforest.
The Predator 2 for PC.
Alien vs. Predator
Predators
Alien versus Predator
