I love how the aesthetic of the posters try to sell this as the ultimate macho action movie, which it very well could be if you take this film at face value. The action, one-liners and score are all excessive in the best possible way. In fact, there’s not a lot about this that feels dated, the presentation holds up really well. Every set piece is extremely tense and memorable, love the design and sound effects of the predator, the visuals have personality; really impressive work by John McTiernan and his team. However, its real genius reveals itself when you look at the writing, which combines the 80s action movie with horror slasher films. Not only is it unique and inspired, but it presents such an intuitive way of commenting on its own theme. As the film goes along, it starts to strip away every element that tricked the dads into seeing this. It leads to a finale that is much more primal, as our protagonist can’t rely on technology, brute strength or any manifestation or toxic masculinity. He’s rewarded when he uses his own wit, which is quite an interesting subversion of regular action movies where character arcs are usually completed when the hero gains new powers or skills. It’s nothing boundary pushing, but I love how they went the extra mile on that, I’d argue it’s part of the reason why it’s aged so well. Overall, I have nothing but praise for this one. The cast is fantastic (Arnold’s obvious shortcomings are made up for with his charisma and physical presence) and the final set piece still remains one of my favorite scenes of all time, even after having seen it too many times.

9/10