No consensus: the slaughter run, jungle gunfire, Dutch–Predator finale, and wardrobe arrival all received strong support.
In the discussion (12)
- Dutch and Dillon’s arm-wrestling greeting was nominated.
- The discovery of the skinned bodies was nominated.
- The compound rescue was nominated.
- Billy sensing that something is wrong in the jungle was nominated.
- Blaine’s death was nominated.
- Mac’s grief response after Blaine dies was nominated.
- The team’s indiscriminate sustained gunfire into the jungle was nominated.
- Dutch discovering that mud hides him from the Predator was nominated.
- The helicopter-arrival wardrobe breakdown was introduced as a “Zapruder scene.”
- The slasher-style sequence where the team is hunted one by one was nominated.
- Dutch’s final one-on-one trap sequence against the Predator was nominated.
- One host chose the jungle firing; another chose Dutch versus Predator; another chose the slasher section.
Arnold’s iconography and battle cry, Old Painless, one-liners, production mythology, Sunny Landham, Jesse Ventura, Poncho, the creature fix, structure, score, and heat vision were praised.
In the discussion (16)
- Arnold’s first cigar shot remains effective action-star iconography.
- Dutch’s battle cry remains effective.
- Old Painless remains an iconic action-movie weapon.
- The movie’s compact one-liners remain effective.
- Arnold plays the escalating threat with unusual seriousness.
- The cold, wet jungle shoot became durable production mythology.
- Van Damme’s firing from the original creature role became durable production mythology.
- The cast’s dawn workouts and physical competition became durable production mythology.
- The reshot final third created a cleaner creature confrontation.
- Sunny Landham was praised as a uniquely authentic and unpredictable screen presence.
- Jesse Ventura’s wrestling persona translated into an unusually memorable supporting action role.
- Poncho’s reactions and supporting presence were praised.
- Stan Winston’s replacement creature design was treated as essential to the film’s success.
- The shift from ensemble combat movie to slasher and then one-on-one duel was praised.
- Alan Silvestri’s score was praised.
- The thermal-vision effect was praised as both legible and durable.
The mud-disguise continuity, Anna’s thinly explained role, and contrived cleavage were the main concerns; Predator 2 was also dismissed.
In the discussion (4)
- The amount of mud covering Arnold changes implausibly between shots.
- Anna’s political or guerrilla role is never clearly explained.
- Anna’s survival function never fully coheres, though her fear exposition was defended.
- Her costume loses buttons without story justification.
R. G. Armstrong was the consensus-style choice over Richard Chaves and Elpidia Carrillo.
In the discussion (2)
- Armstrong’s long character-actor résumé and weathered face made him the quintessential choice.
- Richard Chaves and Elpidia Carrillo were alternatives.
Bill Duke won for Mac’s grief-fueled “I’m gonna have me some fun” turn.
In the discussion (1)
- Duke’s escalation after Blaine’s death was the decisive example.
Carl Weathers won after debate with Sunny Landham and Jesse Ventura.
In the discussion (4)
- Carl Weathers was praised for playing an unfamiliar compromised, physically vulnerable version of his Apollo persona.
- Sunny Landham was the passionate early pick.
- Jesse Ventura fit the classic low-minute heat-check definition.
- The group’s final spoken choice was Carl Weathers.
Predator was called the apex Arnold movie though not Arnold’s personal apex; Carl Weathers, Ventura, Landham, helicopter drops, jungle aliens, body butter, death scenes, self-sacrifice, Alabama ticks, and closing-credit smiles were assessed.
In the discussion (11)
- Predator was distinguished as the apex of Arnold’s films, while Terminator 2 remained his personal apex.
- Carl Weathers was assessed separately as an apex case.
- Jesse Ventura was assessed as an apex case for his movie career.
- Sunny Landham was assessed as an apex case.
- Helicopter insertions were assessed as an apex action-movie device.
- Aliens in jungles were assessed as an apex premise.
- Body butter on action stars was assessed as an apex styling choice.
- Rocky IV beat Predator for Carl Weathers’s apex death scene.
- Alabama ticks were jokingly declared an apex.
- Billy’s final stand and Bruce Willis in Armageddon were compared as self-sacrifice peaks.
- The smiling character-credit sequence was celebrated as an apex closing-credit device.
A ten-episode remake was rejected.
In the discussion (1)
- The panel did not want the simple premise expanded into a series.
Choices were Old Painless, Mac’s razor or flask, and the Predator mask; the mask was the emphatic final suggestion.
In the discussion (3)
- Old Painless was the first choice.
- Mac’s razor and flask were personal alternatives.
- The Predator mask was argued as the obvious iconic object.
The panel split between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bill Duke/Mac.
In the discussion (2)
- Arnold was the opening and conventional answer.
- Bill Duke was argued as the actor viewers would discuss afterward and the soul of the movie.
Most Rewatchable Scene
