Honest Trailers has dissected sci-fi classic Predator. The original Predator finds Arnold Schwarzenegger and his team of commandos being picked off one at a time by an alien hunter until only Arnie is left to fight it. What could have been just a silly b-movie is elevated by John McTiernan’s taut direction, a seamless mix of horror and action and a great script, which is peppered with memorable one-liners.

Predator originally featured Jean-Claude Van Damme playing the titular alien, but the first Predator outfit was deemed so horrible that it would ruin the movie, so the suit was completely redesigned and Van Damme was fired. It was actually James Cameron’s idea for the alien to have mandibles, and the Predator itself would soon become an iconic movie monster. The franchise has covered multiple sequels, comics and video games, and the latest entry – Shane Black’s The Predator – is aiming to reinvent the series for a new audience.

With the impending arrival of the fourth movie, Honest Trailers have set their sights on the original Predator. The trailer points out the surprising links between the movie and Home Alone, that the end credits really make it looks like a cheesy 90’s sitcom and that Predator is such a great ride that few realize about half the runtime is spent looking quietly at trees. The trailer also – of course – runs through all the classic one-liners.


While Honest Trailers have no problem tearing a bad movie to pieces, their love for Predator means it gets off lightly. The trailer also points out the sequels never topped it, with many finding the later movies a mixed bag. Opinions vary on whether Predator 2 or Predators is the better movie, but most fans tend to ignore both Alien Vs Predator movies.

While Schwarzengger was offered a cameo in The Predator as Dutch, he decided to turn it down since it wasn’t a major role. Dutch’s scripted cameo would have set the scene for a sequel, and while there’s still a possibility he could return for one, he opted out of the cameo appearance. It’s somewhat surprising Schwarzenegger never returned to series, given that its one of his most popular – and quoted – films, but it always seems to be a case of timing. He chose Terminator 2 over Predator 2 – a wise choice – and he was Governor while Predators was being shot, which ruled out another scripted cameo.

  • The Predator (2018) release date: Sep 14, 2018