Wow this debate is still going on?
I think there is nothing wrong to like either versions. Taste is all subjective and the only one that should care is the person buying the disc. What bothers me about the new release is hoping its not a trend to come for other catalog titles that studios think they need to refresh in order to get sales. Its one step forward and a major step backwards IMO. The use of using EE and DNR bothers me but not as much as the fact that the new version is now some ultra contrasted movie. I saw Predator in the theaters but honestly cannot remember how it looked other than it was dark and a gritty movie at the time. Owned couple DVD versions and the mpeg2 blu-ray version and to me that captured the general feel. By looking at some of the screen captures, I question if they were able to still retain the overall feel of the movie. Predator is and never was a traditional action/sci-fi movie in the sense where it wasn't filled with visuals and action like modern films of the genre.
Grain, whether it was intentional or not, its what we got in the theaters when it was released. I don't know if it was by accident but the movie worked and it still has a following as its evident in this thread. Spawned off a franchise I doubt the studio or director even thought about at the time of release. All I know is that none of the other movies have the same feel as the original. The grain and low light shots created the atmosphere better than any visual effects from a more modern release.
We can debate about this all day long. Waxy faces, is there more detail because of a higher encode, more detail with contrast turned up etc. What we know pretty damn sure is this new version is not close or anything like the original version that was out in the theaters.
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