Predator (1987) (Ultimate Hunter Edition)

[Ite]

I will stick with the original Blu.

[toddly6666]

So I just watched the Ultimate Hunter Edition and here's my verdict:

I don't know why people are grading this blu-ray with one extreme to the next as if they just trying to fight each other. The video quality on this blu-ray is not: bad, fair, very good, excellent, or perfect. The video quality on this blu-ray is just good - simple as that. It certainly has the best video quality I've ever seen of this film. I didn't have the previous blu-ray but this new blu-ray just kills the previous dvd of this film. Sure, there is some wax effect in the close-up scenes sometimes, but not all the time. It's certainly not distracting as I was expecting after reading about everyone's complaints. But when the camera pulls back to medium shots and far shots, this is when the blu-ray shines. The majority of the film is made up of medium and far shots. The daylight scenes are also excellent. This movie doesn't look like a cartoon or characters looking like wax statues. It looks good enough for blu-ray and it looks certainly better then mediocre. If you love grain, then stick with the original blu-ray. If you don't love grain, buy the new blu-ray. If all you care about is the movie looking overall good on blu-ray, then buy the new blu-ray.

There are only really two bad video quality scenes on this blu-ray. I have no idea if that was the way it was originally done:
1. When Arnold first jumps into the waterfall
2. the mushroom cloud at the end of the film

Either way, for people that don't have the original blu-ray and you want to see PREDATORS, KNIGHT AND DAY, or A-TEAM in the theater, just buy this damn blu-ray from Best Buy so that all you are really paying for this PREDATOR blu-ray is 6 bucks. That's a pretty damn good deal for a perfectly acceptable blu-ray.

[bandit29]

Just finished it. After the briefing scene in the beginning, the movie looks pretty good. Carl Weathers looks strange. His mustache looks alive lol. If they left a little more grain and not boosted the contrast/colors so much, this could have looked great.

The 5.1 DTS-MA track sounds awesome. I have to check out the 4.0 track next.

[Sith]

Originally Posted by bandit29

Just finished it. After the briefing scene in the beginning, the movie looks pretty good. Carl Weathers looks strange. His mustache looks alive lol. If they left a little more grain and not boosted the contrast/colors so much, this could have looked great.

The 5.1 DTS-MA track sounds awesome. I have to check out the 4.0 track next.

Not worth a double dip though right, if you already have the first one?

[bandit29]

Originally Posted by Sith

Not worth a double dip though right, if you already have the first one?

If you can get it for 15 or less. I wouldn't have paid MSRP. I don't own the original but I've seen it numerous times. I always thought it was too grainy even though I like grain.

The new version isn't without problems though. Some moving shots in the jungle have too much DNR. It can look smeared. Other sequences look great though. Not all the detail has been lost. This disc isn't like Gladiator that's for sure.

[Sith]

Originally Posted by bandit29

If you can get it for 15 or less. I wouldn't have paid MSRP. I don't own the original but I've seen it numerous times. I always thought it was too grainy even though I like grain.

The new version isn't without problems though. Some moving shots in the jungle have too much DNR. It can look smeared. Other sequences look great though. Not all the detail has been lost. This disc isn't like Gladiator that's for sure.

I'll wait to hear if the new one is decent. If I want to see it, I guess I can grab the movie ticket and just about break even.

[Jmills]

Picked this up today, and already watched some of it. Let us remember that this is a film from 1987 with a fairly medium budget. I know my movies and yes some scenes are certainly flawed, but that can be said with every version of predator in the past.

You really can't go wrong with picking this up. The boost in color and brightness breaks almost even to me compared to the dark and grainy previous versions.

Plus if you want to see predators you get 10 bucks worth to see it with this purchase.

[Iron Eagle 74]

Originally Posted by toddly6666

There are only really two bad video quality scenes on this blu-ray. I have no idea if that was the way it was originally done:
1. When Arnold first jumps into the waterfall
2. the mushroom cloud at the end of the film

I'm also curious about the scene where Bill Duke(Mac) is opening up with the Minigun after Jesse Ventura(Cooper) was killed. They cut to that shot from way behind Bill Duke as he's opening up. It always looked pretty poor quality to me, just about like that waterfall scene. And we do have to remember, those scenes already looked bad originally. I'm just curious if the new blu-ray has helped at all.

[Nick Graham]

Originally Posted by Iron Eagle 74

I'm also curious about the scene where Bill Duke(Mac) is opening up with the Minigun after Jesse Ventura(Cooper) was killed. They cut to that shot from way behind Bill Duke as he's opening up. It always looked pretty poor quality to me, just about like that waterfall scene. And we do have to remember, those scenes already looked bad originally. I'm just curious if the new blu-ray has helped at all.

All the scenes like that look worse than ever, like big dark and blurry wax, but then again they will always looks bad.

The worst scene by FAR is the stuff in the beginning between Arnold, Weathers, and the General. Any time it cuts to Weathers, it looks atrocious.

[markbr]

It's good to start hearing positive comments for a change, rather then bad views from people who have not even seen it yet. My copy arrives today and I'm looking forward to watching it. Personally I found the original blu release to dark and grainy. As said in previous posts if you like grain in predator don't buy it, if not buy the new release.

[Blu-Jawa]

I find this release mush better than the 2008 blu-ray! The Fox Studio is getting it right if the "Alien" films look as good as this, that would make my year.

[beanham22]

Originally Posted by Blu-Jawa

I find this release mush better than the 2008 blu-ray! The Fox Studio is getting it right if the "Alien" films look as good as this, that would make my year.

Id lock your doors and windows if I were you.

[retablo]

Originally Posted by thebluemax

I'm glad most of the grain was removed. I hate excessive grain. I would rather have a non film look than a bunch of grain. Sold.

You should probably stick to video games then.

[toddly6666]

Originally Posted by Nick Graham

Any time it cuts to Weathers, it looks atrocious.

The way I see Weather in this film is as if his face is still healing from being knocked around from Rocky. He really does look like his face was just beaten to pulp - so if his face his DNRed or not, it doesn't really matter, he still gonna look mashed up!

[Kyo28]

Originally Posted by Blu-Jawa

I find this release mush better than the 2008 blu-ray! The Fox Studio is getting it right if the "Alien" films look as good as this, that would make my year.

God, I really hope not. If the Alien movies get DNR'ed and overprocessed, I'll have to skip that boxset.

[FendersRule]

Originally Posted by csdot

thats not possible. the current blu-ray of predator is an accurate representation of the film. it will never look like blade runner because it never did in the first place.

The current as the 2008 release you mean. It's the most accurate to the source, and it probably can't possibly look much better (anyone who says different has no idea what they are talking about). There is actual evidence to back this claim up at the AVS forums with the person who actually saw the footage material in theater in at an editing booth. This is the film, and what it resembles.

This new Predator Ultimate Edition is trash, and I feel sorry for anyone who is buying it because all they are doing is reinforcing the notion to remove grain and make the image look like an over processed digital wax museum. Terrible.

[meehan]

Originally Posted by retablo

I wrote this for an article back in 1999:

"I also believe there is a difference between the terms film and movie, feel they are often misused, will probably misuse them somewhere below. A movie, to me, is bubblegum entertainment, everything from the latest Adam Sandler debacle to such high-profile releases as "Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace." Movies, by my definition, are crowd pleasers, built for speed but not necessarily built to last. A film, on the other hand, can be just as crowd pleasing, but it offers the viewer more: a look into our social or political consciousness, a firm stance for or against a debatable issue, the exposure of a harmful truth or a greater good. Both share the same conventions of plot and structure, but the big difference is this: a movie answers all of our questions, while a film tries to raise new ones."

Couldn't have put it better myself.

[TheWildWhelk]

Originally Posted by Kyo28

God, I really hope not. If the Alien movies get DNR'ed and overprocessed, I'll have to skip that boxset.

SKIP the box set? If Fox do the same incompetent job they did on this with the BD release of Alien and Aliens i will personally hunt down, kill, and wear the skin of the cretinous halfwit that DNR'd the crap out of Predator!

Fox, you have been warned. You have turned in an atrocious transfer of a much loved sci-fi franchise classic, and botched it. Do the same for Aliens and you better look forward to naming your beneficiary.

[Rusty100]

Picked this up today (australia). Overall, it's a much nicer presentation. Any lost detail, which is rare, is detail that is not noticable when watching the film. I think this is important because I see the film as a whole, and won't be stopping it to check between versions if some dimples are more pronounced or not. Watching it, the new transfer looks much better.

[paul_66]

Man, I really hate this. I was planning on placing an order for this but have hit the brakes due to all the negatives, which I can already notice a DNR nightmare in the screenshots. But looking at screens of the previous release, I feel like I've come to the conclusion that the new transfer may be better in some way or another, like maybe deeper colors and higher definition. However, it's DNR'ed to death and that's what makes it loose some of its definition.

But for people like Rusty100 here, detail doesn't seem to matter.