Predator (1987) - #108

Empire top 301: #108
IMDb top 250: -

Rating 8/10

Director: John McTiernan
Writers: John Thomas & Jim Thomas
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura & Shane Black

"If it bleeds, we can kill it."

A team of commandos led by "Dutch" (Schwarzenegger) are dispatched into the Jungle on a mission to rescue a presidential cabinet minister who has been abducted by guerrilla forces. Unbeknownst to the group they are being hunted by an extraterrestrial killer, the Predator, who was jettisoned to earth by a space craft to hunt man for sport and collect their skulls as trophies. 

Had the Empire 500 list been compiled of movies based on critics choice only, this movie would never had made the cut. A lot of movies on the list wouldn't have made the cut. But I would say Predator is a bit of a Sci-Fi classic. I think it's a really well made action film and it's definitely stood the test of time. The movie is so quotable and features one of my favourite lines and delivery of a line ever...."you're one ugly motherfucker!"

I love the Jungle setting and think it's shot extremely well, some great cinematography. The score from Alan Silvestri is great and fits the tone of the movie perfectly. I still love the now iconic Predator costume, designed by Stan Winston and think it to be one the greatest movie monster creations ever. There are some excellent action scenes in the movie, complete with lots of explosions and gore and full of suspense. 

The whole cast does a pretty good job; it's not the kind of movie that calls for Oscar worthy scenery chewing. Arnold is perfectly cast as "Dutch" and he and Carl Weathers have some great scenes together. I love how macho the guys are and they all work well together and the dialogue they're given is really funny 

I like the pacing of the film and the fact the movie doesn't stop to explain anything, it's just all out action from the start. The tense final showdown between Dutch and The Predator is why the movie gets an 8 out of 10 for me. A definite classic. 

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) - #28

Empire top 301: #28
IMDb top 250: #34

Rating 9/10

Director: James Cameron
Writers: James Cameron & William Wisher Jr. 
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, Joe Morton & Edward Furlong

"Hasta la vista, baby"

Set 10 years after the events in the first Terminator, another T-101 cyborg is sent back in time, but this time not to complete the previous failed mission to kill Sarah Connor but to protect her son John Connor from another more advanced and powerful Terminator, the T-1000. Sarah, John and the T-101 seek out Miles Dyson (no relation) who works for Cyberdyne to try and change the future by stopping him from creating new a microprocessor that will form the basis for Skynet. Reuniting Schwarzenegger and Hamilton from the first movie, T2 features the two working together and this adds a whole new spin on the story and was a brilliant decision.

Where the first movie was parts action and horror, T2 is just all out action; amazingly filmed action that you can see has influenced so many movies that have followed it. Again Cameron along with William Wisher Jr. has produced an amazing script, filled with even more memorable dialogue and genuine, real laugh out loud moments. There was a time many years ago when I was obsessed with this movie and I could recite every word. 

The film features some of the most amazing action set pieces ever and for the time some really unbelievable CGI. The dirt bike chase scene with the huge truck leaping from the road above down into a concrete flood channel is still spectacular, the kind of stunt where you watch and firstly think "wow", and then secondly "how did they do that?" T2 is much more violent than the first movie, however the fact the 'good' Terminator agrees not to kill people it doesn't feel as extreme. The special effects are amazing and they did a great job on the T-1000's shapeshifting and dissolving into liquid. 

Arnold is still amazing in the role that made him famous, the character has a complete shift in personality but Arnold still makes him menacing, funny and on this time out even a little sweet. I love the relationship between the Terminator and Edward Furlongs' John Connor. Furlong gives a really mature and great performance, although I forgot how screechy and squeaky his voice is at times. He too has some great lines..... "did you call moi, a dipshit?" for example! 

Linda Hamilton is like a completely new character in this movie, gone is the awful perm and constant screaming, replaced by a ripped bad ass chick, to rival Ellen Ripley, who knows how to handle herself. Not only does she look the part but her performance is much improved from T1. I still get goosebumps during the scene when she encounters Schwarzeneggers' Terminator again for the first time. Robert Patrick is a really cool villain and I love how they've reversed the roles, with the big bulky guy being the protector and the skinny scrawny guy being the villain and the more dangerous of the two. 

Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a brilliant sci-fi action film; much better than the first. It's an 
absolute must see classic! 

The Terminator (1984) - #107

Empire top 301: #107

IMDb top 250: #174

Rating 8/10

Director: James Cameron

Writers: James Cameron

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton & Michael Biehn

"I'll be back!"

The franchise has now became more known for it's Arnie catchphrases (see above), poor sequels (not including T2) and on set meltdowns (remember Christian Bale's rant at some poor crew member), but the first Terminator released almost 30 years ago is a genuine landmark in Sci-Fi action/horror filmmaking. Schwarzenegger is a cyborg assassin sent back in time from the year 2029 to "Terminate" Sarah Connor (Hamilton), the mother of John Connor, who will grow up and lead humanity in the war against the machines.  Kyle Reese (Biehn) - a human - is also sent back in time to protect Sarah against the deadly cyborg. 

This is the movie that made James Cameron a real force in Hollywood and it's no surprise, his script is clever, interesting and quite dark with some brilliant, quotable dialogue (most, if not all said by Arnold) and his direction is great with bucket loads of tension and superb action set pieces. The special effects, animatronics and make-up do, at times, look a little dated by todays standards but the fact they did what they did with such little budget is astonishing. 

The acting is alright, if maybe a little bit hammy in places. Schwarzenegger is perfectly cast as the Terminator, a cyborg of few words but with a massive presence. The few words he does have are delivered brilliantly and hilariously and are so ingrained in pop culture that even if you've never seen the movie you know the quotes and you know who says them. Michael Biehn is a bit hammy at times but not a completely terrible performance and Linda Hamilton's shocking perm will distract you from any kind of performance she is giving, which on the whole is pretty good.

Now, I can't talk about The Terminator without talking about the amazing score. The film features one of the best electronic scores ever! The main theme by Brad Fiedel is instantly recognisable and once in your head you'll be humming it all day long. 

The Terminator is by no means a perfect film; it does look a bit dated now and the Sarah & Kyle romance seems a bit obvious and not needed however, it is a film filled with some great, tension filled, scary moments, some laugh out loud brilliant dialogue and a pitch perfect performance from Arnold Schwarzenegger. It's rightly so become a bit of a classic and it's definitely one to watch!