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(image via Predator)
Predator (as portrayed by Kevin Peter Hall)
Jean Claude Van Damme actually played the Predator in the first few scenes, but they decided he was too small to go head to head with Jesse and Arnold. Kevin Peter Hall also played the pilot that extracts Dutch from the jungle after the Predator is destroyed.
The girls were so excited when the Predator finally took of his mask. One of the first things they told floyd when she got home was a description of his four independently moving fangs.
The only time they were really startled was during the revelation of the skinned bodies near the beginning of the movie. It only took them a few beats before they started complimenting the “stage magic” involved in creating such realistic gore.
something is out there waiting for us, and it ain’t no man or what’s got billy so spooked
Floyd is out of town and Finn, Fall and I had a special midweek school night movie night with popcorn and homemade chocolate chip ice cream. We watched the classic 1987 scifi-action film, Predator, starring Arnold (finn:hey that guy is the Terminator) Schwarzenegger and another then future governor, Jesse “The Body” Ventura. They loved the movie. Finn demonstrated a true understanding and appreciation for the genre during the initial commando raid on the guerilla stronghold when she shouted out, “They need to use the big gun. USE THE BIG GUN!!” She was of course referring to the Gatling gun carried by Ventura’s character, Blain.
There were lots of questions, but the girls never took their eyes off the screen to ask them. Subjects discussed included:
- Guerillas vs. Gorillas
- Does the Predator have a shape?
- Can he change forms?
- Can the Predator be killed? (“If it bleeds, I can kill it.”)
- Why does the Predator kill humans?
- What kind of trophy does he make out of them? Is it one trophy or many trophies?
- Did he wreck his spaceship or can he control it remotely?
- Why is the commando team sneaking into the country? Why do some countries not allow people to cross their borders?
- Will the Predator’s blood burn her? (after the female prisoner gets some of the glowing green blood on her hand)
- Why does Billy, the native american tracker (see above), cut himself before his final confrontation with the Predator?
- Does the Predator have other types of vision besides heat vision?
- Why does the Predator destroy himself in the end?
It was a lot of fun to watch with them. They were startled by few of the startling scenes, but never really scared.
Floyd comes back tonight sometime. Finn and Fallie missed her, but they only got teary the first night at bedtime. I am glad that they are sensitive but strong enough to handle situations like this. I missed Floyd, but I have had a fun time with my girls.
