The Predator appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The movie offered a solid presentation.
Sharpness worked fine, as the film seemed accurate and well-defined. Only a smidgen of softness entered into the occasional wide shot. I saw no signs of jaggies or moiré effects, and the film lacked edge haloes or print flaws.
If you suspected The Predator would come with the modern standard teal and orange palette, you’ll get what you expected, and these became heavy tints. I’d like to see action flicks dispense with those conceits, but given their restraints, they looked fine here.
Blacks came across nicely. Dark tones were deep and rich, without any muddiness or problems. In addition, low-light shots gave us smooth, clear visuals. All in all, this became a pleasing transfer.
I also felt happy with the solid DTS-HD MA 7.1 soundtrack of The Predator. The mix offered plenty of opportunities for lively auditory information, and it took good advantage of these.
From the opening combat scene to road chases to gunfire to explosions to other action elements, the mix filled the speakers on a frequent basis. The track placed information in logical spots and blended all the channels in a smooth, compelling manner.
Audio quality was also positive. Music sounded lively and full, while effects delivered accurate material. Those elements showed nice clarity and kick, with tight low-end.
Speech was always distinctive and concise, too. This mix worked well for the film.
A few extras appear, and we find four featurettes. These launch with A Touch of Black, a 10-minute, 28-second piece that includes comments from co-writer/director Shane Black, producer John Davis, co-writer Fred Dekker and actors Keegan-Michael Key, Augusto Aguilera, Sterling K. Brown, Boyd Holbrook, Trevante Rhodes and Olivia Munn.
“Touch” looks at Black’s history with the Predator franchise as well as his take on this project. A few decent nuggets emerge but much of the show just praises Black.
With Predator Evolution, we find a 20-minute, 11-second show that features Munn, Holbrook, Black, Aguilera, Brown, Key, Dekker,
production designer Martin Whist, unit production manager Bill Bannerman, puppeteers/creature effects designers Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff Jr., stunt coordinator Marny Eng, property master David Dowling, costume designer Tish Monaghan, supervising art director Michael Diner, set decorator Hamish Purdy, construction coordinator Jesse Joslin, and actors Jacob Tremblay, Thomas Jane, Brian Alexander Prince, and Jake Busey.
“Evolution” looks at the design of the Predator and related creatures as well as other ways the film brings the Predator to life. Though a little too much self-congratulation results, we still learn a lot about the subject matter, so this becomes the disc’s best featurette.
The Takedown Team fills 16 minutes, 14 seconds with info from Black, Holbrook, Key, Brown, Davis, Dekker, Munn, Rhodes, Aguilera, and Jane.
“Team” covers cast, characters and performances. Like “Touch”, this one mixes good material with praise.
Finally, Predator Catch-Up lasts nine minutes, seven seconds and shows clips from the first three Predator movies. It becomes a decent montage/summary.
Four Deleted Scenes span a total of six minutes, 55 seconds. We see “Traeger Meets McKenna” (1:39), “Lynch Goes Shopping” (1:47), “Surveying the House” (2:05) and “Nettles’ Outtakes” (1:24).
“Meets” brings some exposition, while the others offer comedic beats. “Meets” acts as the most useful of the bunch, but even it doesn’t seem like a meaningful omission.
A Gallery provides 21 images. It mixes shots of props and concept art. It delivers a good compilation, though it’s awfully skimpy and should’ve included more material.
The disc opens with ads for Deadpool 2, Predator and Alien: Covenant. We also find three trailers for The Predator.
A glib, gory attempt to revive the franchise, The Predator lacks excitement. The film tries to skate by via its own sarcasm and violence, but these trends just expose its own hollow core. The Blu-ray brings very good picture and audio along with a decent set of supplements. Maybe someday the franchise will return to glory, but The Predator fails.