The Predator: 7 Biggest Overlooked Positives

The use of practical effects was critical to Shane Black’s retro pitch for the film, so much so that he famously took to social media in order to promote it as one of the big draws. Back in April 2017, he proudly boasted on Twitter that he was standing next to ‘’a 7-foot tall gentleman in a Predator suit -- so no, it is not all CGI’’. This was a dream-come-true for movie fans, who have remained sceptical of digital effects intruding upon nostalgic franchises, ever since the green-screen migraine that was The Phantom Menace.

Now as with the aforementioned R-rating, it’s worth noting that the mere use of things like animatronics is not necessarily a virtue. After all, it was the default method for doing things a few decades ago and it didn’t always pan out successfully. That’s because, just like anything else in filmmaking, practical effects are only worthwhile if they’re done right.

Luckily, The Predator’s prosthetics are universally great, even when put under harsh lighting conditions, such as in the lab sequence. There’s something nice and tactile about having a real creature interacting with the cast and Stan Winston's Yautja design is obviously iconic, so it was fulfilling to see it done justice by expert craftsmen.

It's a shame that this impressive work is later supplanted by a wonky cartoon monster, because the dodgy CGI in the third act (presumably a knock-on effect of the infamous reshoots) has regrettably dominated discussion of the film’s effects, effectively undermining the top-notch practical stuff.