4K Ultra HD – UK Edition – 20th Century Fox – 107 min – 06 August 2018
Video format
• Intermediate Master: 4K
• Standard HDR: HDR10
• Ratio: 1.85
Soundtrack
• English DTS-HD MA 5.1
• English DTS-HD MA 4.0
• French (Parisian) SDR 5.1
Subtitles
• English
• French
It is brought to the attention of our dear readers as well as the viewing equipment specified and used by each tester of the MaG team, the rendering may differ from one installation to another, whether or not it is calibrated, as well as personal preferences and expectations may influence the rating. Moreover, the images in the article are not representative of the edition tested.
WORK – He hunts for sport
Dutch and his men were sent to Latin America to save three men, hostages from the guerilla. Dropped into the jungle, they unimpededly carried out the first part of their mission and were about to retreat when they discovered the horrificly mutilated bodies of three soldiers. They see then that they are not alone and that the being who hunts them comes from another world...
With its simple yet terribly catchy scenario and its perfect staging (a real film lesson!), Predator still remains today the reference in the field of survival primal (for proof, the last third of the film Apocalypto is a remake of this film) where the silent creature still camouflaged is a fearsome hunter who seems to occupy all space without ever appearing there. The tension is palpable and the striking scenes sound all along, especially in the last part where the creature with incredible design finally appears to everyone. And what about the final hunt with a Schwarzenegger (at the top of his art) inhabited as never before, replicas that disgust with testosterone or even the sumptuous BO of Alan Silvestri. Unsurpassable, this masterpiece of fantastic action cinema spends the years brilliantly.
IMAGE – A lucky face?
Drawn from a brand new 4K scan, the images of this Ultra HD Blu-ray will avenge the disappointments (due) of the HD master used in 2010 in the Ultimate Hunter Edition. So forget too much cleanliness, misuse of DNR (remember waxy faces), artificially overboosted contrasts and too much enhanced brightness that completely denatured the original photograph. Thanks to this quality UHD HDR10 transfer, the true aspect of the work is recovered.
The silver rendering is back with its ubiquitous grain, the details are significantly improved (the jungle is even more palpable than in the 3D version!) even when the weather conditions do not lend itself to it, the colors are much more nuanced (greens) and fished (reds), the light of the day, the reflections of the sun (on the water in particular) and the explosions gain in shine and radiance, and the naturally little-lit planes become completely dark again (it was never really dark in the Ultimate Hunter Edition) even though some shadows are now a little bit clogged.
SON – The noise is your enemy!
The English soundtrack DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 with devastating power, clear voices, serious solids and impressive spatialization for the time (a multitude of sound effects on all speakers), burys the poor French version DTS 5.1 (identical to the DVD) with weak dynamics and tends to stifle all the atmospheres (especially on the side of surrounds). However, it must be admitted that in both cases, due to dated sounds, mixing is now out of date.
CONCLUSION – The king of the jungle?
When the most badass crew of the 7th art crosses the road of a Yautja who came to our land to brace with the homo sapiens, it gives a peloch of cult action of the 80s where summer is even hotter in 4K Ultra HD. For fans, this edition is a bit like the condom. Better have it and not need it, than need it and not have it!
Artistic note
10
Video quality
8.5
Audio quality
8
0
[...] Finally, the grain inherent in the work is indeed present even if it can happen to freeze (especially during the first minutes) or to turn in tingling (in the undergrounds of the metro), resulting in a slightly worse impression than with the Ultra HD Blu-ray of the first Predator. [...]
[...] (although there is no shortage of dialogues). Higher than the two AVPs but lower than the old Predator films, this third opus does not demerit yet and remains an entertaining B series that makes [...]
. . . of the intersideral dung sold by some... Even if it mischievously moves away from the initial shutter from which it appears [...]
[...] being a simple mixture between Rambo and Alien (two huge successes at that time), the first Predator quickly became a seminal masterpiece under the leadership of producer Joel Silver [...]
The cult film, unrivalled, unrivalled thanks McTiernan.
[...] And a passage from the passenger compartment of a camera that hesitates. Kind of like a subjective Predator looking for his prey. The sound atmosphere of each car believes before [...]
[...] (in the past), the Predator « parachute » hunting off a young Comanche (the Amber revelation [...]
[...] creates a palpable tension. And between John McTiernan's still strong staging (Predator, Crystal Trap) and the quality interpretation of the entire casting (dominated [...]
[...] life. The bosses remain friendly, especially the Predator sauce (read our technical test), but nothing memorable. The bestiary unfortunately does not encourage change [...]
... Opinion of MaG (the celete wolf): In perpetual movement and carried by actors in tune, this heroic odyssey filled with visual fulgurations and epic (never free) adventures is a great adventure film with rare realism (dialogues are in Yucatec Maya, trying violence and remarkable artistic work), whose parable on the end of a civilization is memorable. A primitive and visceral survival with sumptuous exoticism that summons the spirit of Predator. [...]