In a world as complex and nuanced as ours, it’s not uncommon to find people looking for meaning in places where sometimes none exists. One of my favorite examples of this is the Predator franchise. Even though none of the movies really present any kind of unifying theme, a cursory online search will reveal hundreds of blogs, videos and forum threads all arguing over the hidden meaning behind the alien hunter’s signature dreadlocks, armor and body paint.
In one particularly hilarious video essay on Medium, a guy goes into an exhaustive breakdown of the symbolism behind the Predator’s body armor and concludes that it represents the layers of society and that it’s all about class struggle. In another video blog on Youtube, a guy with a lot more time on his hands than I have argues that the design of the Predator’s armor is actually based off of ancient Mayan art.
I’m here today to tell you all that you’re wrong. Really wrong. The Predator symbolizes all kinds of things, but mostly he symbolizes other movies.”
1. In Predator, the hero Dutch wears a solid green tank top and cargo shorts, with no socks or shoes. This symbolizes the 80’s environment in which the movie was made. People were more free then in terms of their clothing and it also shows that they are going on an expedition where clothes will be less important than function.
2. The predator ship is a symbol for technology and advancement for two reasons: firstly, it is a clear show of technology because it is an alien spacecraft, but it also represents development from other ages. For example, in previous times of war, camouflage was used to hide from enemies in the woods. Nowadays, our technology is so advanced that we can hide from enemies anywhere; even in space or underwater.
3. The predators’ main weapon, the plasma caster is a symbol of the rapid evolution of man’s weaponry throughout time. It resembles a futuristic machine gun, something we have never seen before today but has been around since the early 1900’s. It can kill man at far distances and has only one weak point: it makes a lot of noise when fired, thus giving away its location to nearby humans.
4. The jungle as an environment represents nature as whole and how powerful it can be. It can
Film is an art form that relies heavily on symbolism and metaphor. Whether the filmmaker is trying to encode a hidden political message in his work or simply trying to make the film more aesthetically pleasing, symbolism is almost inevitable. The film Predator (1987) offers a wealth of symbolism for our analysis.
The Predator costume itself represents the US military industrial complex. It is essentially a collection of advanced armaments. The predator’s “smart guns” are similar to drones used in modern warfare, and its “skinning knife” represents CIA paramilitary activities around the world.
The jungle setting represents America’s desire to control foreign countries (in this case, Central America). When Dutch eliminates the Predator at the end of the film, he is symbolically standing up against American imperialism. While this interpretation may be true, it overlooks another important element of Dutch’s character: his Native American heritage.
Dutch’s name is a reference to his ancestry as well as his place of birth (Dutch Harbor in Alaska). Since he was raised among Native Americans, he had access to their unique spiritual traditions and herbal lore. This explains how he was able to defeat such a formidable enemy and how he was able to revive Dillon at the end of
Predator is a 1987 American science fiction action film directed by John McTiernan and written by brothers Jim and John Thomas. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as the leader of an elite paramilitary rescue team on a mission to save hostages in guerrilla-held territory in Central America. The film also stars Carl Weathers, Elpidia Carrillo, Bill Duke, Jesse Ventura, Sonny Landham, Richard Chaves, R. G. Armstrong, and Kevin Peter Hall.
Predator was released in the United States on June 12, 1987. The film grossed $59 million in the U.S., with worldwide earnings at $98.9 million at the box office making it one of the most successful films ever released by 20th Century Fox. A sequel, Predator 2, was released in 1990.
In 1997, a crossover film featuring both the Alien and Predator species was released titled Alien vs. Predator directed by Paul W. S. Anderson and starring Sanaa Lathan and Raoul Bova; crossover sequels followed with Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem in 2007 and Predators in 2010.[A fourth installment was released in 2018 titled The Predator directed by Shane Black with Boyd Holbrook starring as Quinn McKenna and Trevante Rhodes as Nebraska Williams.[
The Predator franchise is based
The Predator is an alien U.S. Sci-Fi/Action/Horror film series created by John McTiernan. The original film, Predator was released in 1987, and was a box office success, and has since gained a cult following. In 1990, a sequel was made titled Predator 2. In 2010, director Nimrod Antal directed the reboot of the franchise titled Predators. A sequel to this reboot is set for 2018 release.
The first film follows a group of elite commandos tasked with infiltrating Central American jungles and rescuing hostages from guerrilla forces. However as the group makes their way through the jungle, they begin to be hunted by an invisible extraterrestrial creature that eventually begins to pick them off one by one.
The second film takes place in 1997 in Los Angeles, where the city is being overrun by drug cartels and gangs who are terrorizing the city’s inhabitants. A police Lieutenant named Mike Harrigan investigates into the killings done by these criminals and comes across another threat in the form of a new Predator who has come to hunt down drug dealers using advanced weaponry and technology as trophies.
In Predators, Seven strangers find themselves manipulated into becoming the prey of a group of Predator aliens who have assembled them onto an unidentified planet as part of a ritual
The Predator is a 1987 film about an elite task force that encounters a powerful, nearly invisible extraterrestrial lifeform.
The Predator is a 1987 science fiction action film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and directed by John McTiernan. The film follows a group of commandos sent in to rescue hostages from guerrilla fighters in Central America. They soon find themselves hunted by a technologically advanced hunter who can make himself invisible.
It was followed by two sequels, 1990’s Predator 2 and 2010’s Predators. There have also been numerous spin-offs, including the Alien vs. Predator series of films, novels and comics.