The 25 Greatest Sci-Fi Films of All-Time, Ranked

21. Predator

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Original Release — June 12, 1987

Only the fiercest hunter in the cosmos would dare to take on Arnold Schwarzenegger. It’s hard to imagine the pitch for this action/sci-fi classic was anything less than that. Perfectly establishing in the first act just how elite Dutch’s (Schwarzenegger) commando team is, it would seem nothing on Earth could take them down — so something from the black vastness of space descends on them to take on the challenge.

Able to outwit and outgun the team at the destructive actions they are best at, the alien menace forces the Dutch to take increasingly primal methods of battle. There is something revolutionary about its visuals — seeing these muscle-bound best-of-the-best warriors cower in fear at every twig snapping in the jungle makes us as uneasy as they are. The perfectly executed tension and blistering bullet-spraying of the commandos facing off against an intergalactic trophy hunter should be necessary viewing for all aspiring filmmakers.