Blu-ray

A wild mix of action, horror and sci-fi genres, Predator remains one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's best-loved films. And with damned good reason…

First of all there's the ridiculously testosterone-fuelled cast (including Jesse 'The Body' Ventura, Carl 'Apollo Creed' Weathers and Sonny 'Total Nutjob' Landham). Then there's the endlessly quotable dialogue ('Ged to the choppah!') and the brilliant tonal shift from traditional '80s action flick to stalk 'n' slash mayhem at the end of the first act.

But above all of this is the Predator itself. Second only to H.R. Giger's Alien, Stan Winston's mandible-jawed, dreadlocked, extra-terrestrial big-game hunter  is a masterpiece of creature design that has never been bettered (not even in the film's own sequels and spin-offs). All this only serves to make the movie's treatment on BD all the more frustrating. Surely this a case of third time lucky for fans…

Picture: For this 3D conversion Fox has returned to the same DNR-scrubbed hi-def master that was used as the basis for the studio's 2010 'Ultimate Edition' Blu-ray platter – albeit now opened up from the original 1.85:1 framing to 1.78:1.

The 3D itself is every bit as hit-and-miss as you'd expect. McTiernan's habit of framing shots through foliage works well on occasion, but the fact is that much of the film is so dark (and is made even more so by 3D spex) that it robs the image of any attempt at creating dimensionality.

The 3D platter can also be played in 2D – which seems utterly redundant as the equally disastrous 'Ultimate Edition' disc is also included in the pack.
Picture rating: 2/5

Audio: Both Blu-ray platters feature the same DTS-HD MA 5.1 remix. While not as gung-ho as most modern action movies, the track does a good job of spreading Foley effects around the soundstage to immersive effect. Bass response also fits the bill rather well, with some solid low-end accompanying explosions and the switch to the Predator's thermal vision during its point-of-view shots. However, the biggest beneficiary is Alan Silvestri's memorable score, which has never sounded better.
Audio rating: 4/5

Extras: The 3D disc features no extras whatsoever – which is presumably why Fox throws in a copy of its 2010 Ultimate Edition platter as well. On this you'll find audio and text commentaries, a half-hour Making of… (plus four extra interview snippets that presumably didn't fit in the main documentary), seven additional behind-the-scenes featurettes, a deleted scene, outtakes, special effects tests and some promo featurettes for Predators.
Extras rating: 3.5/5

We say: It may have been given a 3D makeover but Predator remains one ugly muther****er on Blu-ray

Predator 3D, 20th Century Fox, All-region BD, £28 Approx
HCC VERDICT: 2/5