We were big fans of Arnie by the time "Predator" was made, although given our ages, we'd viewed most of his prior films on VHS. Naturally, I loved "The Terminator" (1984) although never saw "Commando" (1985) or "Raw Deal" (1986).
By the summer of 1987, my brother, my cousin, and I were hanging out with a bunch of Greek friends with whom we regularly saw movies. Most of us would grab seats while a few others would line up at the concession stand for everybody else.
I can still hear my cousin's exclamation of frustration when he entered the darkened theatre with bags of popcorn and drinks, only to realize that the movie had already begun! (He didn't miss very much, only Jesse Ventura spitting onto Carl Weathers' shoe.)
Back in those days, suspension of disbelief was easier for me. I quickly lost the impression that I was watching a movie, and got totally swept into the action. The cinematography and musical score were immersive. (The lack of CGI probably helped.)
It's interesting to realize that two of the movie's stars were later elected to political office. Jesse Ventura as governor of Minnesota in 1999, serving one term, and Arnold Schwarzenegger as governor of California in 2003, serving two consecutive terms.
I don't think I saw any of the subsequent Predator movies, although Dark Horse Comics released a four-issue limited series in 1996 called "Tarzan vs. Predator: At the Earth's Core". If there's ever another Tarzan movie, that should be it.
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