The Predator Trilogy is now out this week in the UK and the US in 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray! You can buy Predator or the Predator Trilogy on either Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk. (Individual releases for Predator 2 and Predators still seem to be absent). The reviews we have so far have been quite positive which I can attest to – I’ve seen all three movies in 4K now.
Let’s start with the original Predator which was first released back in 2008 on Blu-Ray. it wasn’t the best transfer but it retained a lot of the film grain. Two years later, Fox followed it up with ‘Ultimate Hunter Edition’ – Fox heavily used digital noise reduction to get rid of all the iconic grain from the movie. Some fans liked it while a big majority hated it. Rest at ease, in the new 4K release the grain has returned. As expected with HDR, the colours are much more vibrant, the jungle is a lush green, explosions are bright and punchy. It is the definitive release of Predator.
The 4K release of Predator 2 is just as good as the first. Grain has returned again. Colours such as the Predator’s vision modes and glowing green blood are much more energetic. But wait until you get to the end and see the Predator spaceship. The orange highlights are striking.
Lastly, the Predators 4K release is probably the most disappointing – not because it’s bad but because the 1080p version was already decent enough. Sure you’ll get more detail but it’s a pretty grim looking movie to start off with despite the jungle setting. It’s also hard to get excited about this transfer when you didn’t really enjoy the movie all that much. :-/
Still, if you’ve already got a high end HDR TV, getting the Predator Trilogy is really a no-brainer. Even if you didn’t like Rodriguez’s Predators, the first Predator has never looked so good. I still consider Predator 2 to be the best Predator sequel we’ve had – it undeservedly gets a lot of stick but Fox delivered with its transfer. The only disappointing aspect of the releases is that none of them get a Dolby Atmos track – instead settling for the original DTS-MA track we already had. Also note, that most of the special features are on the included Blu-Ray discs which are carbon copies of the discs we already had.
Review Roundup
Blu-Ray.com – Predator (4.5/5)
Blu-Ray.com – Predator 2 (2.5/5)
Blu-Ray.com – Predators (3.5/5)
HighDefDigest – Predator Trilogy (4/5)
The Digital Bits (Positive)
Forbes (Positive)
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Aliens on Blu-ray is likely the best we're going to get judging from JC's track record, it'll probably be exactly the same colour timing etc in 4K.
He could surprise us and release a wax sculpture mess with digital transformations. (Judgment Day 4K)
A3 is anyone's guess, I'd want a new intermediate cut with fixed compositing.
(More on the side of the Assembly Cut, trim some of the fat.)
The theatrical cut nor the assembly cut is the best that could be made of the editing and pacing of that film.
It would still be the longest of the three original Alien films at it's best.
I always loved to look at the details and how movies were made, So when I got the Blue Ray Predator 2 I was sooo happy, because I could see the ropes they used for making Predator net slide, or the rope which pulled the jamaican gangster with dreads, I only then noticed that they used puppet face for the same Jamaican guy when net slides through his skin. Also I could notice so mush more details and textures on the Predator. So I was really happy to see it on better resolution then my VHS which still exists, but almost unwatchable (because of how many times I watched it). Or look at all the details of the Jungle in the Original one.
Of course it's probably killing the actual final results that creators were aiming for, but because these are my favorite movies, I love to look at all the small details I didn't notice before on VHS.
Plus it's kind of weird to buy a trilogy to then only later buy another movie. I've bought dozens of these duology/trilogy/quadrilogy's in the past and at my ripe old age... i kind of feel like a sucker. I'm happy with my blu-ry and dvd's tbh and I'll wait for The Predator in 4k... well if it's good, of course.
Still it's not just me right? From degrading VHS to DVD was a large step up and from DVD to Bluray was even better but shockingly movies from the 70/80/early 90's don't (to me) get any better with their 4k transfers. However older films oddly do seem better. Is it worth it to buy 4k, in most cases, no but they do seem better.