Watched the movie again for the first time in a while last night.
What stuck out to me was how much I liked the militia compound sequence. Why?
The explosions are fantastic. Some of the best you'll see in an action movie. Really powerful and satisfying. And this works on a few levels. It shows the audience these soldiers are not to be f**ked with. They stomp their foes with ease, and nothing really bothers them in the heat of combat. So when they're expressing fear and concern later on, you know things are very serious. Also, I dig the knowledge that the Predator is watching everything unfold. He knows these are violent people.
Also a little comment - the opening scene with the helicopters flying into the jungle is underrated. Long Tall Sally creates a excitable, energetic feeling, and when the radio is turned off, the mood changes to business. Really effective edit. There's a lot to like about this film with things that don't even involve the title character.
