PredatrHuntr
Master Member
So here I am watching P1 and P2 on my laptop at work and I realize what one of the key features of the Predator is. Actually there are 2 key features that make this creature believable.
1. Animatronic mandibles. They had operators off on the side of the set using those funky R/C controls to operate and move the mandibles...the upper and lower ones could ALL move independently. This gives the mandibles a more natural movement. Watching the movie I immediately noticed that the mandibles are always twitching and moving which reminded me of spider legs or insect antenna.
2. Human eyes. Kevin Peter Hall's eyes had contacts, yes, but my point is that they were the eyes of a human actor and were REAL. Not animatronic or computer generated. Seeing those human eyes behind the makeup, colored contacts under that mask is what makes it so convincing.
So then, I briefly watched some of AVP and AVPR and thats when it hit me - those Predators didn't have human eyes in either of those movies AND the mandibles were either CGI or the animatronics were just so-so. In fact in AVPR Wolf has two different eyes altogether. In the beginning on the ship you can see white eyes and both are identical, so they forgot to damage one. Later in the movie, you see that he's blind in one eye. Major screw up and inconsistency there.
I'm REALLY HOPING that Predators goes back to animatronic controlled mandibles and that we can see the eyes of the guys in the suits. Crossing my fingers...
1. Animatronic mandibles. They had operators off on the side of the set using those funky R/C controls to operate and move the mandibles...the upper and lower ones could ALL move independently. This gives the mandibles a more natural movement. Watching the movie I immediately noticed that the mandibles are always twitching and moving which reminded me of spider legs or insect antenna.
2. Human eyes. Kevin Peter Hall's eyes had contacts, yes, but my point is that they were the eyes of a human actor and were REAL. Not animatronic or computer generated. Seeing those human eyes behind the makeup, colored contacts under that mask is what makes it so convincing.
So then, I briefly watched some of AVP and AVPR and thats when it hit me - those Predators didn't have human eyes in either of those movies AND the mandibles were either CGI or the animatronics were just so-so. In fact in AVPR Wolf has two different eyes altogether. In the beginning on the ship you can see white eyes and both are identical, so they forgot to damage one. Later in the movie, you see that he's blind in one eye. Major screw up and inconsistency there.
I'm REALLY HOPING that Predators goes back to animatronic controlled mandibles and that we can see the eyes of the guys in the suits. Crossing my fingers...