What this movie needs
Is more Predators!
Well basically I feel the design of the alien could have been somewhat less...Star Trekian?
I found it distractingly bad in an otherwise good movie.
Although I'm a great fan of Star Trek, I didn't think of Star Trek at all during a recent viewing of Enemy Mine for the first time in about 15 years. I think it carries its own universe very well in a sci-fi world where Star Wars and Star Trek dominate. The alien was very well done and a lot of thought went into its movements and sounds.
shareThe aliens looked a lot more, well, like aliens in this movie than they do in Star Trek. Star Trek aliens = characters who look like humans in all manners except they have *beep* glued/painted onto their faces. This movie was a step beyond that, in that the aliens had three fingers and had masks instead of just "stuff glued on faces". Still very humanoid looking, but I don't know how they could have pulled it off better outside of having access to CGI enhancement that didn't exist at the time.
Btw, I don't like fully CGI characters, but I think modern CGI can make an actor in makeup, mask, and costume look a lot more realistic. CGI with moderation, not replacing practical effects, can be great!