Harry Situation’s Countdown Reviews: Predator 2

Oh man, what happened to the Predator films after the first one?

Remember how much you loved Predator? Cherish those memories because you're not getting them back from the sequels.

Predator 2 is the 1990 sequel to the hit Predator film. Instead of starring Arnold Schwartzneggar, we have Danny Glover battling against the intergalactic hunter. And instead of the Predator hunting in the jungle, he’s moved to crime central Los Angeles, hunting down warring gang members for trophies. Now on paper that sounds like a good idea. The only problem I have is that knowing that the Predators hunt through hiding and leaving no witnesses, it’s much harder to do that in a city full with 7 million people. Yet I also know that the Predators hunt wherever offers the best game. So hunting in a city where crime is very high makes some sense to me.

The film was directed by Stephen Hopkins, and it's a damn shame too. Years later he would go on to direct a film called The Ghost and The Darkness, which is one of my favorite films to watch. He had this to say about his own movie, "I'm pretty immature, really, so it was kind of a laugh". Yeah, well I'm not laughing.

So let's address some of the issues with this movie. For starters, the editing is pretty bad. There was one scene in particular where the Predator is killing some Jamaican drug cartel members and the editing looked like a cluster-fuck. I couldn't tell if it was just one Predator killing people or multiple Predators because of how badly it was edited.

The cast is... interesting to say the least. We have of course Danny Glover as the main hero fighting against the Predator. He's alright, but he's no Arnold. No cool one-liners coming from him. I can't help but think he's playing his character from the Lethal Weapon movies all over again in this film. Maybe he is too old for this shit.

However, we are treated with the insane over-acting from the insanity king himself Gary Busey, and we have some comic relief from the late, legendary Bill Paxton. Ah, Bill. I'm gonna miss you man. Not to mention we have Kevin Peter Hall reprising his iconic role as the Predator in this movie. Sadly, this would be the last time that he would ever don the suit and biomask again. In 1991, Kevin Peter Hall died from AIDS-related pneumonia after he contracted HIV from a blood transfusion.

But what hurt the movie was the lack of suspense. The Predator starts racking up body counts within the first 5-10 minutes. No build up, no suspense, and they keep showing off the Predator every chance they get. Yeah, I like seeing the Predator as much as the next fan, but you're removing all suspense that make the Predator such a stealthy and intimidating creature. In the first film, we didn't see the full view of the Predator until half an hour into the movie, and all we ever did see was from the Predator's perspective. That's how you successfully build suspense. I guess it's good that director Stephen Hopkins couldn't make this movie suspenseful but he managed to pull it off beautifully in The Ghost and the Darkness. Goes to show that he improved.

However I do like how this film added more tech and weapons to the Predator, such as introducing the combi-stick and the smart disc. And we are treated to how the Predator's code of honor works in this movie. Not to mention the audience is treated to the greatest easter egg ever in film history. Towards the end when Danny Glover comes across the trophy room on the Predator mothership, you get a glimspe of a xenomorph alien skull mounted on the wall. Because of that easter egg it's what kicked off the Aliens vs Predator series, placing the Aliens and the Predators in the same universe.

Yeah, I’m not at all fond of this film as I was with its predacessor. It’s by no means terrible. It’s just very forgettable. I didn’t remember dick from this movie. I had to rewatch it last night just so I can have some material to write. From what I heard the film didn't pass well with critics either, garnering only a mere 25% on Rotten Tomatoes right now. But the film did become a cult classic among fans. Unfortunately, I'm not among those fans.

Positives:

-Predator in action

-New Predator tech

-Decent cast

Negatives:

-Forgettable

-Editing

-Lack of suspense

Final Grade: C-

So there's my thoughts on Predator 2. Have you seen it? What were your thoughts? Like it or hate it? Please be kind, leave a like and comment, and check out more reviews here on Prose.

Best Quote:

Predator: “Want some candy?”

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