Predator 2

*Originally written in 2004

The race of Predators returns to earth in this sequel to the 1987 sci-fi hit, deciding to stalk its prey in a city rather than a jungle. The claustrophobia is gone, along with the politics and the Schwarzenegger, but the amount of victims is vastly increased in this inferior, but often overlooked sequel.

The film is set in LA. It is an increasingly hot summer and gang warfare, crime, and murder is on the up. The LAPD wages a constant battle against the scum, but it seems a vigilante is wiping out some of the biggest criminals. Danny Glover stars as Lieutenant Mike Harrigan, who with his small team- Danny, Leona, and Jerry – is trying to find out who is causing these deaths, as well as keeping an eye on the chaos around them. As his team closes in on the killer, the feds tell him to back off, so he knows there is something big going on. When his team members and others continue to be slaughtered, he catches a glimpse of the killer – The Predator – who can become invisible at the touch of a button, and wipe out anyone with ease. Gary Busey from the feds, and his team (including Robert Davi) attempt to catch The Predator but fail, and  the creature sets its sights on Glover as its next victim. A final encounter approaches, but it may not take place on Harrigan’s terms.

Predator 2 is a letdown after the first film was so good. The action, tension and excitement here is toned down and inferior, but luckily it is still above average. We lose Arnie, but Glover does well as the cop with a fighting spirit. The supporting cast is good, Alonso is feisty, Paxton is as good as always but not given as much to do as I would have liked, Busey is his usual offbeat self, as is Davi, and Blades is okay. However, the sense of teamwork that should have been present, that was a strong part of the original, is gone. There are many good visual effects here, improving in some ways on the original, and The Predator has a few new and interesting weapons at his disposal. It just lacks the spark of the original though, and does not create much excitement. The dialogue is not as good, average action stuff, and the direction is solid but does not have the style and grasp of technique that McTiernen has. A good action/sci-fi movie with plenty of violence and fun, but a let down sequel which deserved to be better.

Let us know in the comments what you think of Predator 2!