Review of Predator 2 (1990) by Alison C — 13 Apr 2012

As a maverick cop tries to clean up the streets of a drug riddled LA, he soon discovers that there is another hunter in the city who is there for a completely different reason.

The 'Predator' franchise returns for it's second entry and this time relocates to the urban jungle. Now, there is a rule of thumb that sequels usually carry the curse of not being as good as the originals, and unfortunately 'Predator 2' falls into this trap as well. The plot is even thinner than it's predecessor, and the drug gangs storyline is soon forgotten about and ends up just being a game of cat and mouse with the no real direction. Danny Glover plays his obsessive character well and the inclusion of Bill Paxton playing a wise-cracking cop (not dissimilar to the character he plays in another famous franchise) makes for good comedy relief. The rest of the characters are all pretty unlikeable and you really don't care whether they live or die. Even the returning Kevin Peter Hall as the new Predator just doesn't seem to have the same flare as before. There are a lot more special effects in this movie, and there is unfortunately quite a bit of dodgy blue-screening. There are no radical departures in the creature effects, and they are all handled well. The movie really heats up towards the climax, where there are some real nice touches. All in all, this entry in the franchise is still enjoyable but is nowhere as good at the original, but I still have a soft spot for it.