Review of Predator 2 (1990) by Jason D — 16 Jul 2010

With the HUGE success of the original Predator, it was only a matter of time before a sequel was devised, and while the Predator monster was of course number 1 with a bullet on a must have list, a close second was Arnold Schwarzenegger, who unfortunately could not be told into returning, which leads us to the Predator 2 that was.

The newest Predator now finds itself in a newer, more threatening jungle, a concrete jungle in a then-futuristic (1997; then only 5 years away from the film's release) L.A. where crime and drug wars run wild, leaving just about every citizen with a gun in their hand thus making them a prime target for the ferocious alien.

On the good side is Danny Glover (a hilarious choice but a fun one nonetheless) as a tough-as-nails cop alongside equally tough (and amusing) friends Ruben Blades, Maria Conchita Alonso, Bill Paxton, and Gary Busey (!!), with the late Keven Peter Hall returning to don the Predator get-up for one more time.

There's a lot of bang and boom for your buck in this film, and the end result is actually pretty fun and entertaining, but a lot of that has to do with the heavily dated look and feel of the film, not to mention a load of unintentional comedy.

There's a solid hard-edge to the film, but nothing in comparison to the original, superior version. I still love this movie to death despite all of its flaws and such, but it's definitely day and night compared to the first one and in the end, if I had to choose, it's pretty clear which one I'd prefer.

Still, this charming little sequel was second best for a long time, easily beating out the two ill-fated Alien vs. Predator films and only recently being dethroned by the newest Predators that has just dropped.

Good movie though.