Review of Predator 2 (1990) by Zachary L — 06 Jul 2010

In 1987, a film was made that employed an incredibly simple yet slightly revolutionary film idea. It began as a simple joke floating around Hollywood about how Stallone had fought every foe he could in the Rocky movies and the only foe left for him to fight was an alien. Screenwriters Jim and John Thomas took this joke to heart and got inspired to writer the script for a film called Predator.

The idea was simple. Take a group of muscle bound action guys, stick them in the jungle, and have them put up against foes called 'predators'. Aliens whose only goal in life was to hunt. However, what was so revolutionary about the idea was what struck a chord with audiences. It had a unique way of combining both the classical action genre and the more geek proned sci-fi genre. Schwarzenegger fighting aliens. Perfecto.

Any sequel that would have been made was prone and set up to be derivative of the original. There was no way to capture the same originality of the original since its idea was so new and the sequel could do little more than simply continue a cool idea. That being said, Predator 2 is nowhere as bad as its reputation makes it out to be.

Danny Glover stars as a typical 90s cop on the edge with a foul vocabulary and aggressive attitude when it comes to the law. L.A. has become a war zone for rivaling drug gangs and Glover and his team are right in the middle of it. Only a Predator has found its way to L.A. and has targeted Glover as his chief prey. The Predator begins killing off gang members, skinning them, and hanging them upside down for Glover to find. Complicating matters, is Gary Busey showing up as a federal agent trying to cover up the whole thing as gangmembers killing eachother off because he wants to take the Predator alive and harness its advanced weaponry for the U.S.

Most people, including Schwarzenegger, criticized the change of scenery in the sequel by sticking the Predator out of his element. This was actually a smart decision on the the part of the Thomas brothers. The sequel was set up to be derivative enough, so by continuing not only the same idea but the same setting would have completely handicapped this film.

Also, viewing this film on its own terms you see just how entertaining it is. The new weaponry given to the Predators(throwing disc, retractable spear, etc.) is all cool. And Danny Glover is actually incredibly good in his part. He convinces you he is a rogue John McClane esque everyman cop defying authority at any possible opportunity. It pains me to say it, but Glover turns himself into a badass with this role. Sure, he's not Schwarzenegger but who is? Bill Paxton also shows up as a sort of comic relief, but his over the top acting actually turns out to be funny and his performance turns out to be more empathetic and thoughtful than one would expect.

There's no way to make Predator 2 out be as good, let alone better, than the original. But viewing it on its own terms, one can appreciate it for exacltly what it is: an entertaining and exceptional 90s action flick and a decent sequel to a revolutionary cult classic.