Yup, you heard me, a real disappointment, especially after how great the first "Predator" movie was. But of course, everyone could've seen this coming, because that's how sequels tend to be like; very, very pale in comparison to the original.
This time we have the Predator not in the jungles of Central America, but now in the streets of Los Angeles that has become over-run with a gang war between the Jamaicans and the Columbians. Putting the Predator in the big city wasn't a terrible idea, because where else could you put him besides the jungle? But the thing is, it worked a whole lot better when he was in the jungle, because you could feel the deadly silence and the claustrophobic feel. But in a metropolis like LA, you're just gonna find yourself being distracted, and you can't focus enough on the Predator to be intimidated by it. And also, the film spends over 20 minutes trying to hide the Predator behind its camouflage, question is, why? We've already seen the Predator before and we already know what it looks like, so the movie is basically wasting time trying to keep us guessing.
But what really killed this movie for me was Danny Glover. And "Predator 2" did nothing for him except prove one fact; Glover can't play the bad@$$/maverick cop. Why? Because that's just not him, he's better off being the good cop who plays by the rules in the "Lethal Weapon" series. He somewhat acts very awkward when he tries to be the tough guy, but that's just ruined by his stilted mannerisms and his good boy face. An the bottom line is, he's just not very convincing. And what makes it even worse, is that his character "Mike Harrigan" is totally shallow and not a lot is explained about him. For instance, who is Mike Harrigan? What are his motives for him being a maverick? Did he used to have a family? What were his past experiences like? Movie doesn't say. In the original "Predator", we knew who Dutch Schaeffer was, we knew he was an ex-combatant who got involved in too many battles and he's seen a lot of death happen. And that's when he decided to tone himself down and become a rescuer and not an assassin.
And also the supporting cast is way outta the league of the one in the first movie. The special forces team members were their own individual characters and we basically wanted to see a spin-off prequel for each of those characters. But in Predator 2, all we get is Bill Paxton being bought in to do what he does best; comic relief. But the jokes that tells are so out-of-place and awkward, and in a few small parts, you can tell that Paxton is just embarrassed to be there in front of the camera and spewing out those crappy lines.
Gary Busey's performance is nothing special, and he basically just keeps the same expression throughout the whole way. And the idea of an NSA agent trying to capture an alien isn't even realistic.
But one thing I liked about this one is that it revealed new facts about the Predator itself. It reveals that it follows a code and a law and the killings that it commits is just an act of sport. And it only kills those who are armed and it doesn't strike at a pregnant woman so it won't take away any innocent lives.
But the action just doesn't interest you and the suspense is pretty much abysmal. Just watch this if you want to learn more about the alien and if you are a real die-hard fan of the first movie....even though you might be disappointed.
This time we have the Predator not in the jungles of Central America, but now in the streets of Los Angeles that has become over-run with a gang war between the Jamaicans and the Columbians. Putting the Predator in the big city wasn't a terrible idea, because where else could you put him besides the jungle? But the thing is, it worked a whole lot better when he was in the jungle, because you could feel the deadly silence and the claustrophobic feel. But in a metropolis like LA, you're just gonna find yourself being distracted, and you can't focus enough on the Predator to be intimidated by it. And also, the film spends over 20 minutes trying to hide the Predator behind its camouflage, question is, why? We've already seen the Predator before and we already know what it looks like, so the movie is basically wasting time trying to keep us guessing.
But what really killed this movie for me was Danny Glover. And "Predator 2" did nothing for him except prove one fact; Glover can't play the bad@$$/maverick cop. Why? Because that's just not him, he's better off being the good cop who plays by the rules in the "Lethal Weapon" series. He somewhat acts very awkward when he tries to be the tough guy, but that's just ruined by his stilted mannerisms and his good boy face. An the bottom line is, he's just not very convincing. And what makes it even worse, is that his character "Mike Harrigan" is totally shallow and not a lot is explained about him. For instance, who is Mike Harrigan? What are his motives for him being a maverick? Did he used to have a family? What were his past experiences like? Movie doesn't say. In the original "Predator", we knew who Dutch Schaeffer was, we knew he was an ex-combatant who got involved in too many battles and he's seen a lot of death happen. And that's when he decided to tone himself down and become a rescuer and not an assassin.
And also the supporting cast is way outta the league of the one in the first movie. The special forces team members were their own individual characters and we basically wanted to see a spin-off prequel for each of those characters. But in Predator 2, all we get is Bill Paxton being bought in to do what he does best; comic relief. But the jokes that tells are so out-of-place and awkward, and in a few small parts, you can tell that Paxton is just embarrassed to be there in front of the camera and spewing out those crappy lines.
Gary Busey's performance is nothing special, and he basically just keeps the same expression throughout the whole way. And the idea of an NSA agent trying to capture an alien isn't even realistic.
But one thing I liked about this one is that it revealed new facts about the Predator itself. It reveals that it follows a code and a law and the killings that it commits is just an act of sport. And it only kills those who are armed and it doesn't strike at a pregnant woman so it won't take away any innocent lives.
But the action just doesn't interest you and the suspense is pretty much abysmal. Just watch this if you want to learn more about the alien and if you are a real die-hard fan of the first movie....even though you might be disappointed.