Now here is a textbook case of doing everything wrong in a sequel. 1990's Predator 2 refuses or fails to preserve what made the first Predator any good, makes some terrible creative decisions, and falls into a toxic vat of clichés. It has story problems, casting problems, and originality problems. The novelty of the Predator has worn out in this film, and the whole thing was a bore from start to finish. It's no wonder that this movie isn't brought up much when discussing the Predator franchise; it's overwhelmingly forgettable.
So this time around, the locale has changed from a dense Mexican jungle to the city of Los Angeles. While this film could be admired for risking such a style change, the effect is unoriginal and very out-of- place. It takes away from the Predator's primal mystique. Also, for whatever reason, the script introduces an entirely new cast of characters, without a single returning actor and scarcely a mention of Arnold's original team. Again, this is not a bad change in and of itself, but here it only leads to a rehash of familiar plot devices. The audience already knows that the mystery killer is an alien hunter, but they still have to spend over an hour watching the main characters figure it out. Where's the fun, or the suspense, in that?
The same can be asked of the Predator itself. At this point we've seen what the Predator can do, and this movie doesn't offer any new tricks. It looks the same, acts the same, and shamelessly rips itself off by copying the heat-vision POV (which is utilized randomly and pointlessly here), as well as the mask removal scene. They even reuse the 'ugly motherf@#$er' line. The movie would have been better served if the antagonist was a new variant of the Predator with some new tricks up its sleeve, à la the 2010 sequel Predators.
Like the first film, Predator 2 has some character issues. Replacing the always enjoyable Arnold Schwarzenegger is Danny Glover, who makes a horrendous protagonist. He is constantly angry, overly violent, and completely unlikeable, and is just not believable as an action hero. The rest of the underdeveloped cast is just as bad, relying either on forced exposition to describe characters or painfully obvious archetype clichés to develop them. We hear about how much of a hero Glover's character is even though this is never demonstrated, and about his longtime friendship with his police partner, though this is never proved in their interactions. At one point, a female cop grabs a flirting Bill Paxton by the family jewels and threatens him to leave her alone. Okay, we get it; she's a strong and independent woman who doesn't take crap from anyone. There were many better ways to show it. Ultimately, you won't remember any of these characters ten minutes after you finish the movie.
Put all these factors together and you get a severe lack of entertainment. While the first film was riveting and intense, this one is just an unremarkable bore. The story was lame and unwanted, the Predator itself is now derivative, and the characters are pathetic. The best thing about it was the musical score, and of course it was ripped straight from the original. The most interesting thing this movie had to offer was the possibility of a crossover with another classic sci-fi monster (and we all know how that eventually turned out). Don't waste your time with the lackluster Predator 2. I give it 2 out of 10 stars.
So this time around, the locale has changed from a dense Mexican jungle to the city of Los Angeles. While this film could be admired for risking such a style change, the effect is unoriginal and very out-of- place. It takes away from the Predator's primal mystique. Also, for whatever reason, the script introduces an entirely new cast of characters, without a single returning actor and scarcely a mention of Arnold's original team. Again, this is not a bad change in and of itself, but here it only leads to a rehash of familiar plot devices. The audience already knows that the mystery killer is an alien hunter, but they still have to spend over an hour watching the main characters figure it out. Where's the fun, or the suspense, in that?
The same can be asked of the Predator itself. At this point we've seen what the Predator can do, and this movie doesn't offer any new tricks. It looks the same, acts the same, and shamelessly rips itself off by copying the heat-vision POV (which is utilized randomly and pointlessly here), as well as the mask removal scene. They even reuse the 'ugly motherf@#$er' line. The movie would have been better served if the antagonist was a new variant of the Predator with some new tricks up its sleeve, à la the 2010 sequel Predators.
Like the first film, Predator 2 has some character issues. Replacing the always enjoyable Arnold Schwarzenegger is Danny Glover, who makes a horrendous protagonist. He is constantly angry, overly violent, and completely unlikeable, and is just not believable as an action hero. The rest of the underdeveloped cast is just as bad, relying either on forced exposition to describe characters or painfully obvious archetype clichés to develop them. We hear about how much of a hero Glover's character is even though this is never demonstrated, and about his longtime friendship with his police partner, though this is never proved in their interactions. At one point, a female cop grabs a flirting Bill Paxton by the family jewels and threatens him to leave her alone. Okay, we get it; she's a strong and independent woman who doesn't take crap from anyone. There were many better ways to show it. Ultimately, you won't remember any of these characters ten minutes after you finish the movie.
Put all these factors together and you get a severe lack of entertainment. While the first film was riveting and intense, this one is just an unremarkable bore. The story was lame and unwanted, the Predator itself is now derivative, and the characters are pathetic. The best thing about it was the musical score, and of course it was ripped straight from the original. The most interesting thing this movie had to offer was the possibility of a crossover with another classic sci-fi monster (and we all know how that eventually turned out). Don't waste your time with the lackluster Predator 2. I give it 2 out of 10 stars.