REVIEW: Predator 2 (Released in 1990) [30th Anniversary]

DIRECTOR: Stephen Hopkins

PRODUCERS: Lawrence Gordon & Joel Silver & John Davis

WRITERS: Jim Thomas & John Thomas

PERFORMERS: Danny Glover Gary Busey Ruben Blades Maria Conchita Alonzo Bill Paxton

Robert Davi Morton Downey, Jr. Adam Baldwin Calvin Lockhart and Kevin Peter Hall

When Predator was released in 1987, no one expected it to be the success it became or for that matter, one of the most celebrated sci-fi classics of all time. It was just your average adventure story about a group of commandos on a rescue mission in the jungles of Central America, then they find themselves hunted by an alien warrior for a hunter and in the ploy of the 1979 classic Alien, each member is picked off one at a time until the leader is left to do battle with the otherworldly being. Since then, people not only responded to it, they resonated with it because of the standard for action films it set, truth be told it was so well received by audiences and very few critics alike, no one would have ever thought that a sequel would come into play and that's where this one did. Predator 2 is more than just a revisit to an old character, it's a mystery one can only hope to survive.

The film opens up with a big war happening in the streets of Los Angeles and what better way to start a Predator follow-up than with a bang? While the film was released in 1990, it also takes place ten years after the first one and it's the hottest time in recorded history (I certainly don't remember it being that hot in either year). In this sequel however Arnold Schwarzenegger is nowhere to be seen, his character's fate is unknown and you almost spend the whole movie thinking "Where is he and why isn't he in this one?" So in come Danny Glover, here he plays a hardened police detective, with a stubborn nature yet endless determination, who gets more than he bargained for when he comes up against the deadly extra-terrestrial hunter while investigating a series of murders in the L.A. area. And he isn't the only one, a government agent played by Gary Busey is on the trail of the alien and tries to get Glover to back off the case using your average 'that's classified' routine. And what follows from there is an extravaganza of action, mystery and thrills. Perhaps the best thing about this sequel is the reprisal of Kevin Peter Hall as the title character. In the first film, you completely bought into his portrayal of the creature and thought he was real. Real old school and had that classic feel that just felt right, in this one he plays a much younger and edgier Predator and even when behind the mask,you felt there was something brand new about this one and not once did it feel off. Suddenly the streets of L.A. become the jungle, trees are now buildings, the setting is now the city and in a way, like the first, the hunter targets on everyone and not just specific opponents.

It's been said before that sequels are never as good as the first one, but this one actually belongs up there with the sequels that managed to pull it off even if it's not as good as the first. What makes it click is the fact that this touches a bit into the alien's background: what race it is, who it really is and even why it is the way it is. The first half of it is just mystery while the second half is all action. When Glover and Busey both contend with the alien, individually, all bets are off and the cards are on the deck waiting to be dealt. I watched this when I was a kid and I liked it to say the least. Yet as I got older, I see that it's so underrated and vastly overlooked as one of those things people pointlessly compare to the first film. Sure the first was a classic that everyone loved, but this follow-up was a either like it or hate it and not once did I hate it. I liked the investigation storyline in the first half, I cared for the cops particularly Glover and they all did well on their parts, particularly Bill Paxton who served as the comic relief of the group yet the brave one. Sure he told nasty jokes but it worked for his being there and made the film worth viewing. Why this film was so unappreciated I'll probably never know nor understand, but the grittiness of the city gave the film it's eerie feel and it felt like you were seeing this somewhat filthy version of L.A. and back then, that's kind of how it was. In the 1990's almost everywhere you went in L.A. was like being in a gang ridden neighborhood and while the Predator is doing his hunting on both the Jamaican criminals and the police officers, he just doesn't care about the conflict between them like 'I'm just here to do some hunting, I don't care about what's the deal between you two. So who wants to die first?' Very interesting plot-hole there if you want my opinion. Sometimes no motive makes the show more interesting and more curious worthy. That's what made the film work for me, whenever I watched it I felt emerged into it and it made me squirm in a way that still holds up today 30 years later. Just thinking about it puts me into this feeling of uneasiness and of shiver-like presence and to me, that's what makes it good.

Now personally, I think this would have been better if John McTiernan returned to direct it or if Schwarzenegger somehow made a brief appearance, if not given a big part in this one, but Stephen Hopkins really tries his best to capture the suspense and thrills from the first entry. I could care less about the film's flaws because it takes place in the big city and maybe it's not the best place to set the story for a character like the Predator, but you have to admit when you get to the ending, you get the ultimate payoff and you forget everything else. There is a whole legion of Predators and when Glover is surrounded by them, he ends up challenging one of them and the first thing they think is: 'No way! We're outta here!' because the next thing you know, they take off for outer space and fly away, but not before their elder leader gifts Glover with a pistol from the 1700's as a sign of respect and honor, it's there you discover that they're more than just an alien race of hunters, they seek for the kind of opponents they consider worthy of a fair fight of sheer will. That's something that's missing in today's films and clearly the writers of this film knew what they were doing when they wrote this and the one before.

This was a dark and gritty film with a very classic feel to it. Sure it's not nearly as good as the first but it didn't need to be that way to be a good film. It took place in the future (seven years into the future at the time), captured the still present surroundings of L.A.,took you deeper and deeper into the creature's historical background and led you into this world of cat and mouse games being played constantly, only here it was every man and creature for himself. The more one wanted to know, the closer that person got to his answers and the result was beyond belief. You didn't know whether to run or stay and you'd think twice before coming up against something like that. But if you were somebody like Glover was here it just didn't matter, you were going to get into your weapons gear, go face to face with it and pray to God you would survive. This film however, would be the last time we would see Kevin Peter Hall in parts like this. Sadly, he died in the same year this was released and what breaks my heart is that he didn't live to see his finished work in this before his passing. To me, he will always the best Predator there ever was and no one will ever take his place. As for the film overall, the effort behind it is a worthy exception, the timing is just right and the feel of it, like I said, is exactly what it needed to be: gritty, urban and dark. So even though it's way overlooked and completely under appreciated, it still deserves some credit for at least trying to be as good as the first. Not bad, but not as memorable as the first either, if anything it deserved so much more than it got in the end. Happy 30th Anniversary to Predator 2!

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