Predator 2

Underrated, interesting sequel to the Arnold Schwarzenegger hit has Danny Glover trading in his user friendly Roger persona to play a rougher, tougher, more kick ass cop who fears heights and goes one on one with a new Predator, who has some new tricks to share with the world when he lands in LA during a wave of both crime and heat.

Danny Glover may not be Schwarzenegger but he is quite good in his role as the cop.

The action is well mounted and the big difference of having the Predator in a city VS the jungle makes for some very interesting atmospheric moments and what not. There's also some SEX! Something that was sadly missing from the first film. The first film is better but this is still a worthy action film in its own right.

"Seems he has a taste for beef."

"I didn't think he was a vegetarian."

A Predator comes to earth and presumably after hearing about one of it's colleagues' demise at the hands of Dutch Schaffer in the South American jungle, opts for a jungle of a different sort: Los Angeles in 1997, which is a violent place, cops and gangbangers battling it out on the streets. There, he runs into a hard-nosed cop (Danny Glover's Lieutenant Mike Harrigan) who sniffs a cover-up after a suspicious killing of some gangbangers and a sketchy federal agent (Gary Busey's Peter Keys; Busey does sketchy better than most, if you ask me) who is involved in the cover-up. Of the Predator, no less.

I enjoyed Predator 2 and thought Glover did a great job. He must have known that stepping into the Governator's shoes was going to be tough going. He nonetheless puts in a great performance, hunting down the alien game hunter basically all by himself.

Some great action sequences and other memorable scenes - the finale showdown is as spectacular as you would imagine. It's hard to follow in the footsteps of a film as iconic as "Predator" was, but "Predator 2" is, I feel, unfairly maligned.

Sequels are tough, but I think Predator 2 actually does a pretty solid job. We take the alien super hunter out of the jungle and throw him into the city, replace the commando Arnold and sub in seasoned veteran cop Glover. It's not perfect but I think it mostly works, people are solid here and the predator is always a fun character to watch. Can't say anyone needs to go out of their way for this, but there are worse things to toss on if you need some background noise.

To be honest, I maybe like this movie even more than the first Predator and there are plenty reasons why. The most important reason is that we get to see more screentime with the Predator in his original form, his weapons are upgraded, his kills are getting even better, we see a transition from the jungle to the city which is an amazing job from the director, we see a better character development, a pretty cool fight in the end between the main characters, a beautiful looking alien ship and a cool Alien reference. So even tho there were bunch of issues with the movie, it still is a worthy sequel to the first original movie.

"Predator 2" is ultimately a fairly satisfying action film from director Stephen Hopkins... "Director Stephen Hopkins", that should give you your first indication of how different this film is from its predecessor. Unlike McTiernan, the no-nonsense, straightforward action director who directed the first installment, Hopkins is famed for less straightforward films, such as "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers". The first few minutes of the film willserve to solidify the fact that this film is entirely different from its predecessor, with the exception of the title character. Aside from Kevin Peter Hall, who returns to play the Predator, the cast is entirely different from that of the original.

This film is set in 1997 in L.A. where rival gangs have turned the streets into a war zone and where the Predator is loose and off killing/skinning people... But the story doesn't really matter. The good news about this film is that this L.A. feels more like Gotham city than the real Los Angeles, and the comic book atmosphere really does work here. All the characters are overblown and cartoonish and the cast is fun to watch, especially Glover and Paxton.

However, the film's quality is diminished by a very uneven script, a pretty bad score, and some questionable directorial choices. But it's still an enjoyable action romp and the Predator itself is a bit more interesting here in terms of its movement and weaponry.

"Predator 2" is one of the few sequels that truly separates itself from its predecessor. However, in going for the atmosphere it goes for, "Predator 2" earns comparison to those films that are similar to it, and in that sense is merely a pleasant, good film. Compared to the original it lacks the suspense or excitement of its predecessor. This is a good film, but maybe it should be forgotten as part of the Predator franchise, as it negates "Predator"'s fearsome nature by replacing it with cartoonish violence and broad characterizations.

6/10