A much different change of pace and tone from its predecessor- Predator 2 tries to do something more original than simply taking working elements from beforehand into an unnecessary sequel- but still seems to fall somewhat short of the first ones quality. Although Predator has never been as close to my heart as films like Terminator 2 or Die Hard- it was still a very solid sci-fi action flick and is easily one of the biggest films of the 1980's. I've always found it to be very enjoyable, from its all star cast, its jungle setting, and amazing practical effects- it felt like something we hadn't quite seen before. Fast forward 3 years to Predator 2 an obvious cash grab that does anything but the obvious. I have to say, I enjoyed this one much more than I was anticipating- and it certainly wasn't anything I expected. The film completely ditches its military plotline from the first film in favor of the L. A. police squad and their run-ins with gangs and how they mysteriously end up getting killed. It is certainly an interesting concept, and really does have its moments. Danny Glover was an entertaining lead, and I enjoyed the likes of Bill Paxton (Aliens, Apollo 13) as well. The script kinda seemed all over the place, never finding a certain task to focus on and instead rummaging through ideas in rather haphazard fashion. The special effects are really good, even better than the first perhaps, and I really enjoyed the set design as well. As for the tension and atmosphere, thats the films biggest flaw- as the last 40 minutes or so does seem to be a bit of a snooze. The pacing can just slow to a crawl at times, which is disappointing because watching it I certainly felt I should be a lot more excited than I was. In the end, Predator 2 is a fine sequel that tries to do something different. It doesn't do much for me, and has many flaws, but certainly is an improvement over a lot of other sequels in this time period and certainly could have been a whole lot worse.
My Rating: 6.1/10.
My Rating: 6.1/10.