The 80’s and early 90’s were a really weird time. A movie would come out and the sequel inevitably went way crazier, larger, and more intense than anyone could possibly expect. If you think about it, that’s what happened with Alien and Aliens. It certainly happened with Gremlins and Gremlins 2: The New Batch. It could even be argued with Rambo and Terminator and their sequels. There was this delightful absurdity where no one really questioned going bigger. In fact, it became the norm and was what we expected pretty often. Looking back on it, it didn’t make a whole lot of sense but godDAMN was it fun!
Such was the case with Predator and it’s 1990 sequel Predator 2. The original was a tight and, in a way, understated sci-fi action/horror that created one of the most iconic movie villains to this day. However, being that it took place in a jungle, there wasn’t really all that much that director John McTiernan could do in terms of offering visual variety. That’s where the sequel came in.
Directed by Stephen Hopkins (The Ghost and the Darkness, A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child) and starring many of the actors from Aliens, such as Bill Paxton and María Conchita Alonso, Predator 2 went from the jungles of Central America to the concrete jungles of Los Angeles. Additionally, and for no good reason that I can think of, it took place in the future, specifically the year 1997.
Just like the first film, the plot is rather simple. LA is in the middle of a scorching heat wave AND is caught in the terror of an incredibly violent and destructive turf war between Colombian and Jamaican gangs. The Predator decides to make LA his hunting ground since it seems like there are a ton of potential competitors. One such competitor is Danny Glover, whose character “Lieutenant Michael Harrigan” is impulsive, headstrong, and intent on finding the “assassin” that ends up killing his detective Danny (Ruben Blades).
Meanwhile, Special Agent Peter Keyes (played by Gary Busey) is trying to keep Harrigan away from the crime scenes because he’s, in a totally foreseeable twist, fully aware that many of the deaths that are occurring are the result of the extraterrestrial hunter.
Everything culminates in a one-on-one battle inside the Predator’s spaceship. It’s a laughable segment because if Arnold couldn’t defeat a Predator without dropping a goddamn log on its fucking head, how are we supposed to believe that Danny Glover, who was already “…getting too old for this shit” in two Lethal Weapon movies prior to Predator 2, could whup its ass? Still, that’s part of the charm of Predator 2. It flat out didn’t give a fuck and, as a result, it’s a wildly entertaining mess!
The film wasn’t nearly as strong of a financial success as the original. This might explain why it took over 20 years for a sequel to arrive, although many of us know what a boring disaster THAT was. However, in the years since its release, Predator 2 has developed a strong cult following. Additionally, it created a HUGE stir when it was shown on the spaceship’s wall that the Predator had a Xenomorph skull as one of its trophies. The Alien vs Predator craze blew up, even though it began a year earlier in a Dark Horse comic. Ultimately, that concept created two films and has spawned several comics and books.
Before I end this, I want to draw attention to how goddamn ridiculous the Predator looks when its helmet is revealed. Specifically, it’s the eyes that kill it. They look like the eyes of those animatronics from Chuck E. Cheese, all super round and plastic-y. Just see for yourself in the below clip. The original Predator looked fucking pissed when it took its helmet off, with eyes that were sunken in and fierce. The sequel looked downright comical.
But once again, considering the almost playful and comic book-esque approach of the sequel, the almost playful look of the Predator kinda makes sense. It certainly fits the aesthetic of the film.
As I stated earlier, it took over 20 years to get an actual third film in the Predator series and it was a disappointing film indeed. However, with a new sequel in the works, it’s worth revisiting the original two and taking notes on what made them so fun. The first was an action masterpiece and the second was…well…special in its own maniacal way.