Predator 2, the often lambasted sequel of Predator, arguably one of the greatest action movies of all time as well as one of the greatest action villains of all time, deserves a second look if not a first by any and all doubters.
What was built as Aliens in a dystopian future crime riddled LA (or LA in 1997 which funny enough was actually LA in 1992), was supposed to be the next big action sci-fi sequel after the James Cameron directed Aliens burst the box office in the late 80’s and created a new wave of alien action films and sequels. Originally pitched as Rocky meets Alien with a dash of King Kong, Predator quickly became the closest competitor to the Alien franchise. Like Freddy vs Jason vs Michael Myers, Predator gave fans another evil alien villain to be terrified and excited for and another Halloween costume to want to buy.
People were excited for it. I clearly remember opening night. My family had gone to see the first Predator in the theaters as we were big fans of Arnold Schwarzenegger and loved the first one. We looked forward to a sequel even with Danny Glover as the lead because Glover was coming off of Lethal Weapon (another huge 80’s action film) and The Color Purple (An Oscar nominated film). It was one of his first big leading roles and that was a major deal even in the 90’s as the entire franchise was put on his perpetually sweaty shoulders.
It was a lot to follow Arnold Schwarzenegger in those days. He was the king of Hollywood same as Bogart, John Wayne, James Dean, Marlon Brando and other before him. He wasn’t just muscles, and since Conan you could see he had the ability to captivate an audience. When Danny Glover was announced to be the follow up, a lot of people were against it and after the film dropped it was panned for being violent and over the top.
Then he was surrounded by the best side character actors of the time including Bill Pullman, who was THE side character actor of the 80’s and was basically replaying his Aliens role of Hicks but as LA detective. Then throw in Maria Conchita Alonso, another family favorite and Hispanic Hollywood princess of the time who was coming off the Running Man, a Stephen King novel turned Arnold Schwarzenegger film that my family saw in theaters as well and for us was a big deal being a fan of both Arnold and King. While Predator 2 is one of the many 90’s films that depict Hispanics and Blacks as the gangland drug fueled psychos who are taking over major cities, it did cast Rubén Blades, at the time (and still is) a famous Salsa singer and one of my parents favorites to dance to.
One of the last practical effects film before digital effects started Predator 2 also predicted the near collapse of Los Angeles and rise of reality news and sensational media coverage. The first movie to receive NC17 rating and be forced to cut down in order to release as an R and the first mainstream film to crossover two franchises since Aliens and Predator were both owned by Fox and Stan Winston team worked on both. That little homage meant nothing at the time but eventually it spawned fan speculation that spawned a comic franchise that then became a film franchise in itself. Predator 2 would ultimately rank #39 among top grossing films of that year and become the most criticized film of the entire Predator franchise.
The LA rap era was peculating, MTV was basically everything to everyone, the Gulf War was in full force as Hollywood was transitioning into a new decade. Their leading man was expanding into comedies and made what some would say was a wise career move by doing Terminator 2 instead of Predator 2, the country was eager for something lighthearted to wipe away the threat of war. Predator 2 came in at #4 in the box office behind dramas and comedies Dances With Wolves, 3 Men and a Little Lady and Rocky V. The top grossing films of that year would ultimately be Ghost, Pretty Woman and Home Alone.
After numerous recent rewatches, I feel the harsh criticism is mostly unfair. Sure the film at the time didn’t live up to the expectations and the hype some people set for it but just look at the top films of the year. People were obviously going through some shit. The war had audiences looking away from violence and seeking refuge in Three Men and a Little Lady. It was more about bad timing than anything.
It’s interesting giving these films a second chance. Cinephobe with Amin Elhassan, Zach Harper and Anthony Mayes is a podcast that reviews movies that are poorly rated on Rotten Tomatoes, and tries to ascertain whether or not those movies are accurately poorly rated, or maybe just didn’t get a fair shake, has really opened my eyes again to trying to appreciate a lot of films in my past that I considered bad because it had bad reviews, even though the whole time I liked the film. My little sister who was born in 1989 and experiencing Predator 2 as her first film enjoyed every minute and did not look away. That’s how I knew it was a good movie. I looked over to my little sister fearful of her being traumatized and instead I saw a little baby girl laughing and become a huge Predator fan. It was a family experience. We came out saying it was a little much and kind of went overboard but we still had a good time and that’s what they mean by the movie experience. The films that live are the ones you take away with you and mull over after leaving the theater. -John Carpenter. Predator 2 is still being talked about even if it is in a bad light. It’s still being talked about and now a whole new audience will experience it because they want to experience the whole franchise to celebrate the success of its latest entry in Prey. That’s what gives these expanded universes their power.
Many want to dismiss and hate on extended universes and curse Marvel’s success and say Disney is destroying all of filmmaking, but when you step back you see no, they are keeping it alive. Though I totally disagree in not releasing it in theaters there were executives who thought otherwise and now Prey will have it’s own Predator 2 moment. The hope is that they have learned from the mistakes of all their previous films and give audiences another great film. Either way, bad or good fans will win because the franchise stays alive.
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