Predator 2 (1990)

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  TheMovieDiorama

  4 / 10

  Predator 2 falls prey to its own stupidity. There's a fine line between silly entertainment and stupid irritations. This sequel to the testosterone packed 'Predator' is unfortunately the latter. McTiernan's creative and focused direction has gone. Schwarzenegger's charisma has been terminated. Luscious jungles have been substituted for the dirty streets of Los Angeles. And in doing so has somehow recreated its predecessor almost exactly, yet with mundane results. Amidst the turf wars between armed Colombians and Jamaican drug cartels, an LAPD officer comes across unusual killings which soon finds him encountering the eponymous extraterrestrial. The Predator. There are no "choppas" to get to. Just meandering through urban alleyways and dark subways, in an attempt to survive. Many perish as the alien lays its eyes upon its prey. But only one man can stop him. One normal old-ish lieutenant that lacks the intuition and beefiness of Schwarzenegger's character. Mike Harrigan. If a Predator can decimate an entire elite special forces unit, but struggle against a generic wise-cracking officer. Well, he ought to pack up and go home. For some unknown reason, this alien conveniently follows the lieutenant and kills the cartels for sport. No idea why it's just them, I guess the plot needed it. Then towards the end, the mask comes off. Glover ironically starts to say "you're one ugly mothe..." until the Predator actually speaks and shouts the expletive, completing the infamous quote. How. Ridiculously. Stupid.
  
  It's not even a case of the Thomas Brothers' screenplay being clever enough to contain a commentary on drug warfare. It's just bad. Each character harnessing annoying clichés, and each actor hamming up their performances to maximum potential in an attempt to have relatable qualities. Paxton is obscenely irritating and fails as the comic relief. Glover just didn't work and felt more like "Lethal Predator" than a true sequel. The one liners unsuccessfully withhold any staying power, making the original even more unforgettable. Aside from the gritty opening sequence and the enjoyable final battle, there's not much content that substantiates originality. It follows the same narrative structure as its predecessor, just in a different environment and with stupid additions to the plot. And people wonder why it took two decades to reboot the franchise...

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