Predator 2

A weaker younger brother of the first Predator. I really liked the idea of setting the story in a city, but Roger from Lethal Weapon didn’t seem to me to be the appropriate opponent. Not that I don’t like Danny Glover, but any time the Predator is out of sight (quite a lot in the first half) he gets a bit boring. But things are improved by the long final battle with the FBI and the ensuing chase. There’s one thing I must say, the Predator in part two is a tougher nut than the one in part one. (05/12/2007)

I naively thought that with the passage of time, nostalgia would bring a more sympathetic aura to this film as well, but alas. The plot, which had the makings of a decent "bigger, more expensive, grander" sequel, was ultimately buried by Hopkins' routine direction. Where McTiernan reveled in the massacre of a military unit, Hopkins merely composes the images in a single-minded manner. A whiff of filmmaking invention comes at most in the references to Cameron. Danny Glover did a sharper paraphrase of Roger Murtaugh, and the rest is not worth talking about. I give it three stars for the hunter's arsenal, which I enjoy in a particular cult game. (08/06/2009)

Yes, iron logic: the first Predator with Arnie made a fortune, so let's go and make number two. The problem is that it lacks everything that made the first one a cult film – imaginative direction, tension, atmosphere, a touchingly bad actor that adds a hallmark perspective to everything. Glover gives the impression that instead of in a classic gritty detective story, he instead accidentally found himself in a story in a strange action sci-fi that is at times inexplicable (the king Willie scene is truly unique). A strange hybrid was created with an overly high-quality actor in the foreground and an overly poor-quality script in the background that may amuse, but in no way can it revive that unrepeatable sense of hunted game in a treacherous environment... The city may be a virgin forest in a sense, but what has been tried once works only halfway and is sometimes embarrassingly naïve and shallow. (05/19/2004)

Fans of gory action, relentless gunfire, and mindless thrills will enjoy this, and they can add as many stars as they like. From a film quality perspective, Predator 2 suffers from all the typical sequel flaws: a lack of originality and creativity, and, without the exotic tropical jungle setting, it lacks atmosphere as well. By moving the setting to an urban environment, the film becomes similar to other crime-themed action movies of the time, which were being churned out rapidly. The only addition is the extraterrestrial creature - pardon, in true sequel logic, there's an entire pack of Predators. Danny Glover has significantly more acting talent, but he didn't quite fit the role of a warrior battling cosmic invaders. There's hardly any point in discussing the script's logic and the quality of the dialogues. I was particularly amused by the idea of a spaceship hidden in the heart of a city. Overall impression: 25%. (05/11/2007)

Predator 2 is a typical example of the misfortune of second installments, which were taken over by a different director. The legendary first part may not have been possible to qualitatively match in this lineup, but unlike various crossovers and spin-offs, the fully-fledged second part has its qualities. Perpetually sweaty Danny Glover does not have the lush green jungle at his disposal like Dutch, but rather the urban jungle, which is probably better because watching Predator's jungle hunt for a second time in a worse rendition would probably not make sense (see reboots, although I like them quite a bit). As I have already said, the film does not reach the quality of McTiernan's first one, but it's still watchable... 70% (05/31/2014)