In Defense Of: Predator 2 (1990)

Even as we spend more time with this Predator than its predecessor, the film never really overindulges itself with the character. We’re offered teases about it, its race, and even its culture that weren’t present in the first film, largely thanks to Harrigan’s brief time on the ship at the end in which he comes face to face with other hunters, sees a collection of alien trophies – including a Xenomorph skull – and is rewarded a gun from 1715, but none of it goes overboard in dispelling the allure of the Predator itself. In an alternate universe, Predator 2 could have easily gone too far in trying to explain everything and give the Predator an elaborate backstory, but by choosing to only contribute just a bit to the established lore instead, the sequel genuinely adds to the original film, and that’s to be commended, as such restraint is a thing one could argue is sorely lacking in sequels nowadays.

For what few things don’t work – the extraneous presence of Tony Pope, for instance, or the tone deaf humor of the Jerry Lambert character – it more than makes up for in the sheer volume of scenes that stand up next to any of the first film’s best. The death of King Willie, for instance, is incredible in spite of Willie’s lack of screen presence, with the invisible hunter slowly stomping his way through a puddle of water to face off against the gang leader.

An attack on a subway train in which Lambert and a number of civilians are slaughtered is gripping for its use of flashes of light and complete darkness, while a tense showdown in a slaughterhouse between the Predator and Keyes and his men that leads to Harrigan finally squaring off with the hunter is one of the film’s best highlights, armed with a fantastic twist surrounding the alien’s use of infrared. (Surprise: It’s not its only way to see you.)

And when the hunter becomes the hunted as Harrigan pursues the injured Predator straight into the bowels of its own ship, the movie wisely avoids merely repeating the climax of the original, subverting another expectation by addressing the Predator’s bomb only to have Harrigan cut it off and continue the chase until both of them – injured, tired, and weak – end it by going head to head.

From Alan Silvestri’s return to score the film to Stan Winston’s design work still holding up flawlessly despite nearly three decades of age to the fact that Danny Glover manages to effortlessly fill Arnold Schwarzenegger’s shoes, it’s a well-rounded effort, and one that’s also just as quotable as the original. Lines like “If it bleeds, we can kill it” and “Get to the chopper” are just as iconic as the Predator itself at this point, but Predator 2 has some great ones of its own, including the “I don’t think he gives a shit” line and, of course, “Want some candy?”

Take all these things as a whole and you get a final product that is incredibly entertaining. Like the first film, it has a breakneck pace that doesn’t forget to slow down and milk tension at just the right times. It meets all those expectations that need to be met about a sequel while offering up enough new to make it a worthwhile outing, proving that even if a movie doesn’t necessarily lend itself to a continuation, if done right, a sequel can still work in spades.

If anything, Predator 2’s biggest sin is that it’s not Predator, and that’s a burden that it has been forced to live with since it was released, but it’s far better than it has any right to be, is one hell of a fun ride, and more than deserves a better reputation than being considered a hollow cash-in to a classic.