Predator 2

Predator 2

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Stephen Hopkins
Produced by
Written by
Starring
Music by Alan Silvestri
Cinematography Peter Levy
Edited by
Production
company
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release dates
  • November 21, 1990 (1990-11-21)
Running time
 108 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $35 million[1]
Box office $57.1 million[2]

Predator 2 is a 1990 American science fiction action film written by Jim and John Thomas, directed by Stephen Hopkins, and starring Danny Glover, Ruben Blades, Gary Busey, María Conchita Alonso, Bill Paxton and Kevin Peter Hall. The film is a sequel to 1987's Predator, with Peter Hall reprising the title role of the Predator.

Despite receiving negative reviews, the film gained a moderate return at the box office grossing $57 million worldwide, though it was considered a disappointment compared to the previous film's $98 million gross on a smaller production budget. It has since become a cult film among fans. A sequel followed 20 years later in 2010.

Plot

In 1997, Los Angeles is suffering from both a heat wave and a turf war between heavily armed Colombian and Jamaican drug cartels. A Predator watches a shootout between the police and Colombians, observing as Lieutenant Michael R. Harrigan charges into the firefight to rescue two wounded officers and drive the Colombians back into their hideout.

While the police wait for a federal task force, the Predator crashes through a skylight and assaults the Colombians. Against orders, Harrigan and his police detectives Leona Cantrell and Danny Archuleta enter the hideout. They find the Colombians have been slaughtered. Harrigan pursues the crazed gang leader onto the roof and shoots him. He catches a glimpse of the camouflaged Predator, but dismisses it as an effect of the heat and his Acrophobia.

At the station, Harrigan is reprimanded by his superiors for his disobedience. He is then introduced to Special Agent Peter Keyes, leader of the task force investigating the cartels, and Detective Jerry Lambert, the newest member of Harrigan's team.

Later that evening, several Jamaican cartel members enter the Colombian drug lord's penthouse. After they ritualistically murder him, the Predator kills them all. Harrigan's team enter the penthouse where they find the Jamaicans' skinned corpses suspended from the rafters, noting the similarity to the earlier Colombian massacre. Keyes arrives and kicks Harrigan's team out. Archuleta later returns to continue investigating. He finds one of the Predator's speartip weapons in an air conditioning vent, but is then killed by the Predator. Harrigan vows to bring down Danny's killer, believing they are dealing with an assassin.

Forensic scientist Dr. Irene Edwards finds the speartip does not correspond to any known element on the periodic table. Seeking answers, Harrigan meets with Jamaican drug-lord King Willie, a voodoo practitioner, in an alley. King Willie tells Harrigan that the killer is supernatural, and that he should prepare himself for battle against him. Harrigan, even more puzzled, leaves the alley, and the Predator kills King Willie, whose head is made into a trophy; from thereon the creature begins to trail Harrigan.

Harrigan and his team hear about King Willie's death. Dr. Edwards tells them that she found some blood that came from the slaughter house where Keyes was last seen. Harrigan tells his team to meet him at the slaughter house to investigate. Cantrell and Lambert take the subway to rendezvous with Harrigan, but get involved in a mugging on the subway until the Predator attacks them and the other armed passengers. Cantrell herds the passengers to safety while Lambert faces off against the Predator and is killed. The Predator prepares to kill Cantrell, but releases her after a quick visual scan of her body reveals that she is pregnant.

Arriving on the scene, Harrigan chases the Predator but is stopped by Keyes' men. Keyes reveals that the killer is an extraterrestrial hunter with infrared vision that uses active camouflage and has been hunting humans for sport throughout armed conflicts, the recent one referring to previous events in Central America. Keyes and his team have set a trap in a nearby slaughterhouse, using thermally insulated suits and cryogenic weapons in an attempt to capture him for study.

When the Predator arrives, the trap is sprung. However, the Predator uses his mask to scan through various electromagnetic wavelengths, locates and slaughters the team. Keyes is wounded, but Harrigan attacks the Predator, wounds him and removes his mask. The Predator kills Keyes with a throwing disc and chases Harrigan to a roof. Harrigan knocks him over the side and finds himself on a narrow ledge with the Predator hanging below. The Predator activates the self-destruct device on his forearm. Harrigan grabs the throwing disc and severs the forearm, rendering the device harmless. The Predator falls through an apartment window, treats his wounds and flees through the building.

Harrigan follows him down an elevator shaft and finds a spacecraft in an underground chamber. Inside the ship, the two face off in a final duel, and Harrigan finally kills the Predator with the throwing disc. Several other Predators appear, collecting their dead comrade, and one of them presents Harrigan with an antique flintlock pistol as a trophy. Harrigan escapes from the ship as it takes off and reaches the surface just as the remainder of Keyes' team arrives. Harrigan knows that the creatures will return and continue to hunt on Earth as they have done for centuries.

Cast

For more details on individual characters, see List of Predator characters.

Production

Due to a dispute over salary, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who starred as "Dutch" in the 1987 film, declined to return to the sequel.[3]

In Predator 2, the main Predator was designed to look more urban and hip than its predecessor. Design changes included tribal ornamentation on the forehead, which was made steeper and shallower, brighter skin coloration and a greater number of fangs.[4] Describing the new Predator's design, Stan Winston said, "Broad concept's the same. The difference is, this is a different individual. A different individual of the same species. As in a snake is a snake, but different snakes are different. Their colorings are different, different parts of their characteristics, their facial structures, subtle differences."[5] The MPAA initially gave Predator 2 an NC-17 rating, so several cuts were made to bring it down to an R rating.

Reception

The film received mostly negative reviews, though reviewers were generally impressed by the casting of Danny Glover as an action hero. The reviewers for The Washington Post were split: Rita Kempley enjoyed the film, saying she felt that it had "the dismal irony of RoboCop and the brooding fatalism of Blade Runner", and felt Glover "brings an unusual depth to the action adventure and proves fiercely effective as the Predator's new nemesis."[6] Desson Howe felt the film was "blithely unoriginal" and numbingly violent, but also praised Glover's ability to bring warmth to the center of a cold film.[7]

In her review for The New York Times, Janet Maslin called the film "an unbeatable contender" for the "most mindless, mean-spirited action film of the holiday season."[8] Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert, in giving the film two out of four stars, suggested that it represents an "angry and ugly" dream. He also felt that the creatures' design had racist undertones where "subliminal clues [...] encourage us to subconsciously connect the menace with black males."[9]

Although it had negative reviews, Predator 2 is seen as a cult classic among fans.[10]

Box office

Released on November 21, 1990, Predator 2 was #4 at the US box office in its opening weekend, with a gross of over $8 million behind the films Dances with Wolves, Three Men and a Little Lady, and Home Alone. The film grossed a total of $57 million, $30 million of which was from the USA.[2] The worldwide box office revenue totalled $57,120,318 in ticket sales. Although this surpassed the cost of the film's budget, it was considered an overall disappointment in comparison to its predecessor's performance.

Other media

Novelization

A novelization of the film written by Simon Hawke was released on December 1, 1990 by the publishing company Jove.[11] The novelization provided a small amount of information regarding the fate of "Dutch" from the first film. Keyes recalls memories of speaking with the battered Major while infirmed in a hospital, suffering from radiation sickness. "Dutch" is said to have escaped from the hospital, never to be seen again. Furthermore, the novel tells a great deal of the story from the Predator's point of view, such as its humiliation of having its mask removed by Harrigan, and its reasoning for not killing Cantrell due to its discovery of her pregnancy.

Soundtrack

Alan Silvestri returned to score the sequel, conducting the Skywalker Symphony Orchestra. Whereas the first film did not have its music released until years later, a soundtrack album for the sequel was issued on December 11, 1990 from Varese Sarabande. On December 1, 2014, the label issued Predator 2: The Deluxe Edition.[12]

Home media

Predator 2 was released on VHS in 1991, on DVD in 2001 and a 2 films special edition in January 2005 with the same DVD and the 2003 DVD of Predator, on blu-ray on 9 June 2009 in North American. An uncut version has yet to be released.

Video game

A video game adaptation of the film was released for the Sega Genesis console in 1992. The game was published by Acclaim through its Arena Entertainment label and developed by Teeny Weeny Games, Ltd. In the game players guide Lt. Mike Harrigan as he tracks the Predator through seven levels based on the film, while facing several drug gangs and rescuing civilian hostages before they fall prey to the alien hunter. The game is played in a top-down perspective simulating a third person isometric view, with swarms of enemies who appear through one-way doors scattered throughout the levels.

Lt. Harrigan also has to contend with the Predator, both as a boss at the end of each level, and as a time limit. If the player takes too long to rescue a hostage, the Predator will blast the hostage with his tri-laser. If too many hostages are killed - the number depending on the difficulty setting - the game ends and the screen fades to red with the words "You lost too many hostages".[13]

Weapons include pistols, machine guns, shotguns and also a few highly advanced Predator weapons like the net, the disc and the spear that the player can pick up and use. Each defeated gang member drops drugs that can be picked up and automatically sent off to the drug squad for points. No sounds or music from the film were used, but still scenes from the film do introduce the levels, which include the streets of L.A., the rooftops, the main city subway, the slaughterhouse district and the predator ship.[14] Mega gave the game a negative score of 28%.[15]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Predator 2". The Numbers. Retrieved 2014-08-23.
  2. 1 2 "Predator 2 (1990)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2010-07-08.
  3. ↑ "Arnold Schwarzenegger - Money Stopped Arnold Schwarzenegger Starring In Predator 2". Contactmusic.com. June 8, 2011. Retrieved August 23, 2014.
  4. ↑ Jody Duncan & James Cameron (2007). The Winston Effect: The Art and History of Stan Winston Studio. p. 336. ISBN 1-84576-150-2.
  5. ↑ The Making of Predator 2 (Documentary). 20th Century Fox. 1990.
  6. ↑ Rita Kempley, 'Predator 2', Washington Post, November 21, 1990, Accessed January 6, 2011.
  7. ↑ Desson Howe, 'Predator 2', Washington Post, November 23, 1990, Accessed January 6, 2011.
  8. ↑ Janet Maslin, Predator 2 (1990) Review/Film; The Quarry: Humans, The New York Times, November 21, 1990, Accessed January 6, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Roger Ebert, Film Review for Predator 2". suntimes.com. November 21, 1990. Retrieved 2007-07-09.
  10. ↑ Obenson, Tambay A. (2015-04-29). "Danny Glover: Action Movie Star Opportunity Missed?". Indiewire. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  11. ↑ Predator 2: A Novel at Amazon.com
  12. ↑ http://www.varesesarabande.com/servlet/the-1219/Predator-2-cln--The-Deluxe/Detail
  13. ↑ "Predator 2 for Genesis (1992) - MobyGames". MobyGames. March 22, 2007. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
  14. ↑ "Predator 2 for Genesis (1992) - MobyGames". MobyGames. March 22, 2007. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
  15. ↑ Mega review, issue 2, page 56, November 1992

External links

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