Predator 2

With the passage of time, it is increasingly evident that the sequel to the famous predecessor is essentially running on fumes. In the first film, the Predator was excellently outlined, but here we don’t learn anything new (and the ending doesn't say much). In addition, there are several technical and narrative mistakes and shortcomings that overall detract from an otherwise decent impression. Some scenes are, of course, impressive (the subway, the slaughterhouse), but otherwise, it is essentially a forced sequel that was mainly meant to attract fans of the monster to the cinemas. Arnie is sorely missed, Danny Glover the necessary charisma. The Predator's weapons are cool, but otherwise, his journey to the city didn't do him much good. (14/01/2008)

A nice retro that I quite enjoyed revisiting. I used to enjoy this film a lot, mainly because of Danny Glover, who I've liked a lot since. Unfortunately, he hasn't been in many proper films since then. Fortunately, there are exceptions and they can be counted on the fingers of two hands. This is still a blast and I still love it years later. (10/11/2015)

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%. (11/05/2007)

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. (06/08/2009)

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. (20/05/2004)