"Predator 2" Talkback (Spoilers)

[Lord Dalek]

HE'S IN TOWN WITH A FEW DAYS TO KILL.

Release Date: November 29, 1990
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Director: Stephen Hopkins
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Starring: Danny Glover, Bill Paxton, Gary Busey

Plot Summary: While fighting a battle with drug lords, a police chief discovers a being that slowly starts to slaughter the criminals in a sadistic fashion. As the invisible hunter kills off the drug lords and fellow officers, the police chief discovers that the visitor, an extraterrestrial big game hunter, has targeted him as its next victim. Although his superiors prohibit him from taking any action, the police chief sets out to end the ordeal.

COMMENTS?

LD Movie Talkback #7 (Originally Posted October 1, 2004. Revised version: 2010)

 

[Spider-Man]

I bought the new Predator 2 DVD and I keep hearing about the scene with the Alien head trophy. Is there a screengrab or time count where I can see this. Maybe I'm just not paying attention well enough or really overlooking the obvious but I don't see it.

 

[Hades]

I bought the new Predator 2 DVD and I keep hearing about the scene with the Alien head trophy. Is there a screengrab or time count where I can see this. Maybe I'm just not paying attention well enough or really overlooking the obvious but I don't see it.

It is at the end when Danny Glover is in the ship on their rack of skulls.

 

[Spider-Man]

It is at the end when Danny Glover is in the ship on their rack of skulls.

I assume this is "the" shot that inspired all the Alien Versus Predator talks:

http://members.iinet.net.au/~jaherne/thehunted/movies/shots/pred2-5.jpg

Is there a better screengrab of that online anywhere? I've had no luck finding a good clear image.

 

[Chris Wood]

This may be deemed sacrilegious, but I actually preferred this film slightly to the first one. I thought it was scarier and more suspenseful. Sure it suffered from the absence of Arnold (why didn't he come back anyway?), but Glover does a decent job. Plus it's got Gary Busey!

 

[Hyperion]

I believe the skull just to the right of the Alien skull in your screengrab is of the same species as the pilot of the alien spaceship in the original "Alien" movie. I've heard rumors that the other skulls are from creatures in other 20th Century Fox movies, also.

 

[Michael24]

Arnold was approached about returning (Dutch was going to be the Gary Busey part), but Arnold didn't like the idea of taking the Predator into the city.

Personally, I think PREDATOR 2 is often unfairly trashed. Sure, it's not the first movie and it's missing Arnold, but it's still a helluva fun ride. Danny Glover is awesome, it's got Gary Busey and Bill Paxton, some cool action sequences, and man does that Alan Silvestri music kick ass!! I can't wait to pick this up.

EDIT: Hmmm. What other 20th Century Fox movie creatures could be in their? I know I only recognize the Alien skull. And doesn't one look like a dinosaur skull? That's what I always thought. A T-rex perhaps?

 

[Hades]

One of the reasons I like Predator 2 better is because of Glover. I like him better as an actor than I like Arnold.

 

[Knight]

Arnold was approached about returning (Dutch was going to be the Gary Busey part), but Arnold didn't like the idea of taking the Predator into the city.

I imagine if Arnold was going to be in it he wouldnt have suffered the same fate as Busey's character. I dont see him getting sliced in half.

Anyway I liked Predator 2 I didnt think it was that bad and the movie had good actors and it was nice to see a change of location. I still prefer the first one but this one wasnt bad.

 

[JohnCrichton]

I thought Predator 2 was excellent and unfairly trashed just because Arnold wasn't in it.

I really liked the idea of the Predator in the city, that they've come here times before, and the Alien skull in the ship.

I didn't know that Arny was suppose to be in Gary Busey's role, tho! Now THAT would've really made the movie awesome!

Still... definately an underated film.

 

[Michael24]

Yeah, I imagine Dutch wouldn't have split at the end (pun intended ), unless the producers were willing to go that extra mile to completely shock the audience. I think it would have been cool if the movie ended with Arnold and Glover tag-teaming the Predators. That would have rocked!! If they ever do a PREDATOR 3, I'd like to see them expanded on the Predator mythology: the name of their race, where they come from, etc. I believe they actually did do that in some of the comic books and novels, but I've never read any of those.

EDIT: While we're on the subject, does anybody remember the PREDATOR 2 video game for Sega Genesis? I thought it was pretty cool and used to rent it all the time. I loved how every so often the three-point targeting laser would appear on the screen, lock onto some unsuspecting character, and their body would actually blow apart in fully bloody detail when they were hit. haha!!

 

[Chris Wood]

Arnold was approached about returning (Dutch was going to be the Gary Busey part), but Arnold didn't like the idea of taking the Predator into the city.

See, I liked the fact that they brought it into the city. It made the film feel more claustrophobic and scary. In the first film the carnage takes place way out in the jungle far from civilization, but in the second the Predator could be lurking in your subway car! Speaking of which, that subway scene was way creepy, Scariest moment in the franchise for my money.

And then they had to go make that retarded AVP turkey. Sigh.

 

[Michael24]

Yeah, the subway scene was creepy, with all the flashing lights and stuff. I thought Stephen Hopkins did a good job directing. I was always creeped out by the shot of Glover coming around the corner just in time to see Paxton's body separating from his head, and the Predator charging off through the doorway with that high-pitched shreak. That just always scared the crap out of me when I was younger.

Oh, and AvP was awesome!

 

[The Clown Prince]

Like Alien 3, Predator 2 is an underated movie. I enjoyed both films, but I've always found myself liking Predator 2 a bit more than it's original. I don't know, maybe because it was a bit more gorier. Plus too they expanded upon the Predator's weapon arsenal.

I love the ending to Predator 2. As mentioned, the Alien skull, but after Danny Glover kills the Predator, the rest of the ships crew show up.

You know, I mentioned this in the AvP talkback thread, but I'm just amazed that in 1987 and in 1990, the looks of the Predators looked a hell of a lot better than it did in 2004 with AvP. The technology for the make-up was there in that the actors wore mechanized masks which were remote controlled to show face and mandible movements better, but over all, the faces looked bad. I think what killed it was the fact the eyes looked too human. Eyes in my opinion for any human, animal or creature is what makes their face look good, bad, or scary. The other Predator special effects in AvP I liked over their originals like the invisibility cloaking and the heat vision were very good.

Anyways, with the Alien franchise having gotten two more movies, I'd always waited for FOX to do a "Predator 3." Maybe they will now that the DVD of AvP is out, and first day sales have been big. BUT, BUT(!!!!!!) it must be rated R. PG-13 is what I would say 95% of fans and critics said hurt AvP the most. It just didn't make sense to take two very R rated franchises and water them down. But in the end, it was all about business and the Benjamins.

The Clown Prince

 

[cross blues]

Arnold was approached about returning (Dutch was going to be the Gary Busey part), but Arnold didn't like the idea of taking the Predator into the city.

see, brains and brawn. Arnold is a smart guy. I wonder if being in P2 would have ended his acting career. making a second movie was plain idiotic. it's entertaining, but only because it's a Predator. the story doesn't make much sense either. just a dumb movie.

 

[Spider-Man]

I don't think at any time it's trying to be more than what it is - a brainless fun action flick. It's terrible at some points but there are some excellent special effects and costume work in the movie which really saves it. And the aforementioned scene in the subway train is excellent! I like how they used that scene in the DVD menus for the new special edition DVD.

And if anyone is interested here is the link for the talkback for the first Predator flick:

"Predator" Talkback (Spoilers)

 

[Michael24]

BUT, BUT(!!!!!!) it must be rated R. PG-13 is what I would say 95% of fans and critics said hurt AvP the most. It just didn't make sense to take two very R rated franchises and water them down. But in the end, it was all about business and the Benjamins.

My friend pointed out to me awhile back, while talking about all the buzz surrounding AvP's PG-13 rating, that there's very little gore to begin with in ALIEN and ALIENS. Most of it is very brief or occurs off-screen, with the exception of, maybe, Harry Dean Stanton's death, though it's also pretty brief. If anything, they were rated R more for the language than the gore and violence, in my opinion. I mean, I hear some fans complain about the lack of gore in AvP, but I watch those movies and say to myself, "These weren't very gory at all either." So I think the PG-13 rating for AvP was appropriate and makes sense. But that's just me.

 

[Chris Wood]

My friend pointed out to me awhile back, while talking about all the buzz surrounding AvP's PG-13 rating, that there's very little gore to begin with in ALIEN and ALIENS. Most of it is very brief or occurs off-screen, with the exception of, maybe, Harry Dean Stanton's death, though it's also pretty brief. If anything, they were rated R more for the language than the gore and violence, in my opinion. I mean, I hear some fans complain about the lack of gore in AvP, but I watch those movies and say to myself, "These weren't very gory at all either." So I think the PG-13 rating for AvP was appropriate and makes sense. But that's just me.

Even if the camera doesn't always linger, I think it is the nature of the gore in the Alien movies that gets the R rating. People don't just get shot full of holes, they get ripped apart from the inside by hideous creatures. I mean, it just doesn't get any nastier. I still haven't watched any of the Alien movies all the way through. Violence doesn't bother me at all, but that sort of inhuman gore creeps me out.

That's why I much prefer the Predator franchise. No icky parasites, just blood and guts action. I wish they would keep it separate from the Alien franchise.

see, brains and brawn. Arnold is a smart guy. I wonder if being in P2 would have ended his acting career.

Hey, his career survived Kindergarten Cop, Junior, and Jingle All the Way. I don't think Predator 2 would have done him any harm.

 

[Terminatah]

Predator 2 is probably the worst sequel of all time. If Predator 2 got married to Men in Black II, their child would breathe fire and decimate entire cities.

-Terminatah

 

[Hades]

Predator 2 is probably the worst sequel of all time. If Predator 2 got married to Men in Black II, their child would breathe fire and decimate entire cities.

-Terminatah

How so? I've seen bad sequels, but Predator 2 was not one of them. What did you not like about it?