Review of Predator (2 disc box set)

Introduction

I bought the boxset on the day of release, eager to possess one of my favourite films as well as its sequel. To cut a long story short however, the first version of Predator was horrendously and needlessly butchered, necessitating a quick trade in when the Special Edition was released. Still that leaves the Predator 2 disc, which as it hasn`t yet been released separately in the UK as yet, I`ve reviewed as part of the boxset.

Twentieth Century Fox releases two of the most memorable sci-fi actioners in the eighties and in the process created two iconic symbols of pop culture that even today persist in public consciousness. Aliens was the amazing sequel to the 1979 sci-fi horror, Alien. A year later, Fox unleashed Predator and a merchandiser`s dream was born. Successful in their own right as franchises, something special blossomed when the two series `crossed-over`. Today we have Aliens versus Predator novels, comic books (Graphic novels for the purist), computer games and even a feature film in the pipeline. The first Predator movie was an astounding success and Hollywood being Hollywood, 1990 saw the inevitable sequel released.

It`s 1997, and LA is a war torn city as rival drugs gangs battle it out for supremacy in the 109°F heat. The police are beleaguered and crime is running out of control. Into this perfect killing ground comes the Predator, an alien hunter who sees humans as ideal prey. Lieutenant Mike Harrigan gets a rude introduction to the alien when he pursues a drug gang into their hideout, only to find their dismembered carcasses strewn about their lair, their guns having been no defence against an invisible assailant. The investigation is immediately curtailed though, as Federal officers under the command of Peter Keyes arrive to stamp their jurisdiction on the scene. The carnage hasn`t ended yet, as the rival Jamaican gang is also found to be worthy of the Predator`s attention. As Harrigan finds his efforts curtailed by the Feds, it becomes apparent that they have a hidden agenda, and know far more about the new scourge in LA than they are letting on. These matters don`t concern the Predator of course, who has found his ideal prey, Lieutenant Harrigan himself.

Video

Predator 2 is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic ratio. The picture is clear and colourful for the large part, but the image does tend towards the soft side, with the resolution a little lacking. The film is a tad grainy, but suffers from a great deal of print damage and a vertical black line is especially prominent in some scenes. The effects are just as impressive as the first film, but the Predator camouflage effects aren`t as effective without a busy jungle background. The Predator`s point of view is just as successful though. Predator 2 also suffers from a badly placed layer change.

Audio

The sound on the other hand is very good. A DD 5.1 English soundtrack is used to great effect to convey the action and excitement of the movie, and the bullets flying and explosions rumbling give your speakers an invigorating workout. That said there isn`t a lot of emphasis on the clarity of dialogue, but with dialogue like this, who cares? Alan Silvestri`s music is pretty much repeated note for note from the first film.

Features

A trailer and bountiful subtitles, grace the Predator 2 disc courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox.

Conclusion

Sequelitis strikes again, as another lacklustre film is made to cash in on the success of an original property. It`s really a shame as all the ingredients were there to make a worthy sequel. The initial premise, so explosively established in the first film is box office manna. The story, rather than being a simple rehash of the first film actually shows some promise. The film also has a rating suitable for the subject matter. (As opposed to modern films which, to maximise an audience, become parodies of themselves to obtain a family friendly rating, and I`m not naming names here, Cough Terminator!) As I said, the premise of the sequel has potential, the idea of the Predator coming to the concrete jungle to hunt, the battlefield between drug gangs being its playground and the police caught in the middle. Add to that the idea that the government has become aware of the alien following the events of the first movie and have their own agenda to capture alien technology. This all adds up to a great sequel. Unfortunately, the Producers added wrong.

The ideas behind Predator 2 are wasted with a poor script and some dismal characterisations. Admittedly the shock value of the Predator was gone, and since the audience all know what the alien looks like, the idea of suspense was dispensed with in favour of blood and guts from the off. Whereas the first film was a slow build up of tension culminating in some explosive action, we get thrown right into the thick of things here and the film fails to engage in the same way. Kevin Peter Hall is just as impressive as the Predator, but the rest of the cast fail to match up. Danny Glover is loud mouthed and brash as the perpetually angry Harrigan but that is the only side of the character we see. Gary Busey is promising as the Federal Agent, Peter Keyes, but his role is wasted and pretty much boils down to providing exposition, to remind us what the Predator is capable of, just in case we missed the first film. Perhaps the worst written character is that of Jerry Lambert, the flash young Turk assigned to Harrigan`s unit. Written as charming and full of himself, he just comes across as irritating and venal. The rest of the characters are just wasted as Predator fodder or filler. Kent McCord is Captain Pilgrim and Robert Davi is Captain Heinemann, Harrigan`s feuding superiors, but the characters don`t actually do anything. They are just ideas that are never fully explored in this sequel by numbers, as is the irritating Morton Downey Jr, news hack who appears as a sort of Robocop homage.

The script is cliché city and the characters are laughably bad, but what ultimately kills Predator 2 for me is this. In the first film, Arnold Schwarzenegger goes up against one and barely escapes with his life, and what`s left is a shattered shell of a man, gazing blankly out of that helicopter, who we instinctively know will never come to terms with what has happened to him. In the sequel, we are expected to believe that Danny Glover can go up against a Predator? (No offence to Danny Glover) It just doesn`t ring true. Predator 2 is a fun action movie and certain moments do serve the mythology of the Predator well, like the Alien skull as a trophy in the ship, but it is nowhere near up to the standards of the first one, and it`s a film for completists only. As for the boxset, with the first film butchered almost beyond recognition, it makes it even harder to recommend. Still these marks are for Predator 2 alone.