Predator 2 : Before 'Natural Born Killers', there was 'Predator 2'

Before 'Natural Born Killers', there was 'Predator 2'

You know, I used to hate Predator 2. I stuck by the usual criticisms: it's "unimaginative", it's "gratuitous", it's "mean-spirited".

But you know something? I think I love it now.

For some reason, watching the movie again recently, I enjoyed the heck out of its satires on the media and on cop movies in general. Also, I thought it had better actors: I'll take the screwball banter of Danny Glover/Bill Baxton/Gary Busey over the overly-serious macho talk of Ahnuld and Carl Weathers any day.

Hopkins is also a more exuberant filmmaker than McTiernan: he loves to make everything over-the-top and ridiculously entertaining. The final half hour of this movie is fun and inventive beyond all reasoning. Given that this movie takes places in a city instead of a jungle, there's no reason it should be better-looking. But it is.

I was going to call this the Natural Born Killers of the 1990's before I realized that, well, NBK was the NBK of the 90's. Therefore, Predator 2 is the original NBK. I'm callin' it right now.

"What I don't understand is how we're going to stay alive this winter."

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Re: Before 'Natural Born Killers', there was 'Predator 2'

This reminds me: I wish I owned this movie on DVD.

"What I don't understand is how we're going to stay alive this winter."

Re: Before 'Natural Born Killers', there was 'Predator 2'

u can probley find it in your local walmart or kmart 5 dollar dvd bin like i did

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Re: Before 'Natural Born Killers', there was 'Predator 2'

Predator 2 is awesome.

Re: Before 'Natural Born Killers', there was 'Predator 2'

Agreed!

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Re: Before 'Natural Born Killers', there was 'Predator 2'

Predator 2 is a real man's film.

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Re: Before 'Natural Born Killers', there was 'Predator 2'

Robocop 2, Predator 2 and Die Hard 2 are all underrated sequels, just look at the sequels that followed them, now they do get worse.

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Re: Before 'Natural Born Killers', there was 'Predator 2'

I don't understand people who don't like it, to fans of the actual Predator creature this film was a dream come true.

Re: Before 'Natural Born Killers', there was 'Predator 2'

I hadn't seen it since it first hit video back in '91 and I was shocked by how violent it is. It makes the original look like one of those MY LITTLE PONY movies. It's so unrelentingly violent that it almost drags the movie down IMO. They tried to balance it out with Paxton's one-liners (The same tactic worked well in ALIENS), but to no avail.

It's not a bad film by any means, and it's certainly better than its reputation, but I needed to seek out something lighthearted when it was over just to wash the taste of blood out of my mouth.

'Cause there's thunder in your heart... every move is like lightning!

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Re: Before 'Natural Born Killers', there was 'Predator 2'

Well said, Lonestar. That scene where the Jamaican gang break in and terrorize one of their rivals was hard to watch.

IMO PREDATOR 2 feels like it was trying to copy ROBOCOP more than the original PREDATOR, from the unrelenting violence and gore to tweaking the media. The problem is PREDATOR 2 isn't as clever or well made as ROBOCOP.

Again, not really a bad movie, but I think it's a big step down from the original.

'Cause there's thunder in your heart... every move is like lightning!

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Re: Before 'Natural Born Killers', there was 'Predator 2'


I think it was Ed Neumeier who wrote Robocop, who delievered an outstanding screenplay full of satire on excess and corruption within modern society. Verhoeven executed his brutal if not impressive visual style and the production design was just off the chart and almost star wars territory in originality and unique look. The acting is top notch, especially from Weller and OCP head. Kurtwood Smith is really frightening as Boddicker.


I make it a point to re-watch Robocop every 2-3 years (In fact I'm overdue, but I may wait until closer to the release of the remake) and I'm always impressed at how well it holds up. The satire is a little dated, but it's just an exceptionally well made film from top to bottom.

You're so right about Los Angeles in Predator 2. L.A. is one of those cities that should be a character in its own right, only it never is here.

I didn't buy Glover as a hero - he was too agitated, old and had little presence to be the lead. Arnold's Dutch was pretty much the ultimate nemesis for the Predator - the way this powerfully built special forces warrior goes mano a mano with strategy and old school weaponry built from scratch against the alien hunter really makes you believe he can take him on and succeed such is his bravery and skill - whilst Glover's character looks like he'd fold in two seconds flat if he came up against that caliber of creature and its sophisticated tools since he's just an LAPD officer.

I like Glover, and I can understand wanting to change up the hero-type after Arnie's ultimate special forces character from the first film, but it's clear that the Predator identified Glover's character as the "lion" of that urban jungle, and he's just not convincing as a super-cop.

'Cause there's thunder in your heart... every move is like lightning!

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Re: Before 'Natural Born Killers', there was 'Predator 2'

Have you ever seen Lundgren's 1990 flick I come in peace (aka Dark Angel)?...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Come_in_Peace

...He plays a cop who is similarly dealing with an alien menace, and he's a far more convincing action hero than Glover. He'd have been an excellent choice.

If I could go back to 1990 and choose anyone I guess it would be Michael Biehn. If you can't have the Terminator, why not the guy who stopped him? Biehn was cut more from the Bruce Willis action hero cloth. The guy who bleeds, gets knocked around, but survives by being tough and clever.


'Cause there's thunder in your heart... every move is like lightning!

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Re: Before 'Natural Born Killers', there was 'Predator 2'


Dolph Lundgren movies are like Seafood dishes I find. when they're good, they're very good. When they suck - you feel sick for some time afterwards.




I come in peace is one of Dolph's best solo efforts. It's got the standard buddy cop formula, but he and Brian Benben have good chemistry and the premise is just unique enough--and the execution just quirky enough--to lift it above average.

It's up on Youtube in 10 parts if you ever take a notion to watch it. Not a bad way to waste 90 minutes on a rainy day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pCiw0XwFSE

'Cause there's thunder in your heart... every move is like lightning!

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Re: Before 'Natural Born Killers', there was 'Predator 2'

I'm sorry you didn't like it. I'm just glad you got to watch it for free or I'd really feel bad .

'Cause there's thunder in your heart... every move is like lightning!

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Re: Before 'Natural Born Killers', there was 'Predator 2'

Russian roulette, that's a perfect way to describe it. Ironically I recently lost a game watching one of Lundgren's first headlining efforts, Red Scorpion. It makes Dark Angel/I come in peace look like Casablanca.

'Cause there's thunder in your heart... every move is like lightning!

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Re: Before 'Natural Born Killers', there was 'Predator 2'

Yeah sadly Dolph has joined the ranks of former A-list action stars like Jean Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal in the direct-to-DVD realm, but he's come far enough that he can legitimately call him self an actor now. He's actually started to direct some of his own stuff, so at least he's not totally at the mercy of a disinterested hack director the way Van Damme and Seagal are (Though I'd argue no one seems more disinterested in Seagal's films than Seagal himself).

Dolph's career has a bit of momentum, what with the success of Universal Soldier: Regeneration (And it's upcoming sequel, Day of reckoning is getting solid reviews, and Dolph has a larger role in this one) and the two Expendables flicks. Hopefully he starts to see better projects come his way as a result. He'll never return to headlining theatrically released feature films, but direct-to-DVD doesn't have to be another way of saying "Crap".

'Cause there's thunder in your heart... every move is like lightning!

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Re: Before 'Natural Born Killers', there was 'Predator 2'

It's crazy I've never noticed that before. Before NBK there was Predator 2, the violence and the media elements are all there. I think Pred 2 was actually more violent than NBK was if that was possible LOL!

"I am the ultimate badass, you do not wanna `*beep*` wit me!"- Hudson in Aliens.

Re: Before 'Natural Born Killers', there was 'Predator 2'


It's crazy I've never noticed that before. Before NBK there was Predator 2, the violence and the media elements are all there. I think Pred 2 was actually more violent than NBK was if that was possible LOL!

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Re: Before 'Natural Born Killers', there was 'Predator 2'

Lonestar talking out of his ass again.


http://www.manlymovie.net/

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Re: Before 'Natural Born Killers', there was 'Predator 2'

I like NBK, but not in a million years is it as violent as P2. You can say it's more twisted than P2, but that's about it.


http://www.manlymovie.net/

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Re: Before 'Natural Born Killers', there was 'Predator 2'

NBK was satirical in nature, which lessened the impact of the violence, and made it more of a cartoon joke than the straightforward, brutal violence in Predator 2.


http://www.manlymovie.net/

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Re: Before 'Natural Born Killers', there was 'Predator 2'

Re: Before 'Natural Born Killers', there was 'Predator 2'

Was that LonestarWinnebago? He was a nice guy.

Re: Before 'Natural Born Killers', there was 'Predator 2'

yeah, I was just trolling him, lol.

http://www.manlymovie.net/

Re: Before 'Natural Born Killers', there was 'Predator 2'

He was a nice guy. Very enthusiastic. A lover of classic action - possibly even to the detriment of dismissing some good current movies - but a nice guy and good fan of the genre. I spent many hours on IMDB talking to him on boards like this and the old Dolph Lundgren He-Man.

Re: Before 'Natural Born Killers', there was 'Predator 2'

he was an oddball. Always bashing Predator 2 on the IMDB board. He didn't like Danny Glover as the lead and said that either Louis Gossett Jr. or Dolph Lundgren should have been the lead. That is straight out looney tunes.

http://www.manlymovie.net/

Re: Before 'Natural Born Killers', there was 'Predator 2'

I read that Steven Seagal was close to getting the lead in Predator 2. That, or Patrick Swayze. I wonder what that would be like?

Re: Before 'Natural Born Killers', there was 'Predator 2'

Yes indeed. Director Stephen Hopkins said that Seagal would have made the film too cheesy. He said there already was enough cheese in the film, but it was "cool cheese". And he was right. I think Swayze was up for the role but then got injured while filming Road House, so he had to drop out. I think Glover was a better choice than both of them. The guy was big and built like an ox. Very believable and a nice contrast from Arnold.

http://www.manlymovie.net/

Re: Before 'Natural Born Killers', there was 'Predator 2'

Yeah Hopkins said he met Seagal at his house and he was a weird guy.

Have you seen this interview with Stephen Hopkins? It's one of the best director interviews I've seen. Nearly two hours but feels like half an hour. Hardly any directors would give their time like that to a fan video but he was sound enough to do so. I can't believe it's only got 3000 views.



I think Glover was a better choice than both of them. The guy was big and built like an ox.

Glover was fine. I thought he did well in this. If I had to choose one alternative, it would be Swayze. I think he would've been very good in this film. Right in between Next of Kin and Point Break where he played hard asses.
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