Predator 2 (Special Edition DVD)

I know for sure I rented Predator 2 when it came out on home video in 1990 or ’91. I’d liked the first Predator, and wanted to see what they’d do for a follow-up. I remember that much, but nothing else. Even after watching the new special edition DVD the other day not a single memory sprung to mind, which just goes to show what a totally forgettable film Predator 2 is.

The first Predator film famously featured worthy opponents for the horrible humanoid in he-men Arnold Schwarenzegger, Carl Weathers, and Jessie Ventura. Predator 2 stars comedy/action nice guy Danny Glover, a potty-mouthed Maria Conchita Alonzo, and a grating, irritating Morton Downey Jr. Superfluous supporting turns are taken up by Bill Paxton (almost unrecognizable in his odiousness);  Ruben Blades (simply there to do his bit as Predator pastry); Gary Busey (somnambulistic as a stone-faced government agent); and Robert Davi (stereotypical as the blustering police chief).

The opening of the film has the police team going in, gun blazing, into what they think is the site of a bloody battle between Columbian and Jamaican drug cartels. It turns out to be the result of a meaty massacre courtesy of a preying Predator, but the men in blue don’t know that. As they bumble about, it’s hard not to laugh — the whole thing looks like a spoof of a really bad cop movie. This goes on for awhile; the “now you see him, now you don’t” killing machine picking off our heroes one by one. Yawn. They start to figure it out. Who cares? More die. Sigh.

Things finally start looking up after Gary Busey is torn in half in a frenzy of viscera and gore. Now it’s basically down to Danny and the deadly enemy. While it must have been hard for him to keep a straight face during some of his rather unfortunate dialogue, Glover does a decent job in making us care whether he lives or dies. The Predator at last becomes something resembling a character during this point, and there are some worthy scenes showing him as the intergalactic game hunter he is (the man behind the latex, Kevin Peter Hall, does a fine job).

While the movie does redeem itself in the end, I doubt anyone other than professional reviewers and Glover’s friends and family will have made it this far.

This DVD is being released to coincide with the debut of Alien Vs. Predator (January 25). It’s a special edition, featuring new commentaries and a specially-produced featurette. If you’re a fan of the film (or Danny Glover’s mom), these enticements probably makes the DVD worth adding to your library.

The first of the commentaries is by the director, Stephen Hopkins. He’s got a spotty track record with me — I love his work on TV’s 24 and I enjoyed his man-eating lion period piece The Ghost and the Darkness. However, I despised the theatrical offering of Lost in Space, and I thought his hack job on Nightmare on Elm Street 5 was even more uninspired than the usual Freddy follow-ups. His Predator 2 commentary is equally spotty: Long, silent gaps leave you plenty of opportunity to watch the movie, listen to him, and not miss anything either way.

The second commentary is by the writing team of Jim and John Thomas, who gave us the first Predator and who really can’t stop talking about it. They have a lot more to say about that film than they do about the one they’re looking at (not that I blame them). They also talk a bit about Alien Vs. Predator, and the Alien films. It’s reasonably informative and entertaining, but like Hopkins’ commentary, there are too many long, uneasy stretches of silence.

Disc two holds the supplementary extras, divided into sections.

All-new documentary: The Hunters and the Hunted. Although this is a newly-compiled documentary, the majority of the interviews were filmed in 1990. It’s about 30 minutes long, and is reasonably informative.

Three behind-the-scenes featurettes:

1) The Predator Goes to Town, International Featurette, Creating the Ultimate Hunter. Bite-sized bits make up one mini-doc.

2) Predator 2 Evolutions: Special effects development clips. They don’t talk about how his fingertips bend back like a boneless rubber chicken, but this incarnation of the Predator as a whole is an impressive work and still looks pretty good in comparison to today’s advanced creatures.

3) Predator Weapons of Choice: weapon analysis clips. I enjoyed learning about the Predator’s fatal party favors, and how they were conceived and put into practice.

Plus:

Trailers and TV spots. The usual promo stuff.

Hard Core: full-length mock news reports from the movie. More Morton, if you can stand it.

Behind-the-scenes still photo gallery.

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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson for Horror.com