Happy Halloween!
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Although the Predator has arguably never enjoyed the cultural or artistic significance that other sci-fi horror films of that era have enjoyed, Alien, The Thing, the Star Wars Christmas Special, it’s certainly carved its own place in pop culture. Video games, comic books (including three different instances of Batman vs. Predator), novels and a series of mostly subpar films, some of which include the xenomorphs from Alien, another franchise that could be considered generally shit. Of course even the most shameless of franchises have a grain of good in them; Ridley Scott’s Alien and James Cameron’s Aliens are certainly well-favored in the public eye, Halloween Part 1 & Part 2, Batman & Batman Returns, and although I wouldn’t say it’s a fantastic film, Predator is at least an entertaining and competently made one. But what of its sequel, 1990’s Predator 2? Is it a Terminator 2, or a Cars 2? Does it make for a great Halloween movie? Only I can say for sure.
So the first Predator is a pretty simple premise, but in case you’re somehow incapable of watching it or looking it up yourself, here it is: Sometime in the radical 1980s, a paramilitary group led by ‘Dutch’ Schaefer are engaged in some work in the jungles of South America where they are stalked and systematically killed by an extraterrestrial hunter (some might say a predator). While thematically it’s pretty much just a slasher flick filled with guns and latent homoeroticism, there are a couple of things about Predator that manage to make it interesting. First off all, it has a great cast: Carl ‘Apollo Creed’ Weathers, Jesse ‘Sexual Tyrannosaurus’ Ventura, and Arnold Schwarzenegger as the lead, in the prime of his 80s Action God days. Secondly, the design of the Predator alien and his weapons are quite interesting to look at, and the effects concerning his vision and his cloaking device are pretty cool as well. Finally, the movie is pretty damn violent at times, and if you happen to be a bit of a gorehound like I am, you’ll find something to like there. In a lot of ways Predator is the beefcake version of Alien, which is probably why the idea of the two properties collaborating has always been intriguing, if not properly executed. Then again, every single versus movie ever made has failed to meet expectations, so that’s not surprising.
Following in the footsteps of Aliens and Judgement Day, Predator attempts to be bigger and better while still retaining the core concept of what made the original film work. Instead of the steaming jungles of South America, our film takes place in the ‘urban jungle’ of Los Angeles in the then far-off year of 1997, a Demolition Man-esque warzone between the L.A.P.D and the textbook definition of what White America apparently thought inner-city gangs were back in the 90’s (paganistic, barely coherent and constantly under the influence of drugs as they fire off assault weapons? I don’t know how anyone could possibly be offended). Rather than buff action hero Schwarzenegger, we get Michael Harrigan (Danny Glover), a renegade cop who plays by nobody’s rules but his own, who is stalked by an all-new all-deadly Predator. You’ve got Gary Busey as a shady government agent, voodoo sacrifices, weed, Bill Paxton, and the macho Latina chick that seemed to be a prerequisite in these kinds of movies. Maybe there wasn’t a truck vs helicopter fight going on, but it was definitely a ‘bigger’ movie than Predator.
However, there are some problems. Although Predator 2 seems to be attempting some biting social commentary (gang violence, exploitative media, culture of fear) it comes off less a Robocop or Dawn of the Dead type satire than it does a Dracula: Dead and Loving It. Also, despite there being plenty of action, and thus an appropriate amount of death, the movie seems rather muted when it comes to violence. Compared to the original film, which had arms blowing off, graphic depictions of skinned bodies and such, the killings in the sequel seem rather tame in comparison, if they’re even on screen at all Not to say there offscreen deaths can’t be valid in a dramatic sense, but this ain’t the 50s anymore and sometimes a punch in the face can hurt just as much as one to the back of the head. I don’t know if it was censorship imposed by the studio/ratings board that caused it or if that was just the way it came out, but once you see it you can’t unsee it. If we’re already going with the idea that a slightly overweight cop can fight a 7 ft tall homicidal alien just as well as Arnold ‘Terminator the Barbarian’ Schwarzenegger, something that can eviscerate a room full of coked up gang members with machine guns without getting a scratch, then I want some visceral death scenes. You pushing the underdog story? Then you make sure the audience knows just how much of an underdog the protagonist really is.
Even taking its flaws into account, Predator 2 is a fairly entertaining movie, and I can appreciate the way it expanded upon the lore of the Predators themselves. Between the two I’d still say Predator is the better film, mostly because it’s the more straightforward film, not bogged down by the ridiculous stuff that plagues its descendent. If you’ve seen the first movie last Halloween and you’re wondering whether you should try the sequel, I’d say you’ll probably find something to enjoy this year. Watch out for anything beyond that though, especially the Alien vs. Predator films. You may not survive.
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