Predator 2 (Exclusive Series) (Hulu)

Initial release date: November 21, 1990

Studios: 20th Century Fox/Silver Pictures/Gordon Company/Davis Entertainment

Tagline: Silent. Invisible. The Ultimate Hunter. This Time ... Los Angeles, 1997.

This time he's coming to a different kind of jungle.

Plot: LA is enduring a heat wave and a crime wave, so the pressure on police officer Michael Harrigan to solve a strange string of murders is mounting. Harrigan thinks the culprit can be found among the warring gangs and drug cartels, but FBI Special Agent Peter Keyes knows the horrible truth: Their killer is a fearsome extraterrestrial with keen hunting abilities that include superior night vision and the power to make itself invisible.

Cast

Danny Glover - Lt. Mike Harrigan

Kevin Peter Hall - The Predator

Gary Busey - Peter Keyes

Ruben Blades - Danny Archuleta

Maria Conchita Alonso - Leona Cantrell

Bill Paxton - Jerry Lambert

Robert Davi - Capt. Phil Heinemann

Adam Baldwin - Garber

Kent McCord - Capt. B. Pilgrim

Morton Downey Jr. - Tony Pope

Calvin Lockhart - King Willie

Henry Kingi - El Scorpio

Writer(s): Jim and John Thomas

Director: Stephen Hopkins (The Reaping; Under Suspicion; Lost in Space)

Rated R for strong violence and language, and for sensuality and drug content (108 minutes)

Almost a week ago, I checked out the 1987 action classic 'Predator' for the first rime in years. And, honestly, that action flick still holds up to this very day. Just recently, I took a look at the first sequel - 'Predator 2' (1990) - which takes place a decade or so after the events of the 1987 film.

In this sequel, The Predator hunts in a new jungle - the streets of LA. Now, this sequel does have some interesting and tense action-packed moments, especially in the beginning where the cops are having a massive gun fight with numerous gangs. That entire sequence is really tense and well shot.

Even though this is a fairly entertaining follow up for the most part, it can't top the awesome original. One thing the sequel got right was bringing back original Predator performer Kevin Peter Hall for the role of the Predator. Despite the fact that the guy obviously doesn't have lines, Hall does a great job bringing the character to life once more. The last few moments that featured numerous Predators on the ship are actually pretty cool.

So, overall, 'Predator 2' is an all right sequel. I can't really put my finger on it, but the sequel isn't quite as exciting as the original.

If you have seen the 1990 sequel, what did you think of it? Did you enjoy it or did you find it a little weaker than the 1987 movie?

'Predator 2', along with the others in the franchise (minus the 2018 sequel) is available to stream on Hulu.

Here are some interesting tidbits for 'Predator 2':

• Several of the hunting party members were played by players from the LA Lakers; Glover was a big fan, and when the production needed several very tall people to play the background Predators, he asked them to help out.

• Hopkins was given the task of directing the 1990 sequel after greatly impressing the studio when directing 'Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Child' (one of the better 'Elm Street' sequels). He had been given just four weeks to shoot, and a further four weeks to edit the film. This meant that he had to shoot on one stage while the crew dressed the other, allowing them to shoot almost continually.

• Schwarzenegger declined the sequel because of a dispute over money. According to producer John Davis, it was over an additional $250,000, which the studio refused to pay him.

• The Jamaican voodoo posse gangs seen in the film were based on actual gangs that were terrorizing NYC and Kansas City in the mid to late 1980s.

• Some of the Predator's sounds were recycled from the 1990 movie 'Tremors.'

• The Sergeant to whom Mike Harrigan briefly talks at the beginning of the movie played his boss in all four 'Lethal Weapon' movies.

• This was the first movie to be given the newly instituted NC-17 rating in the US for its graphic violence, before it was re-cut to its final theatrical length.

• McTiernan was offered the chance to return to direct, but turned it down to work on 'The Hunt for Red October.'

• Set roughly a decade after the events of the first movie.

• Released on November 21, 1990, 'Predator 2' was No. 4 at the domestic box office in its opening weekend, with a gross of over $8 million behind the films 'Dances with Wolves,' 'Three Men and a Baby,' Rocky V' and Fox's own 'Home Alone.' The movie grossed a total of $57 million, $30 million of which was from the US; Became the lowest-grossing film in the 'Predator' franchise.

• In 1990, the reviews were generally negative, though reviewers were generally impressed by Danny Glover's casting as an action hero. The movie is often viewed as being underrated and has come to be considered a cult classic.

• The movie was adapted twice as a video game: the first for computers in 1990 and the second for Sega in 1992.

https://youtu.be/pLe_1SheJms