COULD THEY HAVE OTHER MYSTERY SENSES?Yes, it's possible. On the other hand, there's zero indication of this. We see the new weapons and vision-modes being employed (vision-modes it never
uses when it's looking at Harrigan, which means they consider themal of
more use in observing him). Yes, it
could be doing all kinds of other unexplained hand-waved stuff, but without any indications, we might as well say it's using magic. Until we're shown Predators have a
way to accomplish a task, then we can't say they
must do it.
And, again, we see what a Predator does with Dutch. That's
one guy in an entire jungle. Being in a city like LA vastly multiplies the problems for the Predator, not its prey.
TRAJECTORY AND TRAINS:Tracking trajectory won't help with the example of the train. It isn't about knowing a vehicle's heading. It's about knowing where the targets
within it are. Was an invisible Predator literally going through the ticket gates and hanging around in a massive crowd of people? Not bothering to attack them because it... Liked trains? What was stopping it? Bystanders doesn't count, as it obviously didn't care about them when it ripped the carriage open. Why didn't anyone else notice a big shimmering creature on the underground platform?
We already saw what their preferred vision mode was (and the one it was
using when it encountered Jerry/Leona) when looking at vehicles - and it's
terrible at trying to look through the surface metal. In fact, metal is great at radiating all that sweltering LA heat, so...
PRIORITY TARGETS:So, let's say Harrigan
and his friends were all considered priority targets. Targets the mask can
somehow locate
and track at extreme range. If that's the case, then why are there
no visual indications of this? The mask clearly isn't doing its job properly!
Shouldn't they be getting highlighted in some way? Shouldn't there be a special marker placed over them, so that the user knows the primary targets
have been found?
Nothing of the sort occurs. Nothing, at all. The mask isn't assigning any additional processing power to locating
or tracking them. This shouldn't just be applying to Harrigan, but Jerry/Leona/Danny - and it doesn't happen at
any time the Predator encounters them. Not once. They're treated
just like all the other dozens of people it's
also going after for daring to walk around armed.
Harrigan's told it's toying with him? Yes, because that
would be a valid assumption if the killer was human. If the killer was doing things like reading newspaper clippings and stuff like that, like human serial killers do. It's not.
So, for the sake of argument, let's go into the Predator's world, itself... Let's look at those same scenes in the film from the perspective of the Predator.
Here's what the Predator sees...
http://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/predator2/bluray/orig_bluray0004.jpgThis is the problem it will encounter
every single time it wants to find Harrigan. Every time it spends a while finding a valid, armed target, it has to spend away from not only Harrigan, but his associates (all of whom will frequently split up). Every time it tracks down a target it
does want to kill and spends a while arranging the best approach, before deciding to head back Harrigan's way. Every time it goes to the slaughterhouse to eat and decides it needs to go back to Harrigan. Every time it goes back to base to spend ages cleaning its new trophies, going to the toilet or sleeping, before deciding it wants to gut one of Harrigan's friends.
"Hey, guys, just going out to find that dude I want to-"
http://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/predator2/bluray/orig_bluray0005.jpg"Shit! Where is he?! Clack-clack-clack-clack-clack... Oh, I know! I might have seen him go in that big, massive building. I'll stake it out, dude. I'll will totally stake it-"
http://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/predator2/bluray/orig_bluray0006.jpg"F**king
windows! Why can't I see through them?! F**k this shit, I'm finding someone I can actually
see..."
And
this is why any attempt for the Predators to find Harrigan, Jerry, Leona
or Danny, will hit a brick wall. There are miles and miles and miles and miles and miles and... Of
these. Of big, massive buildings which might as well have 'ANTI-PREDATOR BUNKER' written on the side.
And it could be travelling anywhere over the entire city. Look at those pictures. See how the problem gets
worse, the further away it's looking? That's because heat disperses over distance and, especially in high temperatures (like those of the film), one heat source will bleed into another and get merged into the surrounding heated air.
Even if Harrigan were standing out on the balcony of one of those buildings, the Predator would still have a damned hard time trying to see his location - and this is assuming it both has a clear line-of-sight
and happened to be looking in exactly the same direction.
Being a Predator is hard, you guys... That's why they're always grumpy.
But Harrigan and the rest could easily be picked out from above, right?
http://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/predator2/bluray/orig_bluray0007.jpgIn a jungle, yeah. In LA, where they're surrounded by
lots of similar humanoid shapes? The Predator doesn't just have to find a humanoid target, like in the first film. It has to figure out which
ones they happen to be. That vision-mode is clearly
great for finding human targets. We can see them very easily. But it's also clearly rubbish at figuring out who is who.
And here comes Harrigan! Here comes that number one awesome trophy dude! He'll obviously stand out!
http://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/predator2/bluray/orig_bluray0101.jpghttp://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/predator2/bluray/orig_bluray0107.jpgWell, kind of... Not really.
http://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/predator2/bluray/orig_bluray0146.jpgHere he is by a dead gang-member. The only real differences are some different splodges of colour. There isn't anything which makes him look different. And what's he even
done, from the Predator's perspective, which makes him any different to, say, Hawkins and the rest? If you were a Predator and had just seen this, would you honestly feel there's a point in prolonging the hunt over several days when you could just kill him dead? How about if you're a reckless Predator who's impulsive, like this one is meant to be? Would that make you
more patient or less so?
OK, so, how about if the Predator has a fair chance and is looking at his face? Surely that makes a difference? Maybe we're taking away some kind of key visual advantage.
http://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/predator2/bluray/orig_bluray0224.jpghttp://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/predator2/bluray/orig_bluray0229.jpghttp://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/predator2/bluray/orig_bluray0232.jpgApparently not.
http://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/predator2/bluray/orig_bluray0235.jpghttp://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/predator2/bluray/orig_bluray0286.jpgAnd standing him alongside another human figure apparently makes it even worse, not better. The Predator is going to - repeatedly - track him down through the city, based on
this? Then it's going to be hunting just about anybody with a gun... Maybe that's why it took so long! It couldn't figure out who Harrigan actually
was and had been attributing just about any violent gesture it saw to the one guy.
http://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/predator2/bluray/orig_bluray0564.jpgBut when he wears a hat! Oh, when he wears a hat, it is totally
on!
http://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/predator2/bluray/orig_bluray0664.jpgJust a shame it isn't permanently on his head...
Jerry, though? Harrigan's friends must be more obvious, right?
http://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/predator2/bluray/orig_bluray0733.jpghttp://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/predator2/bluray/orig_bluray0737.jpghttp://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/predator2/bluray/orig_bluray0744.jpg"I don't want to sound racist, but you humans all look the same...
"
Which brings up an interesting question. Just how close
does it have to get before some vaguely recognisable facial details are present?
http://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/predator2/bluray/orig_bluray0747.jpgKicking-in-the-balls close, it would seem.
http://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/predator2/bluray/orig_bluray0768.jpgThen again...
http://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/predator2/bluray/orig_bluray0287.jpgAnd vehicles are
really shitty if you want to find out the identity of someone specific on the inside. This is the problem you'd have if you somehow knew your targets had boarded a train or, say, just a car.
How about the alternative vision-modes we
know they have?
http://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/predator2/bluray/orig_bluray0660.jpghttp://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/predator2/bluray/orig_bluray0948.jpghttp://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/predator2/bluray/orig_bluray0949.jpghttp://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/predator2/bluray/orig_bluray0950.jpghttp://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/predator2/bluray/orig_bluray0967.jpghttp://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/predator2/bluray/orig_bluray1008.jpgAnd
that is the reason they prefer thermal.
As we can see, they're all
great if being used to track targets, in general. But what they all
lack is the fine visual definition for identifying specific individuals.
http://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/predator2/bluray/orig_bluray1042.jpgAnd Harrigan
still isn't being identified as a priority by the mask. The only reason the Predator seems to perk up, is because it recognises his
voice - and that's all its own doing. The mask is
not highlighting him as an important target, Terminator-style.
http://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/predator2/bluray/orig_bluray1078.jpghttp://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/predator2/bluray/orig_bluray1091.jpgAnd he's
still not showing any kind of detail necessary for facial recognition.
http://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/predator2/bluray/orig_bluray1116.jpgAnd when the Predator isn't using its mask, even right up
close, the guy still looks like a generic trace of heat. The Predator can see he's
a target, alive and humanoid. Visually-speaking, that's all.
Being a Predator is hard, you guys... Really,
really hard.