PREDATOR 2 - I just don't get it!

[Billiken]

I think when we all look back in 20 years time and say Arnold will have only ever been in 1 Predator movie is a shame ( cos u won't see him in another one). However life goes on. Glover did a great job in P2.  Alright let's end the topic and let's go back to bagging the predator.

[Huntsman]

Get over it, really. Arnold is over it. He doesn't want to come back and he never will. The franchise is bigger than Dutch even though he's the most famous character.

[Voodoo Magic]

Agreed. I think Predator 2 is great for the most part. Far superior to Predators and The Predator.

By a significant margin.

Third this.

[SiL]

I guess you haven't done a lot of "Predator 2" google searches and tons of critic & audience review reading because no, whiterabbit is right. A lot of people say that. A lot.  It's not always the only reason, but it comes up repeatedly.

I meant they don't say much about the film in general. It's not as widely spoken about as others in the series.

It's absolutely no secret that lots of people commented that Arnie's absence hurt the picture. Whiterabbit is super disingenuous saying that people who saw the movie all said they liked it -- it was plenty trashed on release as a disappointment for reasons other than Arnie.

[Billiken]

Get over it, really. Arnold is over it. He doesn't want to come back and he never will. The franchise is bigger than Dutch even though he's the most famous character.

I agree I was just saying if he did one more predator back when he was younger then they move on to new characters. But yeah I agree one man doesn't make a series

[Huntsman]

I think Dutch works best as one man who became stuck in a moment. He encountered a Predator, beat one, and went home. A nice clean end there.  Alien could've been a solo film. But as it eventuated, Ripley drove the trilogy because the story had a better sense of continuous flow. She never escaped the Alien. Once it broke free on the Nostromo she never stopped running. She woke up from a nightmare to endure another one.

[whiterabbit]

I guess you haven't done a lot of "Predator 2" google searches and tons of critic & audience review reading because no, whiterabbit is right. A lot of people say that. A lot.  It's not always the only reason, but it comes up repeatedly.

I meant they don't say much about the film in general. It's not as widely spoken about as others in the series.

It's absolutely no secret that lots of people commented that Arnie's absence hurt the picture. Whiterabbit is super disingenuous saying that people who saw the movie all said they liked it -- it was plenty trashed on release as a disappointment for reasons other than Arnie.

I thought mentioning that I was in 8th grade was enough of a hint that I was talking about people who I actually spoken too. Friends, classmates, people leaving the theater, dudes at fishing tournaments. You know the time before the internet. It was pretty well talked about in school and if you mentioned it, more than not, people know what you're talking about. And it was a common response to hear "the one without Arnold" or "the one with Danny Glover/Jamaicans". Even today if you mention it, chances are people from back then remember it.

However it's not like people were talking about it all that long after release, however asking people what they thought about it usually garnered a response and no one I came across had anything negative to say about the movie aside from Arnold wasn't in it.

[Voodoo Magic]

I guess you haven't done a lot of "Predator 2" google searches and tons of critic & audience review reading because no, whiterabbit is right. A lot of people say that. A lot.  It's not always the only reason, but it comes up repeatedly.

It's absolutely no secret that lots of people commented that Arnie's absence hurt the picture. Whiterabbit is super disingenuous saying that people who saw the movie all said they liked it -- it was plenty trashed on release as a disappointment for reasons other than Arnie.

Yes, however, another reason it continues to be trashed by some is solely the lack of Arnold Schwarzenegger.  A 'no Arnie, no Predator' mentality. 

My whole declaration on this thread (other than to share that video) is I have no general understanding how this movie can be trashed at all, or labelled as trash. I intellectually get it if someone was talking "The Predator", but not this.  Definitely not this.

[Huntsman]

Predator 2 was a different perspective of the same world - Dutch lives in this world but he's not 'here'. He's not a member of the police force. The opening scene showing the jungle area moving into the city visually explained everything.

[BigDaddyJohn]

The two most frequent and dumbest things i heard about this question...

- There is no Arnie ! 

- The guy who replaced him is not believable battling an alien and seem out of breath in every action scene ! 

GTFO 

[Berend]

I never got it either



Until my dad and I were marathoning the series. He had only ever seen the first one, and he had an absolute blast rewatching, both of us were utterly in awe when we saw it.

He was genuinely surprised when I said there was a second and third installment ( conviently forgot AVPs and the then upcoming The Predator )

and he hated the second one so much. And he did not even expect Arnie to return at all..

He said it was way too over the top, cheesy and did not feel like the characters were actually people.. just real life cartoons.
He did like the last act though inside the predator spaceship.

In contrast he liked Predators very, very much.. neither of us were truly enthralled, but he considered it a massive improvement on the cheese-fest that was part 2

[BigDaddyJohn]

In fact, the whole movie is very comic-bookish overall.

[whiterabbit]

Do people really judge these movies will a lens that simply disallows enjoyment? I mean this is a monster movie set in Los Angeles. I can see a critic or film student being concerned with pacing, story and judging based on some sort of bar but I mean, holy crap, don't those people know how to have fun?

I don't think we used to give a shit to be honest. Actors used to be a huge draw for a movie. Arnold used to be a huge draw. Monsters are a draw for some people and a put off for others. As is the deal with any genre. Still who here micromanages entertainment? It can be explained why someone likes or doesn't like Predator 2 but I doubt for most it is because of any technical issue. This movie came out in 1990. The entire film scene was different from what it is today. We used to make movies that were entertaining and we used to go to movies to be entertained.

Now days the in thing appears to be why a movie is not perfect. I don't understand this level of stress we put onto ourselves. Back in the days you either had fun, didn't have fun or were somewhere in-between. We left the technical details to siskel and ebert and the newspaper columnist. And honestly I don't remember any of us actually giving a damn what a critic said when it came to watching a movie.

[Voodoo Magic]

In fact, the whole movie is very comic-bookish overall.

True. But that is true of the whole cinematic franchise. We don't have to look any further than the original, right at those lovable, muscle bound commandos who cracks macho jokes like "I ain't got time to bleed" and "Knock knock"... the type that bring a minigun to a jungle!

[SM]

I guess you haven't done a lot of "Predator 2" google searches and tons of critic & audience review reading because no, whiterabbit is right. A lot of people say that. A lot.  It's not always the only reason, but it comes up repeatedly.

It's absolutely no secret that lots of people commented that Arnie's absence hurt the picture. Whiterabbit is super disingenuous saying that people who saw the movie all said they liked it -- it was plenty trashed on release as a disappointment for reasons other than Arnie.

Yes, however, another reason it continues to be trashed by some is solely the lack of Arnold Schwarzenegger.  A 'no Arnie, no Predator' mentality. 

My whole declaration on this thread (other than to share that video) is I have no general understanding how this movie can be trashed at all, or labelled as trash. I intellectually get it if someone was talking "The Predator", but not this.  Definitely not this.

Consider yourself enlightened.