Predator 2 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.5

Predator 2 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 8, 2018

Some may wonder if Fox is trying to atone for past Blu-ray sins with the new 4K UHD releases of Predator 4K, Predator 2 4K and Predators 4K . And while there may indeed be at least a bit of salvation with regard to the first Predator film’s 4K release (in terms of previous perceived botched outings), the cold, hard fact is that Fox is probably just understandably cross promoting its new kinda sorta reboot of the franchise, The Predator, due in just a little over a month as this review is being published. Predator appeared (well, the film, anyway) in 1987 and quickly entered the annals of audience favorites, even if those curmudgeonly critics found the typical bugaboos like plot and character development questionable at times. What is kind of interesting in terms of this particular supervillain is what Alfred Hitchcock once described as the difference between surprise and suspense. He used the well remembered example of two people talking with a bomb suddenly going off, which he likened to a surprise. But Hitchcock then asked folks to wonder how they’d react if they already knew a bomb was placed in the vicinity before the people arrived to begin their chat. That’s suspense, and in a way, there’s a visual analog of sorts in that Predator relies on the conceit of a (largely) invisible monster that the viewer nonetheless knows is there, but which can’t be localized. Ironically, when the Predator does “show up” (as far as that goes), that leads to some definite surprises. Perhaps predictably, the nascent Predator franchise suffered a pretty significant “sophomore slump” with Predator 2, and not necessarily just because Ah-nold wasn’t involved and the location had been changed from an almost inherently spooky jungle. That failure probably accounts for the fact that it took decades for the “next” Predator film to appear, 2010’s Predators, an outing which some fans may have felt seemed deliberately designed to evoke another iconic science fiction franchise, Alien: 6 Film Collection.

As with most of my reviews of material being re-released, I won't bother with yet another plot summary, and instead refer those interested to Martin Liebman's Predator 2 Blu-ray review of the original Blu-ray release. That said, as those who pay attention to scores may have already realized, I'm at least marginally less impressed than even Marty was (wasn't?) with this second Predator film, and my overall score for the film reflects that opinion.

Predator 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced off of the 1080p Blu-ray. (See Marty's review of the original Blu-ray version, linked above, since he felt the video presentation had some passing issues, and these screenshots may reflect those deficits.)

Predator 2 is presented on 4K UHD courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with a 2160p transfer in 1.84:1. Marty wasn't especially overwhelmed with the look of the 1080p Blu-ray, thinking it was too filtered looking (ironically, Marty got to review the "non-DNR'd" version of the first Predator, so maybe it was his turn or something). Once again, those fearful of a grain free experience will have their fears allayed as soon as they see the Fox masthead, but those with eagle eyes will probably spot what is sometimes called "hanging" or "frozen" grain during these first few seconds, something that may engender a whole new round of agonizing. Once the actual films begins, things "normalize", and while there is a noticeable uptick in general and fine detail levels throughout this 4K presentation, once again it was the new highlights introduced by HDR that really caught my eye. The increased resolution certainly makes some of the textures in the urban environment pop with more authority, and there's an understandably more ragged look to the supposed "television footage" that is regularly employed, but it's the new range of tones and highlights that continually impressed me personally. The film is awash in reds and blues, both in terms of production design but also in terms of grading and/or lighting, and the saturation of these primaries is really remarkable throughout the presentation, easily topping the 1080p version. Even in some of the most heavily colored sequences fine detail peeks through with levels that are much less prominent in the 1080p Blu-ray version. Once again as with the first film some of the night and/or interior office sequences might have arguably benefited from more shadow definition, but on the whole things look materially improved over the 1080p version. Fox's compression continues to impress, and this film's prevalence of scenes filled with gunsmoke (I guess filling in for jungle mists) and film grain never tilts excessively toward noise territory. I wouldn't say this presentation is quite at the level of the first Predator, but it's continually enjoyable and my hunch is most fans will heartily approve.

Predator 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

One of the potential downsides to the new 4K UHD presentations of the first two Predator films is Fox's decision not to grant them new, upgraded sound mixes, and so this film like its predecessor has the same DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix that was on the original Blu-ray release. Marty's Predator 2 Blu-ray review has a complete description.

Predator 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

All three of the films included in the Predator: 3- Movie Collection 4K have ported over only the commentary track(s) to the 4K UHD discs included in the set. For this particular film, that includes:

• Commentary by Director Stephen Hopkins


• Commentary by Writers Jim Thomas and John Thomas

Predator 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There's a fairly substantial drop off in quality between the first and second Predator, but for those who like gonzo plot mechanics combined with what might be termed by some either an eclectic or a bat guano crazy cast list, Predator 2 more than capably fills the bill. There are some interesting changes made to this sophomore entry, some of them perhaps ending up smarter "on paper" than they come across in the actual film, but there are some exciting set pieces here and the film at least moves briskly enough to avoid ever really becoming too much of a slog. Fox has provided a release with solid video but some may be disappointed that upgraded audio isn't included on this release. That said, technical merits are certainly solid for those considering a purchase.