Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		3.5

Predator 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 26, 2009

The cruel but cool looking creature from John McTiernan’s now cult action extravaganza “Predator” (1987) came back in Stephen Hopkins’ “Predator 2” (1990). Arnold Schwarzenegger was replaced with Danny Glover while the action was relocated from the real jungle to the concrete jungle – Los Angeles. Courtesy of 20th Century Fox.

Hunted

An angry alien creature is roaming the streets of LA. It hunts and kills those who unintentionally, or intentionally, challenge him. Sometimes the hunted are drug dealers, other times they are cops. But when Mike Harrigan (Danny Glover, Lethal Weapon), a tough and hardworking lieutenant from LAPD, gets in the creature’s way things suddenly change – the hunter becomes the hunted.

Stephen Hopkins’s film lacks the terrific atmosphere of the original Predator, but it improves in practically every other area of importance. Its action is flashier, sets more elaborate, and alien creature smarter.

What really separates Predator from Predator 2, however, is the tempo of the story. In Predator 2 the action skips from one location to another in such a frantic fashion that it is often difficult to keep track of who gets killed and how. Fortunately enough, the goofy-looking Gary Busey (Drop Zone) appears every now and then as Federal agent Peter Keyes and, as expected, conveniently disrupts the otherwise consistent rhythm of the story.

Danny Glover’s character is likable, but not as entertaining as the one played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. He is far more serious, suspicious, and intelligent. And probably for a good reason, considering the fact that the alien creature in Predator 2 is also more sophisticated than its predecessor (the thing not only speaks English but it curses like a sailor). As expected, the two meet at the end of the film in a dramatic, but mostly clichéd, showdown.

Technically, Predator 2 also gets the upper hand. Cinematographer Peter Levi (Blown Away) provides the film with a very sharp and glitzy look that compliments the story’s futuristic overtones exceptionally well. Unsurprisingly, during the second half of Predator 2 one would be hard-pressed not to recognize how fresh this film still looks.

The actual alien creature is identical to the one seen in John McTiernan’s film, though the producers of Predator 2 have given it plenty of exotic weapons to fight with. Logically, the action here is far more elaborate and there are some great scenes where the weapons come in handy.

Still, at its core Stephen Hopkins’ film remains quite transparent. It is fast, loud, and cool to look at, but undoubtedly a tad too clichéd and empty. Of course, some may argue that this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, considering the fact that if the alien creature would have been updated Predator 2 may not have been as likable as it is, and I would agree. But I also believe that the film has its obvious limits, and more often than not it is fairly easy to recognize them.

Predator 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Predator 2 arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox.

The transfer is rather pleasing. Contrast is strong, clarity decent, and detail mostly acceptable. The transfer is also surprisingly clean – I did not detect any disturbing specks, debris, or dirt. On the other hand, it is quite obvious that Fox have done some filtering which isn't overly disturbing, but it is certainly noticeable during select close-ups. As a result, occasionally the picture would look a bit too polished (for the record, what I am describing above isn't even remotely close to the harsh DNR alterations we've witnessed on some domestic Fox releases). Second, I also noticed quite a few scenes where light edge-enhancement pops up here and there. Given the complex color scheme of Predator 2, however, and specifically the neon-esque scanning produced by the predator's eyes, I believe that you are likely to miss a lot of it. To sum it all up, the Blu-ray release represents an upgrade in quality over previous DVD release, but there is certainly room for plenty of important improvements. (Note: For the record, this is a Region-Free release which you will be able to play on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

Predator 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

A quick look at this Blu-ray disc reveals that it was intended to be a Pan-European release (this means that there are plenty of language and subtitles options on the disc making it easy to sell in a number of European markets). This being said, Fox have supplied three different audio tracks: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, French: DTS 5.1, and German: DTS 5.1. I opted for the English: DTS-HD MA 5.1 track and did a few quick comparisons with the German and French dubs for the purpose of this review.

To make a long story short, the DTS-HD MA 5.1 is certainly a good enough reason to consider an upgrade. Surprisingly, it is very active, rich, and nuanced. The terrific duel between Danny Glover and the predator is packed with all sorts of sound effects that made a huge impression on me. Really, for a film that was made back in 1990 Predator 2 sounds like a film that might have been produced only a few months ago. Very impressive! The activity in the rear channels, for example, is outstanding. The exotic weapons the predator has in its arsenal produce all sorts of interesting audio effects that the DTS-HD MA 5.1 track handles terrifically. On the other hand, the dialog in Predator 2 is crystal clear and extremely easy to follow.

As I mentioned earlier, I checked the two dubs to see how they compare with the DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix. Leaving the obvious aside (none of the two dubs are as convincing as the original English track, though they certainly are of good quality) the action scenes are not comparable at all. I specifically played with the warehouse scene where Danny Glover and the predator fight, and Garry Busey loses his head, and there is a lot more depth that I detected on the DTS-HD MA 5.1 track (listen closely to the following scene as well where the predator jumps in the apartment building and starts tearing the walls apart). Finally, Fox have provided optional English HOH, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, French, German, Norwegian, Swedish subtitles for the main feature.

Predator 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There are a number of very interesting extras on this Blu-ray disc. First, there is a commentary by Stephen Hopkins where he provides a terrific analysis of his film. It is probably a bit too detailed for my taste as Mr. Hopkins tends to dissect most every interesting scene, but I must assume that the fans of Predator 2 would appreciate his efforts. Next is another full-blown commentary by writers Jim Thomas and John Thomas where they talk about the history of the film and, similarly to Mr. Hopkins, spend a great deal of time discussing specific scenes and locations that were used during the film's shooting. Next is "The Hunters And The Hunted", a making-of documentary where members of the cast and crew address the production history and values of Predator 2 as well as why a sequel to the original Predator was made. "Evolutions" addresses three specific scenes from the film and how they were shot. "Six Weapons Of Choice Segments" focuses on the exotic weapons the creators of the film introduced. "Two Hardcore Segments" more of the "raw" footage from the TV broadcasts that Predator 2 incorporates into its story (for your viewing pleasure, they have been mocked). Finally, there are three promotional galleries. (For the record: all of the extras are perfectly playable on US TV sets. Each of the supplemental materials addressed above is also subtitled in Dutch, English, French, and German).

Predator 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Predator 2 is yet to be released on the North American market, but the UK Blu-ray disc should be an excellent alternative for those of you already used to importing. It is Region-Free, expertly produced (sans a few minor reservations I have with the video presentation), and with some truly interesting supplemental materials that appear to have been ported from the SE DVD that was released in 2005. Highly Recommended.