It's refreshing to see many reviews on here that really rate this film. As people have said, there is more Predator time on screen, the action sequences are exciting, new weapons, all these things really add to this being a great movie. But for me, I find there is one main element which made this film on a par with the original, and some may say, even better.
What was executed perfectly, in order to differentiate it from the first, is the mood of the piece. This is one eerie, complex, and at times downright terrifying film. The way Los Angeles was painted for this, as the platform for the story to go to work, is simply ingenious. The entire movie works to represent a city in the depths of despair. There are a few key scenes I would like to touch on here.
Firstly, the film immediately starts by placing the viewer in the near future (well 1997 was the near future when the film was released), in a very bleak Los Angeles, which is boiling over in a cesspit of crime. Street warfare is taking place on a mammoth scale, between the authorities and drug gangs. The sheer ferocity of the warfare to open the film, can't help but make a viewer engage and feel uneasy about this city. Adding to this is the aggressive nature at which the drug gang goes to work. Restocking their weapons, encouraging each other, snorting drugs mid fire fight, there is no fear of consequence, a frightful thing to witness. Then insert a Predator into story, and make an already horrific scene worse, leaving behind an unexplainable bloodbath.
Secondly, the police station scene also works very well to set the mood. No violence or warfare, but just a police station jammed to the walls with criminals, needing to be processed. It is here that our main character (Lieutenant Mike Harrigan) explains the drug war, to a new recruit. I really like the scripting in this scene, and throughout the movie. The dialogue is clever, and paints a vivid picture of the situation, with no gloss or wasted words, just descriptions spoken with exceptional potency. A hidden gem in this scene also helping to set the mood is the sweat. Everyone is sweating profusely from a heat wave, and the dust in the air is lit by intrusive beaming rays of sun through the filthy office windows. It all works so well to present a city and a police force nearing breaking point.
Thirdly, for vicious intensity, I cannot go past the action scene on the subway train. The opening shot of a subway train thundering past, immediately feels intimidating. Add in a sweaty crowded train, more criminals, and our main villain, and we have a showdown in a tight space whilst in motion. This for me is probably the creepiest scene from the whole Predator franchise. And although so many elements are mixed together to make it special, the lighting takes all honours. The use of strobe lighting effects, and gun muzzle flashes, make this edge of your seat viewing. This is horror at the highest level, played out to perfection, in an action film.
There are so many parts of this film that work to set and complement the mood of the piece. From the scenes mentioned, to the drug gangs voodoo magic rituals, a back alley meeting with a drug lord, and also the sickening and deplorable media coverage of Hard Copy. So many filmic aspects, from the dynamic and contrasting characters (without the macho) and the richness they bring to a dire situation, a score that is decisively injected throughout, and the lighting of the night to perfection. This truly is a great sequel, and don't get me wrong, the Predator steals the show once again. But I believe the silent achiever was the portrayal of a city with little to no hope left, which really is the all important catalyst to making this an original and highly entertaining film.
What was executed perfectly, in order to differentiate it from the first, is the mood of the piece. This is one eerie, complex, and at times downright terrifying film. The way Los Angeles was painted for this, as the platform for the story to go to work, is simply ingenious. The entire movie works to represent a city in the depths of despair. There are a few key scenes I would like to touch on here.
Firstly, the film immediately starts by placing the viewer in the near future (well 1997 was the near future when the film was released), in a very bleak Los Angeles, which is boiling over in a cesspit of crime. Street warfare is taking place on a mammoth scale, between the authorities and drug gangs. The sheer ferocity of the warfare to open the film, can't help but make a viewer engage and feel uneasy about this city. Adding to this is the aggressive nature at which the drug gang goes to work. Restocking their weapons, encouraging each other, snorting drugs mid fire fight, there is no fear of consequence, a frightful thing to witness. Then insert a Predator into story, and make an already horrific scene worse, leaving behind an unexplainable bloodbath.
Secondly, the police station scene also works very well to set the mood. No violence or warfare, but just a police station jammed to the walls with criminals, needing to be processed. It is here that our main character (Lieutenant Mike Harrigan) explains the drug war, to a new recruit. I really like the scripting in this scene, and throughout the movie. The dialogue is clever, and paints a vivid picture of the situation, with no gloss or wasted words, just descriptions spoken with exceptional potency. A hidden gem in this scene also helping to set the mood is the sweat. Everyone is sweating profusely from a heat wave, and the dust in the air is lit by intrusive beaming rays of sun through the filthy office windows. It all works so well to present a city and a police force nearing breaking point.
Thirdly, for vicious intensity, I cannot go past the action scene on the subway train. The opening shot of a subway train thundering past, immediately feels intimidating. Add in a sweaty crowded train, more criminals, and our main villain, and we have a showdown in a tight space whilst in motion. This for me is probably the creepiest scene from the whole Predator franchise. And although so many elements are mixed together to make it special, the lighting takes all honours. The use of strobe lighting effects, and gun muzzle flashes, make this edge of your seat viewing. This is horror at the highest level, played out to perfection, in an action film.
There are so many parts of this film that work to set and complement the mood of the piece. From the scenes mentioned, to the drug gangs voodoo magic rituals, a back alley meeting with a drug lord, and also the sickening and deplorable media coverage of Hard Copy. So many filmic aspects, from the dynamic and contrasting characters (without the macho) and the richness they bring to a dire situation, a score that is decisively injected throughout, and the lighting of the night to perfection. This truly is a great sequel, and don't get me wrong, the Predator steals the show once again. But I believe the silent achiever was the portrayal of a city with little to no hope left, which really is the all important catalyst to making this an original and highly entertaining film.