The administration of the 20th Century Fox film studio initially doubted the rationality of filming the sequel to the fantasy adventure horror film Predator (1987). The production of the sequel was initiated by producer John Silver, who convinced the management of the success of a series of comics that highlighted the adventures of a character invented by screenwriter brothers John and Jim Thomas. But the refusal to participate in the second part of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who preferred “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”, and director John McTiernen caused an extremely negative reaction from the audience. Other well-known actors invited to the project did not save the situation. The film "Predator 2" (1990) still came out on the cinema screens, but in the premiere weekend it took only the fourth position in the national American box office. For the most part, negative reviews from critics only added fuel to the fire, and the rating of the tape turned out to be rather modest - IMDb: 6.20.
Short storyline
The film "Predator 2" the plot has a traditional for most sequels of science fiction stories and horror. The sequel to the extraterrestrial beast of an impressive texture was transferred to the metropolis of the near future - seven years in advance, Los Angeles 1997. At the center of the story is Detective Mike Herrigan (Danny Glover), who, with his team, is rivaling FBI agent Peter Keyes (Gary Busey) in investigating a series of bloody and brutal murders. The culprit of the atrocities is the Predator - a representative of an aggressive alien civilization, practicing hunting for people, feeling in the midst of a slum agglomeration no worse than in the jungle of Latin America.
In addition to those mentioned above, actors R. Blades, M. Alonso, B. Paxton and many others help to realize the creators ’idea in the film" Predator 2 "(1990).
Indispensable
From the performing ensemble of the original tape to the film "Predator 2" (1990), the actors did not migrate in a friendly crowd. Only Kevin Peter Hall once again appears in the guise of a bloodthirsty alien, given the fact that the authors did not even bother to explain - this is a monster who survived after meeting with the hero of Schwarzenegger or who arrived again. Unfortunately, six months after the premiere of the sequel, the actor’s life ended. Hall died of AIDS, which he contracted after a blood transfusion.
Key role performers
Danny Glaver and Gary Busey were invited to replace the invincible Arnie , who had experience working together in the action movie "Lethal Weapon". But the change of actors in the film "Predator 2" (1990) did not benefit. The sequel lost twice in 1987 to attendance.
The creators in choosing Danny Glover for the main role counted on the inevitable association of the viewer with his previous character, Sergeant Roger Murtow. Also among the merits of the performer was the manner of playing the artist, plunging into the pool of dizzying incidents, while maintaining an enviable endurance, intelligence and irony.
Director Stephen Hopkins initially saw the role of the FBI agent John Lithgow, but at the insistence of one of the producers - Joel Silver, the image of Peter Keyes embodied Gary Busey. This was the first appearance of the actor on the screen after a motorcycle accident, in which the performer almost died. So, on a thorny path of upheaval, the actors and the roles of "Predator 2" were matched by types to each other.
Interesting Facts
Patrick Swayze could play in the sequel, but on the eve of the filming of the Roadside Diner (1989), he was seriously injured, so he was forced to refuse an attractive offer.
In the movie, the actress Elpidia Carrillo appeared, shining in the original picture in the image of Anna. Her name is even mentioned in the credits, but in the timing it is quite difficult to notice the character. The problem is that during the final editing, the scene with her participation was cut out. In a remote episode, she tells about the events that occurred in the jungle. Despite this situation, Anna still appears on the screen. She can be seen on the monitor of one of the computers at the Peter Keyes mobile command post at the moment the agent tells the policeman about the destructive effect of the Predator’s self-destruction mechanism.
It is curious that all the characters of Bill Paxton in the films "Aliens", "Terminator" and "Predator 2" have always been killed.
Production Features
The visionary Stephen Hopkins, who followed Renny Harlin from Freddy Krueger's "creepy world" into the genre of action movies, did not repeat his success and did not achieve overwhelming success as the author of Die Hard 2. Nevertheless, he was fully proud of the significant rise in his own commercial record in comparison with “A Nightmare on Elm Street 5”. At Predator 2, the actors and the crew managed to earn. Moreover, the film was the first in the history of American cinema to receive a prohibitive rating of NC17 (now R - children under 17 must have an adult). Therefore, the tape had to be remounted several times in order to make it acceptable for wide rental.
The beginning of the confrontation
The film "Predator 2" is considered the occasion for the beginning of endless cinematic fantasies on the subject of the confrontation between Aliens and Predators. In the episode with the room decorated with trophies on the spaceship, the skulls of many creatures are placed, among them the head of the monster from the picture “Alien”. For the creators, it was just a joke, demonstrating that hunters easily deal with xenomorphs. As a result, all the “who is stronger” disputes led to the creation of the Alien vs. Predator project, which almost led both franchises to a standstill.