Readers of this blog know that I had very few limitations on what I could watch as a child. Some might say that was bad, but honestly, it allowed me to firmly grasp my current pop culture obsessions. My obsession with predators started young and has not changed in the past eighteen years.

Predator will always be a favorite but Predator 2 will always have a special place in my heart. I watch it for at least a month and every rewatch renews my affections.

Predator 2 is one of the strongest, if not the strongest until Prey, sequels that this franchise has. Stephen Hopkins’ film not only stands firm as a sequel film in the flood of early nineties sequels but is also vastly iconic as well. 

Welcome to the (concrete) jungle!

I remember the very first time I laid eyes on this movie. It wasn’t long after I watched the first film that I loved the idea of a yautja hunting in the city. My little noggin pictured the one enjoying a midday hunt in the busy streets of Boston. Probably wouldn’t be the weirdest thing to happen.

The concept of the pred dealing with the new struggles of city hunting and watching Lieutenant Mike Harrigan try his hardest to survive was a refresher compared to the first film. Honestly, the man did a damn good job doing it. He’s just too tired to deal with that crap. He’s not a billy badass. Harrigan is not a muscle man. Yeah, he’s a little hot-headed but he wants what is best for his city and the people he works with. I love Arnold but Harrigan rings a tad more realistic to me. Also, some of his lines are the best!

The characters are a broad spectrum. We have cops in one corner, gang members in the second, and a weird government sector (not like the one in The Predators). We get a peek into the flawed Justice system that Harrigan is also trying to fight against.

It utilizes new concepts that stand fresh from the original film while still holding the same energy.

The yautja is also different compared to the jungle hunter we saw in the first. He’s brutal and far more physically involved. He gets up close and personal when hunting. It also gives us a greater view of the honor code, with him refusing to kill a child and a pregnant woman. 

A tale of two concrete jungles?

So the cool thing about this is that Predator 2 came after a run of Dark Horse comics called Concrete Jungle. They both loosely follow the same plot but replace Harrington with Dutch’s brother who goes up a ground of salty predators (who are angry about Predator 1). Swap out New York City for Los Angeles. It’s also a novel as well!

Prey?

So one of the cool things I enjoyed about Prey is the call back to the musket Harrington is given by the clan Elder in the movie.

The movies and comics split the origin story of Raphael Adolini. Prey had Adolini killed in the movie but in the comic Predator: 1718 he’s a pirate that fights side by side with a yautja. It’s a comic I highly recommend.

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I hope you found this post enjoyable. Have any questions or opinions? If so share them in the comments.

Happy Thursday everyone!

-J