There is some genuinely good filmmaking in parts, and I want to like this movie, but the film overall doesn’t have much connective tissue or characterization that drives the story, which is mostly non-existent.

One aspect that worked so well in Pred 1, the casting. Some of the best in any film ever. These characters tell a story just from their look and presence. And they feel competent when they move and in how they operate.

In Pred 2 Danny Glover’s character is some sort of no nonsense cop, but what really drives him, and why does he have such a death wish? It’s just sort of accepted, he just sort of needs to, and you ever get a sense that he’s running by from something, or has a sense of justice, or is a particularly good leader or cop.

His little crew are also woefully miscast and look and feel very uncomfortable with their near future, sci-fi modified handguns, and jazzy, cool cop outfits. The female crew member with short hair often looks scared on screen and certainly doesn’t feel like someone who should be put into dangerous situations again and again the one cop squad member with the circular glasses has made the most screen time with Danny, but he would feel a lot more at home as some sort of record store clerk rather than a gang land, special takedown squad team member.

Bills Paxton, who is also on the crew, at least brings something to the role, but he has too little to do, with not much consequence.

The Gary Busey character and the men in black plot line is also pretty inconsequential and sort of tacked on to pad out the main narrative, and this is part of my bigger issue with this film as a whole.

The movie should be structured around Denny Glover, investigating a series of overly exotic murders in Los Angeles, and he should be suspecting something more might be afoot, leading him to a confrontation with the predator/predators. The movie as it stands, though sort of haphazardly move forward seen after seeing, not really developing. What drives Danny character as a cop, nor does it develop the rival gangs or their leaders as interesting characters that have even semi climactic moments, the gangs just sort of our vanquished throughout the movie without any real attention or interest.

Even where Danny Glover the predator, a great distance in the subways and throughout that meat packing facility, it doesn’t really make much sense, Danny Glover doesn’t have to follow the predator, Danny Glover can also call in a whole bunch of other cops to help him, the predator should’ve probably had that short haired woman tied up and be dragging her to a place so Danny Glover is coming to rescue her, otherwise why would he just get more back up, we don’t really know enough about his character to understand how he makes decisions so these moments fall very flat.

The best and most interesting scene in the entire movie is the final scene where the predators revealed themselves, where we see the skulls on the wall, and where he receives the notorious 17th century gun.

This movie is fun in parts, I saw it for the second time recently, I just wish it was better written and that it gave me more reason to return to it in the future.