The reviews split almost evenly, and the divide runs along a line of time. Critics writing at release are cooler; those returning years later find more to like, and several call it underrated. Where there is praise, it lands on the relocation to a sweltering, gang-ridden Los Angeles, on the relentless pace of the set-pieces, and on the cast: Danny Glover, Gary Busey and Bill Paxton are named repeatedly, along with the subway sequence.
The reservations cluster on what the film lacks: the original’s suspense and claustrophobia, Schwarzenegger, and any real expansion of the creature’s mythology. Characters are called functional or faceless. The spread is wide. The New York Times finds it mindless and mean-spirited, and Roger Ebert calls the creature ugly and uncreative. HeyUGuys dissents from the later warmth, judging Glover miscast and the sequel lazy, while Eye for Film sits at the far end, arguing it deserves more respect than it got.