--- title: "Predator 2: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/predator-2/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/predator-2" critics_score: 53 critics_reviews: 11 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Predator 2 (1990): what the critics said Critics' score 53 from 11 reviews: 4 positive, 3 mixed, 4 negative. 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. ## Empire — Ian Nathan Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic finds this sequel surprisingly good despite the absence of Schwarzenegger and McTiernan. It relocates the action to a sweltering, gang-ridden future Los Angeles and delivers plenty of gory action with strong characters and a memorable Alien in-joke. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/predator-2-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kevin Thomas Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 21 November 1990. Thomas praises the relentless pacing, first-rate actors, and pure action thrills while noting it is derivative and cannot match the original's suspense. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-11-21-ca-4467-story.html) ## Radio Times — John Ferguson Rating 3/5. The sequel shifts the action to a futuristic Los Angeles where Danny Glover plays a maverick cop hunting the alien predator amid drug lords and government agents. Action sequences are competently handled but the film lacks the original's tension and claustrophobic atmosphere. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-dgnavm/predator-2/) ## Variety Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 1990. The review notes it generates start-to-finish hysteria and strong design but falls short of the original's thrills in the final act and skimps on character development. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1989/film/reviews/predator-2-1200428284/) ## Time Out Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). The sequel shows little of the original's flair and lacks a suspenseful plot or Schwarzenegger. It attempts an uneasy mix of genres in a futuristic LA setting but ends up rudderless with functional characters. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/predator-2) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 21 November 1990. Ebert finds the film a sad failure of imagination and spirit, with an ugly, uncreative alien creature that offers nothing new or wondrous about the universe. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/predator-2-1990) ## The New York Times — Janet Maslin Fi1m's normalised score 15/100 (inferred from the text). 21 November 1990. Maslin calls it the most mindless and mean-spirited action film of the season, with frantic direction, uninteresting effects, and actors better off elsewhere. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/21/movies/review-film-the-quarry-humans.html) ## Eye for Film — Gator MacReady Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 16 May 2005. The critic calls Predator 2 a brash, unsubtle, in-your-face wall-to-wall action classic that holds up better than the AVP films and deserves more respect than it got upon release for its pulp detective novel-meets-Twilight Zone vibe. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/reviews.php?film_id=10733) ## Collider — Andrew Taylor Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 1 August 2022. The critic praises the film's bold shift to a semi-futuristic Los Angeles setting and its B-movie energy, calling it underrated and worth seeking out despite comparisons to the original. Glover's lead performance and the urban jungle action stand out as highlights. [Read the review](https://collider.com/predator-2-danny-glover-underrated-sequel/) ## Den of Geek — Bernard Boo Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 8 August 2022. The critic notes that time has been kind to the film, which departs from the original in setting and tone but preserves its core formula of a mysterious alien preying on humans. Performances by Danny Glover, Gary Busey, and Bill Paxton, along with standout sequences like the subway car scene, are highlighted as strengths. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/predator-movies-ranked-from-worst-to-best/) ## HeyUGuys — Dave Roper Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 26 October 2010. The review finds the film a lazy sequel with exciting set-pieces and new weapons but a miscast lead in Danny Glover, faceless characters, and little mythology expansion, making it ultimately unsatisfying compared to the original. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/video-vault-predator-2-1990/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/predator-2.md