Predator 2 (1990) drags the jungle hunter out of the trees and drops him into the sweltering concrete jungle of 1997 Los Angeles — and it's one of the most gloriously committed sci-fi action sequels of its era. Despite a 36% critics score and 44% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, Predator 2 delivers Stan Winston creature work, jaw-dropping practical camouflage effects, and a murderer's row of character actors. It even turned a profit: roughly $57 million worldwide on a $30–35 million budget.
The Rotten Premise: What Critics Said About Predator 2 (1990)
When Predator 2 hit theaters over Thanksgiving weekend in 1990, critics recoiled. One review branded it a "senseless and offensive orgy of violence," and Rotten Tomatoes still has it parked at 36% from critics and 44% from audiences — which makes it officially slept-on by our rules: under 50% on both scores. The film was even slapped with an initial NC-17 rating for its violence before being trimmed down to an R.
Here's what the narrative skips: Predator 2 opened at #4 on one of the most stacked box-office weekends of the decade — Thanksgiving 1990, behind the Home Alone juggernaut — and went on to gross about $57 million against a $30–35 million budget. That's not a disaster. That's a movie that got a bad rap.
Why Predator 2 Is Actually Slept-On (Not Bad)
On Episode 79 of Slept-On Cinema — the second stop on our first-ever triple feature that runs Alien 3 → Predator 2 → Alien vs. Predator — we make the case that this "Double Under 50" entry is a high-octane masterpiece of practical effects and world-building.
The World-Building Cheat Code
Setting the movie just seven years in the future — a crime-ravaged, heat-choked 1997 Los Angeles — was a stroke of genius. It let the filmmakers crank the chaos up to the edge of sci-fi without paying for a full sci-fi budget. LAPD Lieutenant Michael Harrigan (Danny Glover) and FBI Special Agent Peter Keyes (Gary Busey) chase a cloaked extraterrestrial hunter through a city already at its breaking point, and the near-future framing makes every escalation feel plausible.
The Practical Effects Critics Completely Missed
Stan Winston's creature work is the star, and the real showstopper is how they pulled off the Predator's active camouflage without modern CGI: they fractalized footage of Kevin Peter Hall performing in a red suit to conjure that iconic shimmering invisibility. It's the kind of hand-built ingenuity that ages better every year — 1990 effects artists solving with their hands what studios now throw a render farm at.
The Cast Nobody Talks About Enough
Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Rubén Blades, María Conchita Alonso, Robert Davi, and Bill Paxton — that's a murderer's row of character actors having an absolute blast. And it hands us the single greatest piece of sci-fi trivia we know: Bill Paxton is the only actor in cinematic history to be killed on-screen by an Alien, a Terminator, and a Predator. Watching Predator 2 in 2026 means watching a cast that knew exactly what kind of movie they were making.
B.O.L.O. — Be On the Lookout For These Moments
- The Xenomorph skull. The Alien easter egg on the trophy wall of the Predator's spaceship — the seed that eventually grows into the finale of our triple feature.
- Robert Davi sightings. Peak character-actor energy in every scene he's in.
- The sweat. An unprecedented amount of on-screen perspiration. Every frame of this movie is drenched — and it's a deliberate world-building choice.
- "Whirlybird" turbine vents. Once you clock the rooftop turbines, you can't unsee them.
- The subway sequence. A brilliant homage to the Charles Bronson classic Death Wish, hiding inside a sci-fi action sequel.
The Drink Pairing for Predator 2
The El Scorpio. GrobeStreet's pick — mezcal, fresh lime juice, agave syrup, and a muddled avocado, smoky enough to survive an L.A. heat wave. Stan Steamer keeps it simple and beats the heat with a straightforward, ice-cold Pilsner. Both are correct.
Listen to the Slept-On Cinema Episode on Predator 2
Stan Steamer and GrobeStreet break down exactly why that 36% Rotten Tomatoes score is a crime against a great time in Episode 79 — the Draft, the BOLOs, the bumper sticker lines ("Luck is my specialty" and the immortal "Take a deep breath, loosen your sphincter"), a Gary Busey "Briefcase Boys" spin-off pitch, and the wild true story of the King Willie alley shoot. Press play below, or grab us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
More Slept-On Reviews You'll Like
If you're on board for defending Predator 2, keep going:
- Alien 3 (1992) — where our Alien vs. Predator triple feature began.
- Godzilla (1998) — another misunderstood monster blockbuster critics turned into a punchline.
- The full Movies Critics Got Wrong hub — every misjudged movie we've covered, in one place.
Want the whole library? Browse the complete Slept-On Cinema episode index.
Frequently Asked Questions About Predator 2 (1990)
Is Predator 2 worth watching in 2026?
Absolutely. Predator 2 is a practical-effects showcase with a stacked cast and a bold near-future "1997 Los Angeles" setting. If you love Stan Winston creature work, 90s action, and world-building that punches above its budget, it holds up far better than its 1990 reviews suggested.
Why does Predator 2 have such a low Rotten Tomatoes score?
Critics in 1990 fixated on the violence — one review called it a "senseless and offensive orgy of violence," and the film was originally rated NC-17 before being trimmed to an R. Moving the Predator from the jungle to a gritty urban setting also split expectations. It sits at 36% critics / 44% audience on Rotten Tomatoes — below 50% on both, which is exactly why we covered it.
Was Predator 2 a box office flop?
No. Predator 2 opened at #4 over Thanksgiving weekend 1990, behind the Home Alone phenomenon, and grossed about $57 million worldwide against a $30–35 million budget. The "flop" label comes from its reviews and its reputation against the original — not its actual earnings.
Who stars in Predator 2?
Danny Glover stars as LAPD Lieutenant Mike Harrigan, alongside Gary Busey, Rubén Blades, María Conchita Alonso, Robert Davi, and Bill Paxton. Kevin Peter Hall returns as the Predator. It was directed by Stephen Hopkins.
Is the Predator 2 episode on Apple Podcasts?
Yes — the Slept-On Cinema episode on Predator 2 is Episode 79, the second film in our Alien vs. Predator triple feature, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and the player embedded above.