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Predator 2 is a 1990 novelization of the film of the same name, written by Simon Hawke and published by Jove Books.

Publisher's Summary[]

The ship came in low over the western hemisphere, powered by a technology unknown to human science. Its destination: the city of Los Angeles.

For the Predator, it is the ultimate sport — the killing of human prey.

For the citizens of Los Angeles, it is a nightmare beyond belief.

For newsman Tony Pope, it is the story of a lifetime.

And for Detective Lieutenant Mike Harrigan, it's another dirty job that's got to be done...

It's kill or be killed.

Differences from the Film[]

Notable differences between the novel and the film include:

  • Like the first novel, the book opens with a brief scene where the City Hunter comes to Earth. Initially, it's ship heads for Guatemala (leading the reader to believe the story will take place in the jungle, like the first film) before veering north and flying over Mexico and towards Los Angeles.[1]
  • The book is set in 1995, two years earlier than the film.[1] However, the events of Predator are still said to have happened 10 years previously, which would be 1985, not 1987 as in the film.[2]
  • Several sections of the book are written from the Predator's point of view, shedding light on some of the Yautja's customs, their opinions of humanity, and the City Hunter's inner thoughts.
  • Tony Pope is a more significant character, and as with the Predator, parts of the novel are written from his perspective, including numerous sections where he sums up his feelings regarding the other reporters gathered at the various crime scenes throughout the story.
  • Harrigan carries a Colt .45 longslide pistol as his sidearm, not a Desert Eagle as in the film (although he is said to have a Desert Eagle in the trunk of his car, but he never uses it).[4]
  • The book makes it clear that the Yautja know of Dutch and what happened in Guatemala in the first film, explaining that after the Jungle Hunter's death, its ship automatically returned to the Yaujta homeworld with a record of events recorded through the first Predator's bio-helmet.[5] The City Hunter has seen these recordings, and they are the reason he has come to Earth to test himself against humans.
  • After El Scorpio has plummeted from the rooftop, the City Hunter actually prepares to kill Harrigan immediately, but is forced to break off when Danny and several uniformed officers interrupt.[6]
  • The novel tells us exactly how Jerry got his reputation as "The Lone Ranger" — on his first week on the job, he came across four heavily armed men robbing a bank, and instead of calling for backup he single-handedly took them all down.[8] He was subsequently given a commendation by the mayor.
  • When the Jamaicans assault Ramon Vega's apartment, they gang rape his mistress before stringing Vega up from the ceiling.[9] This was only implied in the film with Gold Tooth leaping on top of her and pinning her down on the bed while Vega is dragged away. They then kill Vega by slitting his throat, not cutting out his heart as in the movie — it is mentioned that they intend to remove his heart once he is dead, but the City Hunter attacks before they can carry out the ritual.[10]
  • The comic gives some minor backstory to Vega's mistress. While unnamed, she's not Vega's girlfriend but a one-night stand he met at a nightclub earlier that night. She's also quite young, estimated to be eighteen to early twenties by Vega, and attracted to his wealth.
  • The Jamaican Voodoo Posse are known as The Demons in the book.[11]
  • Notably, there are no skinned bodies left in Vega's apartment; the City Hunter presumably takes the dead Jamaicans back to his ship to claim their skulls.
  • Before Danny is killed, there is an extended, additional scene at the bar where Harrigan meets with Jerry in the movie, revealing that the cops are there to celebrate Leona's birthday. Leona and Harrigan briefly talk shop, Leona revealing that one of the bodies from the earlier armory massacre is missing (presumably the one hanging from the roof, which the City Hunter is seen hauling away in the film).[12] Her husband, Rick Cantrell, is briefly introduced. After this, Harrigan and Pilgrim discuss the case, with Harrigan expressing his opinion that Keyes' DEA cover is phoney and that the agent is really after something else.[13] Pilgrim tells him to stay out of it, but privately accepts that Harrigan is unlikely to let it go.
  • When Danny is exploring Vega's apartment alone, he finds a Predator footprint in the blood on the floor.[14] After tearing out his head and spine, the Predator climbs a skyscraper with its trophy and raises his Combistick to the sky, attracting a bolt of lightning.[15] While this scene is in the movie, it happens much later, and it is Jerry's skull that the Predator is holding at the time, although the comic adaptation matches the novel.
  • Some time after Danny is killed, Harrigan and the other officers attend his funeral.[16] Afterwards, Tony Pope again hassles Harrigan for an interview, but Captain Pilgrim intervenes and hurls Pope away.[17] This scene was filmed but cut from the film.
  • During his meeting in Heinemann's office, Heinemann takes Harrigan aside and tries to talk him down as a friend, but Harrigan blows him off.[18] This addition, as well as several later ones, form part of a subplot removed from the finished film in which it is explained that Harrigan and Heinemann used to be close friends and colleagues, before Heinemann got promoted and became political.
  • King Willie's demise is slightly extended — in the book, he is armed with an Uzi sub-machine gun and a large knife, as opposed to his rapier in the film, and he attempts to gun the Predator down before it kills him.[19] He likewise carries and uses a sub-machine gun in the comic. During their confrontation, the City Hunter taunts Willie by mimicking his words.[20]
  • The City Hunter has only human skulls aboard his ship, unlike the myriad of different species in the movie.[21]
  • It is revealed that Keyes personally interviewed Dutch following the events in Guatemala.[2] The book goes on to explain that Dutch eventually broke out of hospital and disappeared, and has not been heard from since, although Keyes suspects he will be back at some point.[22]
  • Brian is called Anthony in the book.[23] He also has this name in the comic.
  • While on the phone to Leona and Jerry after visiting Danny's grave, Harrigan is startled by a stuffed bear that some removal men are moving out of a nearby taxidermy shop.[24]
  • The book explains why the City Hunter begins taunting Harrigan, and why it starts systematically killing his team, telling us that the Predator views Harrigan as a "prize specimen" and knows that killing his colleagues will enrage him and make their eventual showdown more challenging and satisfying.[25]
  • We find out that the Predator specifically follows Leona and Jerry onto the Metro, seeking to kill them as part of its plan to goad Harrigan.[25] The film leaves it unclear whether or not their confrontation is the result of a coincidence. The comic also makes this distinction.
  • During the slaughter on the train, the City Hunter uses its Plasmacaster to slaughter its victims, whereas in the film it almost exclusively uses its bladed weapons.[26]
  • When Harrigan arrives outside the subway, he again encounters Heinemann, who is being savaged by the press over the LAPD's inability to catch the serial killer, and the fact Keyes' team has now vanished, leaving the police force hung out to dry.[27] He begs Harrigan to help but he refuses and heads into the subway, leaving Heinemann to face the furious press alone. This scene was filmed but cut from the movie, although it also appears in the comic adaptation.
  • The chase between Harrigan in his squad car and the City Hunter takes place mostly on the city streets, whereas in the film it predominantly travels through deserted back alleys.[28]
  • In Keyes' trailer, Harrigan is shown recordings of an interview with Anna discussing the events of Predator (she appears on a screen only for a split second in the film). Harrigan also sees a separate interview with Vega's mistress, made after she was abducted by Keyes' men.[29]
  • Harrigan is aware that Keyes is unlikely to let him go after everything he has witnessed, and will probably have him killed to prevent him talking.[30]
  • During the showdown between Harrigan and the City Hunter in the slaughterhouse, the Predator mimics the voices of both King Willie and Keyes to taunt and terrorize Harrigan.[31]
  • When the City Hunter throws Harrigan away after he has removed the creature's bio-helmet, the helmet falls down a drain and disappears, thus explaining why the City Hunter doesn't simply put it back on.[32] The novel also explains that the City Hunter is humiliated by the loss of the bio-helmet, as well as by the wounds it receives at the hands of Harrigan, and it is this humiliation that drives its pursuit of Harrigan despite the fact that Earth's atmosphere will gradually become poisonous to the creature without the helmet.[33]
  • When climbing down from the slaughterhouse roof in pursuit of the City Hunter, Harrigan descends a fire escape ladder before climbing across the collapsed drainage pipe.[34] In the film he is forced to make the entire descent using only the drain pipes.
  • It is explained that the Yautja can grow a new hand for the City Hunter and surgically graft it on to its severed arm.[35]
  • Notably, Harrigan does not kill the City Hunter in the book. After he mortally wounds it with the Smart Disc, Greyback, the other Predators arrive before the City Hunter dies. The fallen Predator then allows Greyback to behead it, shamed in defeat.[36]
  • In the book, the flintlock given to Harrigan by Greyback is inscribed with the date 1640, not 1715 as in the movie.[36] The date 1640 is also used in the comic.

Trivia[]

  • At one point, the book refers to Dutch's "Olympian physique",[37] likely a tongue-in-cheek reference to actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who won the Mr. Olympia competition seven times before becoming an actor.
  • The novel also contains a humorous reference to Danny Glover's signature role as Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon series — while following the City Hunter across the broken drainpipe, Harrigan proposes that crazy stunts like this should be left to Mel Gibson; Gibson played Glover's reckless partner Martin Riggs in the Lethal Weapon films.[35]

Goofs[]

See: Predator 2 goofs#Novelization

Editions[]

See Also[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 2 (1990), Jove Books.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 135 (1990), Jove Books.
  3. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 10 (1990), Jove Books.
  4. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 11 (1990), Jove Books.
  5. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 21 (1990), Jove Books.
  6. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 36 (1990), Jove Books.
  7. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 45 (1990), Jove Books.
  8. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 57 (1990), Jove Books.
  9. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 64 (1990), Jove Books.
  10. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 67 (1990), Jove Books.
  11. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 72 (1990), Jove Books.
  12. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 83 (1990), Jove Books.
  13. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 88 (1990), Jove Books.
  14. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 93 (1990), Jove Books.
  15. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 99 (1990), Jove Books.
  16. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 102 (1990), Jove Books.
  17. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 104 (1990), Jove Books.
  18. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 109 (1990), Jove Books.
  19. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 126 (1990), Jove Books.
  20. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 131 (1990), Jove Books.
  21. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 133 (1990), Jove Books.
  22. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 137 (1990), Jove Books.
  23. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 140 (1990), Jove Books.
  24. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 145 (1990), Jove Books.
  25. 25.0 25.1 Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 151 (1990), Jove Books.
  26. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 156 (1990), Jove Books.
  27. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 161 (1990), Jove Books.
  28. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 167 (1990), Jove Books.
  29. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 172 (1990), Jove Books.
  30. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 179 (1990), Jove Books.
  31. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 203 (1990), Jove Books.
  32. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 201 (1990), Jove Books.
  33. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 209 (1990), Jove Books.
  34. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 216 (1990), Jove Books.
  35. 35.0 35.1 Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 220 (1990), Jove Books.
  36. 36.0 36.1 Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 228 (1990), Jove Books.
  37. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 136 (1990), Jove Books.

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