Apparently, Arnold Schwarzenegger declined to reprise the role due to a combination of factors. While I think it would have been interesting for him to be in this sequel, I think for the franchise, it worked better with a different lead. And Danny Glover certainly made it work.
I liked how the film starts by deceiving the viewer. You get to see trees, making you believe it's the jungle of the original film, then it shows it's set in Los Angeles, somewhere in the near future of the nineties, where things are very different from our world. The city is in chaos, and it seems like the police are barely able to handle crime and all that. Enter the predator who, like his predecessor, is out to hunt. He is just as deadly. Of course, he is. And that never gets old. While the film does expand the universe and the lore. It doesn't explain (at least not in detail) why these predators live to hunt. I would really like to have this answered one day. I liked it that the government agency represented by Gary Busy, who has the most knowledge were the most naive. All they thought of was what the alien could deliver to them, technology-wise. It's if you think about an even more predatory approach. The predators are clearly intelligent. Why not at least try to communicate with them properly? Then again, these aliens approach humans as if they are livestock. So I get that humans aren't really prepared to be diplomatic with them.
So how does this compare to the original? The original, next to having Arnie, also had the element of surprise. It was more of a horror film than an action flick. Now, with that surprise gone, you kind of know what to expect, and that does take away the tension. Although you are still going to wonder what the monster is going to do next. I personally loved this film back when I watched it on video. I even bought the soundtrack on CD since that score is brilliant. I still like it very much, since it is a very entertaining film. It's a little different tonally, but it does rock. I would say it's on par with the original quality-wise, since it does build on what is set and comes up with new things. And these things are still being featured in later films.
Overall, Predator 2 is what a sequel needs to be. It kind of gives you the same, but at the same time expands the lore. How can anybody not like that?
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