Predator II: The Return

I happened to miss the original PREDATOR released back in 2007. Now that I've had the chance to review PREDATOR II: THE RETURN, I'm going to go back and take a look at how it compares to this impressive flick. Directed and written by Stormy, PREDATOR II is an all-girl feature which manages to be both arousing and fascinating at the same time, which is no mean feat for any title of any porn genre. While I'm more partial to lesbian flicks like the kind offered by Viv Thomas (stunning babes without too many tattoos and piercings, tons of deep kissing, and an overall kinder and gentler approach to the act), I enjoyed PREDATOR 2 a lot and I'm glad a studio like Wicked continues to produce feature films when almost every other studio insists upon churning out endless amounts of boring, lookalike, gonzo pap.

Taking place on Halloween night, the movie follows several sorority pledges visiting your typical "haunted house" (in this case, a "circus sideshow museum") where Storm, as the titled Predator, indulges in her own brand of sexual expression. With a cast that includes Nikita Denise, former Hustler contract girl Memphis Monroe, Kelly Wells, Alektra Blue, and Penny Flame, one can't help but find at least one scene out of six to enjoy, especially since Stormy appears in three of them.

First, the blonde bombshell introduces us to the proceedings by dominating Roxy De Ville, who along with Nikita, play one of her submissive minions. The three have a full-blown warm-up session to all the mystery and debauchery to come. Naturally, Stormy is in charge, and the girls do her carnal bidding with little resistance. Right away, I appreciated the sexual set-ups and variety offered here, and seeing Miss Denise in action is always a pleasure. Not too long after his opener, we find Stormy trapping foolish visitors Memphis Monroe and Gianna Lynn in her domain. She taunts and teases both girls as the former was bound to a cross and the latter placed in a glass cage. Of course, Gianna is provided a clear view of Stormy using devices on Ms. Monroe, and is eventually released so that she can join in the fun.

Stormy is given a temporary reprieve from the action, when Lexi Lamour comes to visit. She is taken down by Sammie Rhodes, and the most memorable part of their pairing comes when Miss Rhodes uses a doll where the head is removed and replaced by a pink dildo in Sammy's cooch. It resolves the often asked question, "What if Mattel produced sex toys for adults?" Well, dolls creep me out in general (unless we're talking Barbie) and they're frequent use here as background props is effectively unnerving. But to see them used in a sex scene...Well, I have to imagine that even the Dark Bros would find that just plain weird. Kudos to the director for her originality, though.

Adrianna Nicole and Kelly Wells get their turn next, as they visit the funhouse intent upon finding out what happened to their friends. They are greeted by Stormy, and voluntarily put on a show (performed on red theater seats, no less) in exchange for a release. The blonde on blonde coupling is obviously visually appealing, though Miss Nicole's ginormous tattoo on her right hip is a bit too much for me. There is some good, sloppy kissing all around (always a must in any kind of girl-girl scene) and toys applied between the cheeks were a nice, nasty touch.

The always hot and always great Penny Flame plays a cop partnered with the John Moz, the only male to have an active role in this movie. (I did wonder whether the pairing was deliberate, as in "Moz [moths] to a Flame." No, seriously!) Stormy the cop with some tainted coffee (no donuts, though), and then goes down on her while Flame sits helplessly. The good Officer returns the favor, and good use is made of her nightstick is made in their quims. (It's easier on the eyes than seeing a beheaded doll in motion.)

PREDATOR II ends on a theatrical finale when Alektra Blue, Aline and Holly West appear onstage for a ménage a trois. Though not the show-stopping performance one might hope in a film like this, the action is almost constant and Aline gets double dipped in the butt and cooch by a couple of well-placed toys. Of course, the story ends shortly after the girls express their orgasmic satisfaction when the officers break into the scene. There is a nice little visual twist at the end, and we hear a news reporter explaining that the perpetrator is nowhere to be found. I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that Stormy will probably resurface in another sequel.

Unlike other Photo Galleries found in just about every single DVD and Blu-ray on the market, Wicked goes the distance by serving up an array of pictures organized per starlet, and so you get more girls and variety than one can imagine. Wicked also excels in their Behind The Scenes featurette, and this twenty-two minute reel is no exception, especially since we get to see so much of the talented star and director. The trailers are presented in standard definition, which amply demonstrates the considerable difference in video quality when compared to high def.

Along those lines, the most obvious criticism I have for this movie is that the videography is just too damn dark. I understand that it's fitting for a pseudo horror movie to take place at night, to be filled with shadows, and to keep everything in low light. However, the glum and gloomy look can also prove to be eye-straining, especially if you're used to the bright, bold colors typically employed in lesbian flicks such as Vivid's WHERE THE BOYS AREN'T. That said, Ms. Daniels and her camera crew (Directors Of Videography Francois Clousot and Michael Raven) manage to invoke images from mainstream films like "Creepshow" and "Saw." Back in the eighties, the Dark Bros would also use props and devices to create a disquieting atmosphere, making the sex feel more bizarre and taboo. Likewise in PREDATOR 2, the abandoned carnival setting, and little details like close-up photos of female genitalia plastered all over her the main character's dresser mirror, are quite effective in making the whole project work, despite being on an obvious budget and the very questionable acting by some of the cast. The five channel surround sound is up to standards, however, and particularly useful in a theme-driven feature such as this.

Though PREDATOR II isn't the be all and end all when it comes to lesbian titles, I can't think of anyone who wouldn't enjoy it just to see Stormy in action and in control (both creatively and carnally). When it comes to all-girl films on Blu-ray, this is definitely one of the top quality titles.

Wicked Pictures' original Predator movie was a well-made, but not necessarily memorable all-girl flick that Stormy Daniels wrote, directed and starred in last year. While I enjoyed that movie, I can't say I was jumping up and down at the thought of Predator II: The Return, especially when there are so many other Wicked movies that I'd like to see a sequel to (Space Nuts, anyone?). But Stormy's proven herself as a pretty good writer/director over the past year or so (to say nothing of her on-screen talents), so I figured I might as well go into this sequel with an open mind. What did I get? Easily, hands-down, the best all-girl feature of 2008!

Now listen, I know there are guys (and gals) out there who worship at the shrine of Jenna Jameson, or think that porn will never see another gal like Ginger Lynn. But let me tell you this: Stormy Daniels is the most talented woman ever to grace the adult industry, and the fact that she hasn't turned into a "diva" like so many other adult stars who have found success only adds to her appeal. Forget the fact that Stormy will go down in history as one of the best on-screen talents adult has ever seen. We already knew that. Now, she's on the cusp of going down as one of this industry's all-time best writers and directors as well. But I can stop all the gushing over Ms. Daniels, because quite frankly, her work speaks for itself.

For those not familiar with the Predator character that she plays, Stormy is essentially a serial seducer who likes to and seduce women for her own pleasure. Almost a Hannibal Lecter of lesbianism, minus the killing, of course. She got away with her crimes in the original movie, and now she's back for the sequel, now living in an old abandoned circus museum where she keeps her victims caged up or otherwise immobilized until she needs them for the purpose of pleasure.

As the movie opens, Stormy hooks up with one of her prisoners, Roxy DeVille, and later allows Nikita Denise out of her cell so she can join in on the action. There's lots of fingering and oral between the girls, and we also get to see Nikita using a leopard print vibrator on Roxy - and Roxy returning the favor by sliding the same vibe into Nikita's ass.

After the first scene, the premise of the movie is set up. It's Halloween, and a local sorority run by Brooke Haven (in a non-sex role) wants to send out Memphis Monroe and Gianna Lynn to the circus museum as part of a scavenger hunt. Memphis and Gianna decide to go, but they aren't there but a few minutes before Stormy has captured them - tying Memphis to a bondage cross and sticking Gianna in a glass box. It isn't long before viewers are witness to another threesome, as Stormy makes out with both the girls - including using a Hitachi Wand-like massager on the girls' pussies.

In one of the hotter scenes in the title not to involve Stormy Daniels, Lexi Lamour arrives at the museum, playing a photographer trying to get a few shot for an upcoming article she's working on. She enters a room with dolls displayed everywhere, but one of the dolls is actually sexy Sammie Rhodes, who scares Lexi so much she passes out. When Lexi awakes, she's in Sammie's arms, and the two women start making out with each other, including Sammie using a sex toy on Lexi that is essentially an old doll with a pink dildo where its head should be.

Wondering what's happened to Memphis and Gianna, two other sorority girls - played by blondes Kelly Wells and Adrianna Nicole - decide to go to the museum. Of course, it isn't long before they're captured too, although Kelly has a suggestion for Stormy: she and Kelly will put on a show for Stormy, and if Stormy is turned on enough, she'll agree to let them go. Stormy agrees to this, and sits back to watch Kelly and Adrianna make out with one another. During the duo, Adrianna gets a sliver plug up her ass which is eventually pulled out and licked off by Kelly; and a pink dildo inserted in its place. Kelly even sticks her fingers up Adrianna's behind and then makes her lick them off when she takes them out. It's a pretty hot pairing - although not quite hot enough for Stormy, who decides not to let the girls go when it's over.

At this point in the movie, the police finally arrive to see what's up, but they only send a pair of officers. A male, who is quickly knocked out (no need for him, this is an all-girl movie!), and a female officer played by Penny Flame, who Stormy , seduces and has a nice little sexual romp with, including some penetration with Penny's night stick.

The final sex scene in Predator II has Stormy and Penny watching a stage performance between Alektra Blue, Holly West and Aline. The highlight here is when Aline gets double penetrated by toys, with Alektra sticking one end of a blue double-ender in her pussy while Holly works a silver butt plug into Aline's ass.

Do the police finally thwart Stormy's sapphic sexcapades? What, and ruin the chance of Predator III?!

One of the biggest complaints about the original Predator movie was the fact that it was intentionally shot to have a very grainy look to it that didn't really look all that hot on big screen televisions. This time around, Stormy has opted to ditch the grain (aside from a few intercut segments between the main scenes) and we get a nearly pristine anamorphically enhanced picture. Audio is presented in 5.1 Dolby and both sounds great and is properly balanced with no evident defects (Spanish 2.0 is also an option).

The extras on this release include a full-frame Behind The Scenes featurette on the making of the movie (22 ½ minutes); a bonus scene between Stormy and Jenaveve Jolie from the first Predator movie (non-anamorphic letterbox and 12 ½ minutes); along with some slide shows (where, by the way, performers Holly West and Aline have been confused for one another); cast bios; and trailers for other Wicked releases. The DVD also includes an anamorphic trailer for Predator II.

All-girl movies don't get much better than this one. Predator II is yet another jewel in the increasingly impressive crown worn by Stormy Daniels. Don't miss it!