There aren’t many film series that have acquired as steadfast a place in mainstream pop culture as the Predator franchise.
Spanning a wide array of films, sequels, prequels, spin-offs, and crossovers, Predator has garnered an iconic reputation for its over-the-top action, eclectic characterization, and overarching emphasis on the franchise’s titular antagonists: an aggressive, honor-obsessed alien species known for their intense hunting rituals.
Like any popular cinematic series, Predator has fluctuated in and out of critical favor with each passing decade, with several of the series’ installments achieving far more favorable success than other, lesser entries before it. With Predator’s latest sequels (Killer of Killers and Badlands) set to arrive this coming summer, we decided to look back at Predator’s history over the years, ranking each film in the series in order from worst to best.
20th Century Fox
If audiences had held out hopes for a decent Alien vs. Predator crossover following 2004’s disappointing first installment, those hopes were promptly dashed with the release of 2007’s Alien vs. Predator: Requiem. Pumping up the gore of its predecessor while transposing its narrative to an ordinary Colorado town, Requiem’s lack of clear direction and a cohesive plot make it a sci-fi horror film as forgettable as it is unfailingly predictable.
20th Century Fox
Ever since a Xenomorph skull popped up at the end of Predator 2, sci-fi fans had spent years enthusiastically wondering what a potential battle between Alien and Predator’s chief antagonists might look like. In 2004, that tantalizing hypothetical finally became a reality, ushering in a stylish crossover project pitting the Xenomorphs and Yautja warriors against one another. Unfortunately, Alien vs. Predator’s messy storyline, bland characters, and inconsistent pacing leaves much to be desired, forcing audiences to wonder what might have been instead of the middling schlockfest they ultimately saw on screen.
20th Century Fox
In theory, The Predator should have been a surefire success, the 2018 reboot film possessing all the makings for a truly stupendous action film. Between its massive ensemble cast and the inclusion of Nice Guys director (and original Predator actor) Shane Black, The Predator could have feasibly been the film that put Predator back on the map for sci-fi horror, obtaining a similar place in contemporary pop culture as Prometheus or Alien: Romulus. Sadly, The Predator’s thin storyline and even thinner characters failed to push the series in any exciting new directions, quickly falling apart whenever it seemed ready to soar off the ground.
20th Century Fox
After securing a smash hit with 1987’s Predator, 20th Century Fox immediately set to work on an ambitious follow-up, transposing the jungle-dwelling alien hunter to the concrete wilds of Los Angeles. An entertaining enough premise in and of itself, Predator 2 mostly falls flat in measuring up to its original predecessor. On its own, however, the film lives on as a surprisingly audacious sequel, offering a fresh and creative spin on the traditional Predator storyline.
20th Century Fox
Though the eponymous big-game hunters popped up in the short-lived Alien vs. Predator films, it would be 20 long years before the franchise saw an immediate sequel to 1990’s Predator 2. The resulting film (Predators) adopted a far more unique take on the narrative first explored in 1987’s Predator, complete with a similarly intense emphasis on action, science fiction, and frequently chilling horror sequences. Providing a fascinating exploration of the Predators’ galaxy, rituals, and various hunting customs, critical favor towards Predators will no doubt improve over time, thanks in large part to its first-rate universe-building and sensational cast of characters.
Hulu
It may have taken nearly 40 years to see the light of day, but fans eventually saw a worthy successor to Predator with 2022’s Prey. Drawing on a blessedly simplistic approach to its high-concept premise, Prey’s straightforward narrative is its greatest strength, eloquently transporting the infamous alien to early 18th century America. Pitting a young Comanche warrior against the hulking extraterrestrial, Prey uses its easy-to-follow plot line to push the Predator series in exciting new directions, establishing itself as the greatest entry in the franchise since the series’ very first installment.
20th Century Fox
Prey might come close to surpassing it, but at the end of the day, it’s impossible to beat out the winning atmosphere of 1987’s Predator. Quite possibly the quintessential action movie of the 1980s, Predator cleverly leans into the foremost stereotypes of a cliched action film, from its muscled-up principal cast to the countless one-liners sprinkled through the movie. (“Stick around.”) Before very long, however, Predator slowly transforms from a Commando-style action film into a harrowing survival drama of Alien proportions. It’s this masterful transition that makes Predator such a classic action horror film – one that continues to age like a fine wine from one decade to the next.
Spanning a wide array of films, sequels, prequels, spin-offs, and crossovers, Predator has garnered an iconic reputation for its over-the-top action, eclectic characterization, and overarching emphasis on the franchise’s titular antagonists: an aggressive, honor-obsessed alien species known for their intense hunting rituals.
Like any popular cinematic series, Predator has fluctuated in and out of critical favor with each passing decade, with several of the series’ installments achieving far more favorable success than other, lesser entries before it. With Predator’s latest sequels (Killer of Killers and Badlands) set to arrive this coming summer, we decided to look back at Predator’s history over the years, ranking each film in the series in order from worst to best.
7. Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)
20th Century Fox
If audiences had held out hopes for a decent Alien vs. Predator crossover following 2004’s disappointing first installment, those hopes were promptly dashed with the release of 2007’s Alien vs. Predator: Requiem. Pumping up the gore of its predecessor while transposing its narrative to an ordinary Colorado town, Requiem’s lack of clear direction and a cohesive plot make it a sci-fi horror film as forgettable as it is unfailingly predictable.
6. Alien vs. Predator (2004)
20th Century Fox
Ever since a Xenomorph skull popped up at the end of Predator 2, sci-fi fans had spent years enthusiastically wondering what a potential battle between Alien and Predator’s chief antagonists might look like. In 2004, that tantalizing hypothetical finally became a reality, ushering in a stylish crossover project pitting the Xenomorphs and Yautja warriors against one another. Unfortunately, Alien vs. Predator’s messy storyline, bland characters, and inconsistent pacing leaves much to be desired, forcing audiences to wonder what might have been instead of the middling schlockfest they ultimately saw on screen.
5. The Predator (2018)
20th Century Fox
In theory, The Predator should have been a surefire success, the 2018 reboot film possessing all the makings for a truly stupendous action film. Between its massive ensemble cast and the inclusion of Nice Guys director (and original Predator actor) Shane Black, The Predator could have feasibly been the film that put Predator back on the map for sci-fi horror, obtaining a similar place in contemporary pop culture as Prometheus or Alien: Romulus. Sadly, The Predator’s thin storyline and even thinner characters failed to push the series in any exciting new directions, quickly falling apart whenever it seemed ready to soar off the ground.
4. Predator 2 (1990)
20th Century Fox
After securing a smash hit with 1987’s Predator, 20th Century Fox immediately set to work on an ambitious follow-up, transposing the jungle-dwelling alien hunter to the concrete wilds of Los Angeles. An entertaining enough premise in and of itself, Predator 2 mostly falls flat in measuring up to its original predecessor. On its own, however, the film lives on as a surprisingly audacious sequel, offering a fresh and creative spin on the traditional Predator storyline.
3. Predators (2010)
20th Century Fox
Though the eponymous big-game hunters popped up in the short-lived Alien vs. Predator films, it would be 20 long years before the franchise saw an immediate sequel to 1990’s Predator 2. The resulting film (Predators) adopted a far more unique take on the narrative first explored in 1987’s Predator, complete with a similarly intense emphasis on action, science fiction, and frequently chilling horror sequences. Providing a fascinating exploration of the Predators’ galaxy, rituals, and various hunting customs, critical favor towards Predators will no doubt improve over time, thanks in large part to its first-rate universe-building and sensational cast of characters.
2. Prey (2022)
Hulu
It may have taken nearly 40 years to see the light of day, but fans eventually saw a worthy successor to Predator with 2022’s Prey. Drawing on a blessedly simplistic approach to its high-concept premise, Prey’s straightforward narrative is its greatest strength, eloquently transporting the infamous alien to early 18th century America. Pitting a young Comanche warrior against the hulking extraterrestrial, Prey uses its easy-to-follow plot line to push the Predator series in exciting new directions, establishing itself as the greatest entry in the franchise since the series’ very first installment.
1. Predator (1987)
20th Century Fox
Prey might come close to surpassing it, but at the end of the day, it’s impossible to beat out the winning atmosphere of 1987’s Predator. Quite possibly the quintessential action movie of the 1980s, Predator cleverly leans into the foremost stereotypes of a cliched action film, from its muscled-up principal cast to the countless one-liners sprinkled through the movie. (“Stick around.”) Before very long, however, Predator slowly transforms from a Commando-style action film into a harrowing survival drama of Alien proportions. It’s this masterful transition that makes Predator such a classic action horror film – one that continues to age like a fine wine from one decade to the next.