The Yautja have instilled fear in moviegoers for years. One of cinema's truly terrifying creations, the Predator shows no fear; it longs for a challenge, it hunts, and it kills. Simple as that. And it has been successfully carrying out those goals for centuries.
But every so often, the prey hunts back. Since 1987's Predator first burst onto screens and showcased Arnold Schwarzenegger battling the beasts in the prime of his career, we have witnessed warrior after warrior step up to the alien hunters in the hope of surviving a duel to the death. From Danny Glover to the equally destructive Xenomorphs, the Predator has faced all kinds of challengers over the year. And sometimes, those formidable foes manage to defeat it.
While the Predator franchise has been a thrill of the movie screens for decades, it has enjoyed renewed success in recent years. This renaissance is down to Dan Trachtenberg, who has taken over the reins for the classic saga, delivering three critically-acclaimed new installments in the Yautja story: Prey, Killer of Killers, and Predator: Badlands.
The third of those is the most recent installment, and it brought the Yautja back to the silver screen for a new adventure featuring androids, monsters, and Elle Fanning! But how does it stack up to the classics? Let's take this opportunity to look back on the legendary film series and rank each chapter while we're at it.
9. Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem could have worked. Heck, it should have worked. It really should have worked. The 2007 movie took one of AVP‘s most exciting reveals and created an unnerving new threat in the form of the Predalien. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t able to give that reveal a worthy story.
The movie completely missed the mark for multiple reasons. One of the biggest criticisms of its predecessor was that it wasn’t rated R (in spite of being based on two notoriously R-rated franchises), but AVP: Requiem took it too far in the other direction. It was gratuitous in its violence, unnecessarily brutal with its characters when it didn’t need to be and just an all-around joyless movie. It’s also way too dark and that makes it harder to actually see what’s going on from time-to-time.
There are some positives. The Predalien is quite the sight to behold and it does make for a worthy antagonist, while the Wolf Predator is another interesting iteration of the hunter, but the movie just failed to live up to its intriguing concept. It felt less big-budget franchise entry and more B-movie spinoff, ending the Alien vs Predator dream on a dull and disappointing note.
There are rumblings of a new Alien vs. Predator movie all these years later. To succeed, it just needs to be better than this one. Which shouldn't be hard... right?!
8. The Predator (2018)
It’s bizarre to reflect on the era of The Predator. The movie was set to relaunch the Predator franchise for the first time in close to a decade by doing what many sequels do today: Essentially serving as a sequel and a reboot at the same time. With Shane Black directing and some promising teasers, hopes were high for the 2018 film, because it felt like it could finally relaunch the franchise.
Things didn’t quite work out that way, though. The movie swatted away well-developed characters for the purpose of the plot and relied a little too heavily on the CGI, specifically in regards to the Super Predator (which is basically just another version of Predators‘ Berserker Predator). Fans also didn’t take too kindly to its underdeveloped plot and the fact that the final act is essentially a rushed rehash of the original movie, leaving little room for any real tension.
In its defense, it’s very entertaining. It feels like a Predator movie in nature and it’s inherently funny, which in itself is a nice subtle callback to the first movie. I personally enjoyed it a lot more than most, and think it functions fine as a standalone chapter in this universe. It’s only when it starts taking itself too seriously (like the Transformers-esque Predator Killer suit), that it completely falls apart.
7. Predators (2010)
Predators was the first standalone movie in the franchise for almost two decades – the reason being that it was ready to move on from its AvP days. I say “standalone” because even though it was a sequel that leaned heavily into the hunters’ own mythology, it also kept things pretty simple, and that’s why it worked so well.
At its core, Predators is a movie all about the hunt. It’s an ambitious hunt that sees some of the world’s most dangerous killers mysteriously end up on a different planet at the same time. Their location? Unknown, but it’s a hunting ground for the Predators, who love the thrill of hunting worthy adversaries.
Of all of the earlier Predator movies, Predators is the one that achieved most success with trying something different. Sure, its characters aren’t the most well-rounded, and the idea of creating a super Predator in the Berserker started a problematic trend of killing off the iconic Predator for a “bigger threat”, but it’s a thrilling chapter in the story that actually felt like there was scope for a sequel.
Here’s hoping we get to revisit this part of the lore someday, because it only really scratched the surface of its potential.
6. Predator: Killer of Killers (2025)
After the success of 2022's Prey, director Dan Trachtenberg opted for a different approach to the next Predator movies. Instead of making a direct sequel (although that is still reportedly in the works), he decided to explore different avenues of the franchise instead. The first of those was another Disney Plus exclusive film in the form of animated adventure Predator: Killer of Killers.
Set in three different timelines, this one introduced multiple protagonists throughout the ages who found themselves going toe-to-toe with the Predator. From medieval times to Feudal Japan to World War II, these battles took place on the ice, high above ground, and in the air - each one offering up its own unique tone. But every single time, there were stakes. There were also well-developed characters who, in a relatively short space of time, positioned themselves as fully-formed protagonists capable of leading their own Predator stories. The well-matched battles were appropriately violent as a result of that.
While expectations for Killer of Killers was high, the finished product completely obliterated all of them. Not only was the action thrilling, the characters gripping, the performances strong, and the animation excellent, the film ended up delivering some of the most important explorations of the Predator lore yet. That unexpectedly made it one of the most pivotal of the whole franchise thus far.
5. Alien vs. Predator (2004)
A clash between the world’s two most famous movie monsters had been in development for some time. An Easter Egg in Predator 2 suggested that we could see the Yautja square off against the Xenomorph of the Alien franchise someday, and over a decade later that came to fruition in Alien vs. Predator.
Written and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, the 2004 movie told the tale of how the Predators and the Aliens have been locked in an ancient battle for centuries. So when a group of unsuspecting scientists accidentally disturb the Aliens’ prison, potentially allowing them to escape, the Predators are sent to dispose of their adversaries.
Alien vs. Predator is often regarded as a disappointment to both of its respective franchises because it didn’t quite live up to the monumental expectations but there is a common misconception out there that this makes it a bad movie. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Sure, it dialled back the violence (which was a staple of both franchises) but that doesn’t take away from the highly-entertaining story we got. There was some really strong material in there that, while didn't fully reach its potential, still stands out all these years later.
Moreover, the final battle between the young hunter known as Scar and the Alien Queen was absolutely exhilarating to watch. And for the record, Scar might just be my favorite Predator of them all.
A truly underrated movie.
4. Predator: Badlands (2025)
The most recent installment of the series, Predator: Badlands is perhaps the most original live-action adventure that the Predator franchise has offered up yet. After success stories with Prey and Killer of Killers for Disney Plus, Dan Trachtenberg took the iconic film series back to the big screen with its biggest adventure in years. The result was nothing short of epic moviemaking.
Described as the Terminator 2 of the Predator franchise, Badlands flips the story on its head by making the Predator the main character. Dek, the outcast of his family, looks to prove himself to his warrior of a brother and monster of a father. In order to do that, he sets a course for the most hellish planet imaginable, promising to destroy the monstrous Kalisk - a creature that simply can't be killed.
What comes after that is a story in which the Yautja hunter learns about what truly makes a formidable warrior, potentially even forming connections with some unlikely friends. Among those friends is Thia, an android from the Weyland-Yutani corporation in search of her sister Tessa. Elle Fanning bring both characters to life, delivering exceptional performances as two sides of the same supernatural coin. Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi also does a wonderful job as Dek, providing us with the most nuanced portrayal of a Predator yet.
It's all incredibly thrilling, as Dan Trachtenberg produces a third fantastic offering from one of cinema's most underrated franchises. Whatever the future holds for the Predator saga, it's in very safe hands. And we know that, after Predator: Badlands, we're all chomping at the bit to see more of "Dek of the Yautja".
3. Predator 2 (1992)
Back when franchises weren’t so worried about building themselves up to be franchises and just wanted to tell another story in an already established universe, we got Predator 2. A film that essentially recreates the plot of the first movie by replicating its formula, it also turns it on its head completely, because this time the Predator is on the hunt in downtown Los Angeles.
The creature that craves heat and conflict finds both in the city, as it sets its sights on Danny Glover in the hopes of finding a worthy opponent. That’s where the movie differs from its predecessor, because while the Jungle Hunter in Predator sought competition until only Arnold Schwarzenegger was left, the City Hunter actively provoked Glover’s Lieutenant Harrigan, toying with him until the final battle. The Predator became more of a character as a result.
Predator 2 wasn’t all that well-received when it first came out, but reception to it has softened over time. That’s a good thing, because honestly this movie is a thrill-ride, it adds a lot more to Predator mythology (and not at the expense of its simple plot), the Predator itself is more of a personality (a trend that would continue in subsequent movies), and Danny Glover is exceptionally good as his competition.
It might have been a product of its time, but Predator 2 is a good one at that. And in all honestly, it’s almost as good its predecessor.
2. Predator (1987)
Arnold Schwarzenegger came face-to-face with his greatest adversary in 1987’s Predator when a rescue mission quickly turned into a desperate attempt to survive. And nothing would ever be the same again.
The idea of a movie like Predator wasn’t particularly groundbreaking at a time when Hollywood knew how to make successful monster movies. But it was something of an odd beast as it was essentially a B-movie with an A-list cast. The one thing that elevated it above that, though, was its incredible writing.
The Predator wasn’t your run-of-the-mill monster. It was a warrior hunting for sport, eager to find a worthy challenger and ultimately defeat them. It had its own code, and an odd sense of honor, and it would not stop until the hunt was over. That set it apart from the endless supply of creature features out there, and quickly solidified the titular alien as one cinema’s most iconic villains.
The movie is a masterclass in tension, slowly peeling away the layers of the creature’s existence and motivations just as it slowly kills off its characters. And it’s a thrill to watch.
Predator is one of the most important movies of the ’80s and it’s easy to see why. It started the franchise on such a high note that it’s been virtually impossible for any sequels to come close to matching its greatness.
However, over three decades later, one might have just done it.
1. Prey (2022)
Believe me, I’m surprised too.
Expectations for Prey were high from the offset, because after years of misfires the Predator franchise was going back to basics by prioritising the one thing that made the first two movies such a thrill: The hunt. Even so, few could have predicted how effective it would be in doing so. But somehow, someway, the 2022 outing is the best Predator movie of them all.
The film focuses on a young Comanche woman named Naru, who seeks to prove herself as a hunter. She gets that opportunity when the Predator arrives on Earth and begins killing her people. And with that, a gripping battle between two hunters ensues, one with plenty of thrills and kills along the way. Amber Midthunder delivers a career-defining performance in a movie that redefines the Predator franchise for the better.
Prey isn’t worried about building upon the lore with convoluted mythology, it’s just a simple thriller about a hunter desperate to prove herself locked in a fearsome battle with the deadliest of opponents. It recaptures the magic of Predator but manages to make it feel even more edge-of-seat.
Its streaming success guaranteed the future of the franchise, successfully positioning Dan Trachtenberg as the man to take over the story of the Yautja. The gold standard through and through.
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