The Predator movie franchise is over 30 years old and is best described as incredibly varied. Very few of the seven Predator movies have been like the others, and most entries tend to ignore much of what’s happened before. Prey takes things further, taking place centuries before the preceding six entries. The Predator franchise kicked off in 1987 with the тιтular Predator featuring then-rising megastar Arnold Schwarzenegger alongside some of the best visual SFX and prosthetics seen till then in cinema.
The great premise and direction helped secure Predator as a successful IP for studios, and it was followed up by the bigger-scale sequel Predator 2 in 1990, although this time with Danny Glover in the leading role instead of an Arnold Schwarzenegger return. The sequel also switched out commandos in the jungle for cops in the city. By the ’00s, the presence of a xenomorph skull in Predator 2 had spawned a crossover. Next came Predators in 2010 and Shane Black’s The Predator in 2018, with Prey dropping on Hulu in 2022.
7
Aliens vs. Predator vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)
The Spin-Off Sequel Ends The Aliens & Predator Crossovers
Not only is Alien vs. Predator: Requiem the worst movie in the Predator franchise, but it’s the worst in the Alien franchise as well. The 2007 sequel to AVP is the worst entry based on critical reception and adjusted-for-inflation box office revenue. Set on modern-day Earth in a small town, AvP: Requiem is a slasher movie where the killers are Aliens and Predators. In fact, the Predator can’t be both a human hunter and a protector without losing the inbuilt code of duty.
It’s narratively dull and visually dark, with the only real moments of inspiration from directors, the Strause brothers, experimenting with the R-rating, and that’s a very mixed bag. Seeing Xenomorph blood melt somebody’s face works, but having Chestbursters emerge from a child and a ward full of pregnant women is not. The first crossover adds some fun aspects to the Xenomorphs and Yautja, but the second did not. The movie’s hybrid Predalien was disappointing; this major antagonist was hardly used, and when it was, the result was anticlimactic.
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Alien vs. Predator (2004)
The Predators Begin Hunting Xenomorphs
Released in 2004, Paul W. S. Anderson’s crossover came six years after Alien: Resurrection and 14 years after Predator 2, making it more a reboot of both franchises than a continuation. Considering the promise of a showdown had already been heavily exhausted thanks to a slew of better-timed mid-1990s comics and video games, AvP emerged as an obscure throwback made during one of the low points of big-budget filmmaking. The resulting movie did not satisfy either fandom with its story. Alien vs. Predator‘s PG-13 rating didn’t help.
It meant that many of the kills were just a Predator claw retraction and off-screen slicing. However, the director loves the original movies, sneaking in sly references big and small. Lance Henriksen returned as the original Charles Weyland, while Ewen Bremner, exploring the Antarctic town above the Predator pyramid, presented a version of Aliens‘ scanner. However, when the fan service is put aside, Alien vs. Predator doesn’t do much that wasn’t seen in the previous installments of either franchise, although it was cool to see a Predator throw down with a Xenomorph for the first time.
5
The Predator (2018)
Shane Black Brings Back Predator As A Hero
It’s hard to measure Shane Black’s The Predator against the rest of the Predator movies. Its frenetic editing reveals a movie lacking proper coherence. As released, The Predator only makes sense because it barrels at such a pace that the audience can’t really question illogical decisions due to the sheer number of The Predator‘s ideas – and more isn’t always better. However, The Predator showed glimmers of what does work for the franchise. The inventiveness of the alien technology makes for great visual spectacles, and the R-rating helps in this regard.
The character interplay, too, is often sharp. Boyd Holbrook and his team of outcasts are dependably funny once they’re introduced, while Olivia Munn does a stellar job as the bemused scientist-turned-action hero Casey Brackett. Even here, though, the film collapses into a “tell don’t show” approach, so audiences never get to explore their relationships more deeply. The big problem is that the Predators’ goals changed from hunting humanity for sport to invading the planet. This didn’t work for audiences, as part of the appeal of the Yautja is that they aren’t trying to take over Earth.
4
Predator 2 (1990)
The Predators Head To The Big City
One of the biggest challenges for a Predator sequel was that the creature’s powers were built around the original movie’s narrative, meaning a plot formula is baked into the monster. Predator 2 doesn’t do much to escape that, with its central conceit being to move from the real jungle to the concrete jungle of Los Angeles. Set in a baking, near-future city torn apart by gang wars, it feels different, and the mᴀssively increased budget creates some striking sH๏τs in this vein. Still, the core story is more or less the same.
Instead of Arnold Schwarzenegger facing one Predator, Danny Glover is now up against a gang of Yautja. Where Predator’s jungle setting made for incredible tension via man-alone-against-nature action, all of Predator 2‘s police department in-fighting and conspiracies felt like distractions. Things picked up when the Predator became the hunted – the slaughterhouse scene is fresh and inventive – but it wasn’t enough. However, Predator 2 made franchise history with the final scene: Glover ends up in the Predator ship below LA, discovering a museum of previous hunts, including an Alien Xenomorph skull.
3
Predators (2010)
Predators Hunting Prisoners On An Alien Planet
It’s still unclear if Predators is underrated or just under-seen. Whatever the case, it’s certainly better than its reputation suggests. Part of the problem may be that, despite a high-concept premise – a collection of ᴅᴇᴀᴅly human killers are kidnapped and taken to a Predator game reserve planet to be hunted by various creatures – Predators is the least ambitious in the franchise, happy being a solid yet unremarkable reminder that Predators exist and a litmus test for the viability of the franchise after Alien vs. Predator: Requiem’s failure.
Predators had one of the strongest casts of characters seen since the original, and the premise of traveling off-world makes for a unique Predator entry. The characters’ fear of being so far from Earth gives Predators some thematic heft that many other entries lacked. However, the action was lackluster, with most fights being simple beatdowns edited together with quick cuts. Despite its relative lack of renown, Predators was a welcome addition for franchise fans, and there was disappointment when the planned Predators sequel was canceled.
2
Predator (1987)
The One That Started It All
It’s neither Arnold Schwarzenegger’s best performance nor John McTiernan’s most acclaimed movie, but this film started the Predator franchise with a high bar that took decades to match. The first Predator stood above the rest until Prey arrived decades later. Predator had a simple premise but executed it brilliantly. At first, Predator may seem like a typical action movie from the mid-1980s – and that’s the point. Predator may be an action classic in its own right, but just as with McTiernan’s next film, Die Hard, it built that by upending what came before.
Once the opening action scenes are completed, the movie becomes something else: a tense hunt led by a fantastic villain. The Predator is such a wonderful creation. It is immediately striking, believably grotesque, and so ridiculously OP that even Arnold Schwarzenegger was nearly bested by it. The showdown, where Dutch, slathered in mud, coaxes the hunter out and engages in one-on-one combat, is uniquely set up and tensely played. Predator would go down in cinematic history as a groundbreaking movie.
1
Prey (2022)
The Prequel Three Centuries In The Past
Prey was released by Disney direct to stream on Hulu, but before the movie was released, fans and critics alike were touting it as a possible return to glory for the Predator franchise. However, Prey defied even the most optimistic expectations. The hardest of Predator’s soft reboots, this latest entry tells the story of Comanche hunter Naru as she tracked a Feral Predator across the great plains in 1719. The move was a gamble, but it paid off, and Prey has managed to draw new fans into the fold and appease die-hard Predator veterans.
Prey has earned its spot as the best Predator movie because it returned to the franchise’s roots and improved on them. It did everything Predator did but better, from the tense forest stalking and fights against the new Feral Predator to the sweeping landscape nature sH๏τs and inspired cinematography. While not as groundbreaking as Predator in the context of a 1987 release, the special effects are nonetheless immaculately rendered in Prey. It perfectly balances CGI and practical effects, and at no point does the presence of an alien hunter or its sci-fi weaponry break immersion from Prey’s 1700s setting.
The Future Of The Predator Franchise
When Prey hit Hulu, director Dan Trachtenberg knew he had to wait to see if its success could mean more movies in the franchise. Thanks to the film’s critical success and high viewing numbers, Prey did more than make Disney happy. It did well enough to warrant – not just one – but two new movies arriving in 2025. The first was announced with Predator: Badlands, bringing the franchise back to theaters on November 7, 2025. Elle Fanning was the first to sign on as the lead. The film takes place in the future.
That was exciting news, but then, mysterious news arrived. Dan Trachtenberg also got to make a second Predator movie for a 2025 release. This one has no тιтle yet, and it is supposed to be streaming before Predator: Badlands is released. There is also no word on what this movie will be about or whether it is connected to Badlands or Prey. While no streaming home is listed, expect it to follow Prey’s lead and wind up on Hulu.
Predator
- Created by
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Jim Thomas, John Thomas
- First Film
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Predator
- Cast
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Carl Weathers, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kevin Peter Hall, Peter Cullen, Derek Mears, Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Walton Goggins, Françoise Yip, Boyd Holbrook, Olivia Munn, Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers
- Video Game(s)
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Predator: Hunting Grounds, Predator: Concrete Jungle
