The Predator series struggled for a long time after the release of its foundational movie, but the last two films in the franchise have raised the bar considerably for the next major release. The Predator series revolves around the different Predators, or Yautja, advanced aliens that hunt who they perceive as worthy prey, whether they be fearsome warriors or decorated soldiers.
Starting with the iconic and bloody Arnold Schwarzenegger and Carl Weathers, the series began in 1987 with the first Predator. Here, a ᴅᴇᴀᴅly special forces group is killed off one-by-one by a Predator in the jungles of Southeast Asia, with Arnold’s action hero Dutch managing to barely overcome the beast with human ingenuity and clever camouflage.
Over time, the Predator films have grown into a beloved science fiction and horror franchise, continuing to expand on the lore of the bloodthirsty aliens with new settings, time periods, and insidious alien weaponry. To date, the movies have grossed a whopping 740 million dollars, competing with some of the highest-grossing film franchises of all time.
However, decent financial success doesn’t paint the whole picture of the Predator franchise. In truth, the series has suffered from a string of poorly-received sequels for a long time, starting with the very first, Predator 2 in 1990.
After An Amazing First Movie, Predator Didn’t Deliver Another Masterpiece Until Prey
The Predator Movies Were In Dire Straights For A Long Time
Predator 2 fell far short of expectations after the legendary status of the first film, taking place in a retrofuture urban sci-fi setting plagued by cartoonish levels of crime. The film certainly has its fans, being twice as loud and flashy as the original, but awkward racial dynamics, ridiculous performances, and highly stylized shooting material make it far less accessible than its predecessor.
The Predator’s next cinematic appearance would be in the first film of the Alien vs. Predator franchise, which saw two iconic movie aliens go head-to-head. Far more concerned with Predator lore than Ridley Scott’s science fiction universe, Alien vs. Predator‘s PG-13 rating left it a grave disappointment to fans of both series, missing out on the gore and carnage it deserved.
The 2007 sequel, Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, fared even worse, being both one of the worst films in the Predator franchise and the Alien franchise at the same time. Though the film was smart enough to return to an R-rating, bland characters, a boring story, and confusingly underlit cinematography keeps Alien vs. Predator: Requiem from being watchable.
2010 saw the release of Predators, which finally jumped the shark by taking the human victims to space rather than having the Yautja invade Earth. This movie feels like a Call of Duty video game campaign that somehow became greenlit as a feature film, with boring character archetypes and unremarkable action scenes with jarring editing.
Worst of all might be 2018’s The Predator, which ruined the simple but effective concept of the films with an overlong story about how the Yautja are actually trying to take over the Earth
However, worst of all might be 2018’s The Predator, which ruined the simple but effective concept of the films with an overlong story about how the Yautja are actually trying to take over the Earth. The fact that the film supposes autism is the next step in human evolution, allowing simple humans to pilot Predator suits, isn’t a great look either.
It wasn’t until 2022’s Prey that the series enjoyed a triumphant return. The back-to-basics simplicity of Prey‘s story and its unique cultural period setting put it miles ahead of the rest of the franchise, establishing the winning formula of the Predators invading various other genres and time periods.
Predator: Killer Of Killers Continued Where Prey Left Off
Marking The Official Comeback Of The Predator Franchise
Most recently, Hulu’s original animated film Predator: Killer of Killers has further refined this fantastic return to form, acting as an action-horror anthology made up of three hunts spanning different time periods and parts of the world. In each, a young, hungry predator desperate to prove itself tests its mettle against a variety of human warriors.
Predator: Killer of Killers is also available to stream internationally on Disney+.
The film may not been as strong or cohesive a story as Prey, with the staggering implications of Predator: Killer of Killer’s ending shaking up the mythology of the series in a dramatic way, but the gorgeous animation and exciting action in unique settings more than makes up for it. Seeing ninjas, vikings, and World War II flying aces go up against the Yautja is well worth a Hulu subscription.
Predator: Badlands Has A Very High Bar To Reach After Prey & Killer Of Killers
Expectations For The Series Are Higher Than Ever
Now, the Predator movies are in the enviable position of having a very high bar to clear for their next major cinematic release. While neither Prey nor Predator: Killer of Killers were released in theaters, fans of the franchise will be well aware of the success of both films, reversing the expectations for the average quality of a Predator movie.
From what is known about the upcoming Predator: Badlands, the series will once again be experimenting with a connection to the Alien franchise, not to mention the idea of teaming up a Predator with humans to fight a common enemy. Hopefully these new ideas don’t blow the film’s chances at following up the recent success the Predator series has been enjoying.
