When it comes to movie monsters, The Predator is in a class of its own. This monster, first introduced in the 1987 classic Predator, is an alien hunter who comes to Earth to hunt and kill the most dangerous animal on Earth…humans (and sometimes Xenomorphs). Unlike other movie monsters, The Predator is not tied to one specific time or location, as he can be dropped into any environment or genre and can be unleashed. Over 38 years, The Predator has starred in eight feature films, with a ninth on the way in November with Predator: Badlands.
While often considered a B-franchise, the Predator series has a loyal fanbase that has stood the test of time (and some long gaps in-between releases). Now, though, thanks to the combined work of Dan Tractenberg on titles like Prey and Predator: Killer of Killers, the franchise is in the spotlight like never before and has been given a new lease of life with a new fanbase. Here is every film in the Predator franchise ranked from worst to best.
Update June 6, 2025: This article has been updated by Richard Fink following the release of Predator: Killer of Killers.
8
‘Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem’ (2007)
Alien Vs. Predator: Requiem holds the distinct dishonor of being both the worst Predator movie and the worst Alien movie. Set immediately after the first film’s events, this follow-up decides to drop the previously teased Predalien hybrid in a small town where an older, experienced Predator is sent to hunt it down and leave no evidence of either species behind. What sounds like a cool premise is wasted on the cast of boring human characters that seemed plucked from the most mediocre prime time teen drama ever.
The big selling point was that this film would be rated R, including making that part of the promotional material with the shortened title spelling out AVP: R. Yet, the gore is beyond gratuitous, and is solely there for shock value and to appease upset fans. Yet the film’s worst crime is how abysmally the movie is shot, with the production seemingly unable to afford both lights and a camera, as much of the film is shot almost entirely in the dark, making the hypothetical action in this film practically unwatchable. The true low-point for both entries in the franchise, and both needed to recover after this trainwreck.
7
‘The Predator’ (2018)
All signs pointed to The Predator being the one that could restore the franchise as a power-hitting, critically well-received action series. The studio brought in director Shane Black, who not only had a role in the original Predator but also had a long, prolific resume as a screenwriter on beloved classics like Lethal Weapon and The Last Boy Scout and was coming off directing critical favorites like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and The Nice Guys as well as the box office smash hit Iron Man 3. However, the finished film falls apart as it tries to cram too much story and mythology into its short runtime.
Despite a talented cast and about three novel pitches worth of Predator movies inside it, The Predator tries to do too much to take the small-scale action franchise and turn it into a wider mythology that only hurts the genius, simple premise of the original film. Retconning key motivations for the Predators is bad enough, but the film’s final act is so clearly reshot that some characters die in such an instant, the audience doesn’t have time to register it. Despite a host of talented individuals working on The Predator, the film was the victim of the 2010s’ impulse to turn every franchise into a massive shared universe with lore, mythology, and backstory.
6
‘Predator 2’ (1990)
- Release Date
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November 21, 1990
- Runtime
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108 minutes
- Director
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Stephen Hopkins
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Danny Glover
Lieutenant Mike Harrigan
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Predator 2 is by no definition a bad film, but following the masterpiece that is the original Predator, it can’t help but make it feel like a disappointment. The decision to move the character from the jungle to the city was a smart pitch, one that laid the groundwork for later works like Prey and Predator: Killer of Killers where the big novel pitch is what location or time period will they drop a Predator into.
Even though Danny Glover is an inspired pick to follow up Arnold Schwarzenegger, it also feels like a slight disappointment. It doesn’t help that he is playing a Los Angeles cop, which makes the audience long for this to be Lethal Weapon meets the Predator secretly, and for Mel Gibson’s Riggs to be along for the ride. However, Predator 2 introduces and establishes much of the Predator’s central lore that would be carried over into subsequent entries in the franchise, making it a vital part, even if it has not aged particularly well.
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5
‘Alien vs. Predator’ (2004)
Alien vs. Predator is a strange film in that it was a box office hit but also widely disliked by critics and fans of the franchise. Yet it was a vital film in both franchise development, as it effectively saved them and put them on the track to be where they are. The film was a long-awaited showdown between these two cinematic titans, one that had been teased since Predator 2 in 1990 and marked the Predators’ first feature film in 14 years.
While Alien and Predator are both historic franchises with a lot of gravitas behind them, Alien vs. Predator wisely avoids the pitfalls of other geek-friendly properties and doesn’t get too preoccupied with its own self-importance (looking at you, Ghostbusters and Jurassic World) and is having fun with its premise. Alien vs. Predator might not be a “great” film, but it delivers precisely what it promises the audience, with a variety of fun smackdowns between the two title monsters. Plus, if we are being 100% honest, Alien vs. Predator and Prometheus have almost the same plot, but Alien vs. Predator is a better movie.
4
‘Predators’ (2010)
Predators had a lot riding on it. Not only did it need to follow the poor reaction to AVP: R and re-establish a solo Predator franchise, but it was also the first solo Predator film in twenty years. Using an old concept that Robert Rodriguez had developed in the 1990s for a third Predator film (with Rodriguez signed on as the film’s producer), Predators decided to take the original formula of Predator and flip it on its head.
It’s still the Predators hunting humans in a jungle, but here it is an alien jungle on a Predator wildlife preserve, and the prey is a variety of the deadliest humans from around the world that embody various parts of life. Its premise is Deadliest Warrior (which was at the height of its popularity at the time) meets the Predator.
Predators is, on the surface, an action movie, but director Nimród Antal crafts a dark atmosphere that puts these various killers on a metaphorical journey into hell, with all of them being given a chance to redeem themselves before they potentially die. The film adds a separate Predator faction to the franchise, one far more dangerous than what had come before. Predators is a good old-fashioned summer B-movie that perfectly mixes sci-fi, horror, and action, and even 15 years later, fans are still hoping to see a sequel too.
3
‘Predator: Killer of Killers’ (2025)
- Release Date
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June 6, 2025
- Director
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Dan Trachtenberg, Josh Wassung
- Writers
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Micho Robert Rutare, Dan Trachtenberg
One of two Predator movies coming out in 2025 (Predator: Badlands is scheduled for November 2025), Predator: Killer of Killers follows in Prey‘s footsteps, not only as a Hulu streaming release, but also for dropping the Predator into different time periods. The novel pitch here is an animated anthology film, a first for the franchise, with the audience watching a Viking, a samurai, and a World War II fighter pilot face off against different Predators across time. Each story is a unique mini-short film, and showcases the versatility of this movie monster that others can’t quite match.
Featuring a unique mix of different Predator designs and over-the-top bloody violence that showcases the sheer danger and power of the alien hunter, this animated entry can appeal to hardcore fans but also serves as an entry point to the series. The animation allows for the largest-scale action in a Predator movie, with the dog fight being a true highlight.
Prey director Dan Tractenberg and co-director Joshua Wassung deliver the Predator film that anyone who ever sat and drew monsters in class always dreamt of. All one needs to know about how great this film is is that one of the Predators wears a cape made out of spines, which immediately should put it in conversation for Best Animated Film at the 2025 Academy Awards.
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2
‘Prey’ (2022)
Prey was precisely what the shot in the arm the Predator franchise needed after the misfire that was The Predator. Set more than 200 years before the first film’s events, in the Great Plains during the 1700s, the film follows a Comanche woman named Naru who ends up encountering a Predator and needing to vanquish the alien creature, proving she is the most powerful warrior in the village. Directed by Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane), Prey was the franchise entry that Predator should have made this whole time, as it took the genius idea of dropping the Predator into a new period with a specific type of warrior.
Prey is excellently directed, with a great pace that honors the original 1987 film and amping up the horror elements. It is a prequel that is in active conversation with the original, building off themes like colonialism and masculinity through a new lens. The greatest shame of Prey was that it was released during Disney’s heavy investment in streaming, and the film was sent straight to Hulu instead of theaters, where one imagines it could have made a decent box office gross. In an age where various franchises are trying to find ways to stay relevant for new audiences, Prey shows the best path forward as it focuses on telling a great story first.
1
‘Predator’ (1987)
It is hard to top the original. An argument can be made that Prey might be the better movie, but nothing comes close to the unique joy of watching Predator. A perfect product of its time and a mash-up of the 1980s’ two most popular genres, slashers and over-the-top action films, Predator was a genre gearshift film whose influence can be felt in films like From Dusk Till Dawn all the way to Sinners.
Building off audiences’ love for Arnold Schwarzenegger as the ultimate movie star, the Predator is immediately scarier when it becomes clear that even the most unstoppable action hero on the planet will have trouble against him. The Predator is one of the most visually stunning movie monsters ever, with his armored helmet instantly iconic, while his true face is unlike anything anyone has ever seen.
Everything about Predator is iconic, from the one-liners to the memes (everyone knows the epic handshake moment). This film’s legacy is astonishing, particularly given that it was treated as a standard action movie at the time. The incredible cast includes two future United States governors, acclaimed actor and director Bill Duke, writer Shane Black, and the late great Carl Weathers, to name a few, making this a special film. The franchise’s success and longevity through comics, video games, sequels, spin-offs, and more can be traced back to this 1987 blockbuster that still makes one want to pump their fist in excitement over 38 years later.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
