Every Predator Movie Ranked Worst to Best After Prey

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem is at the bottom of the list and will likely always remain there, as it's hard to imagine the franchise getting any worse than what we saw in this 2007 film. Both the Alien and Predator franchises were already in a desperate enough place to mash themselves together; AVP:R was supposed to be a corrective measure from the missteps of AVP, but instead it basically did everything worse. The return of the "R" rating just resulted in extreme gore and horror – which could barely be discerned, thanks to terrible lighting and visuals from directors "The Brothers Strause." AVP:R even managed to squander the only cool distinction it had: the Predator Xenomorph – aka "PredAlien." Total failure on all counts.

The Predator

Shane Black's 2018 THE Predator movie tried to bring the franchise into modern times and further expand lore hinted at in earlier installments (the "Ultimate Predator" and some Predator-killer armor). Despite that effort, The Predator is probably the most forgettable of the Predator movies on this list – a real letdown, since Shane Black was one of the actors/co-writers of the original film.

AVP: Aliens vs. Predator

Hearing that the Alien and Predator franchises were crossing over was ever sci-fi/horror geek's dream in the early 2000s – but that dream soured quickly with news that the studio and director Paul W.S. Anderson (Resident Evil) were going with a PG-13 rating to appeal to a wider audience. Still, AVP has its charms – chief among them actress Sanaa Lathan in the lead role, a wonderfully twisted setting, and some exciting Predator vs. Xenomorph fights.

Predators

Predators was the franchise's big hope to reboot itself for the 2010s and erase all memory of those AVP movies. The movie was made on a modest budget of $40 million and took in a respectable $127 million worldwide. However, the ensemble cast of characters failed to connect with audiences, as quality performers (like multi-Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali, Laurence Fishburne, Walton Goggins, or Alice Braga) were turned into one-note action movie cliches to be slaughtered. Actor Adrien Brody never quite convinced audiences he had action hero leading man charisma – certainly not at the Schwarzenegger level.

Predators is lukewarm action/horror entertainment, but still enjoyable enough in its own way – especially when it comes to the designs of the Predators and their world.

Predator 2

Predator 2 is a slice of pure 1990s gritty action movie nostalgia, that just so happens to also have a Predator in it. The film's vision of "near-future" 1997 Los Angeles as a gang-war hell with skyrocketing temperatures was definitely ahead of its time.

Predator 2 wasn't initially a major success, but has since become THE cult-classic hit of the franchise thanks to its slick '90s fashion and music, its performances (Danny Glover ), and some awesome urban combat/kill sequences with The Predator (that subway sequence?!). The epilogue to the film (a team of Predators rewarding Glover's character for his "win" in combat with an ancient relic) also opened the door to much bigger lore about the Predator race.

Prey

The Predator franchise gets a fresh new shot at life with its latest installment on Hulu. Director Dan Trachtenberg proves that the core appeal of the original Predator movie can still be transferred to new settings and character stories in exciting anthology-style films. The survivalist tale of 18th century Native American Comanches mixes beautifully with the sci-fi/horror of Predator, while offering some novel new elements the franchise hasn't seen before. When it comes to the Predator franchise, Prey is nice return to form.

Predator

The unique novelty of this action-sci-fi-horror film may never be matched – and that's okay. Predator begins as the epitome of late 1980s/1990s testosterone action films, led by a charismatic, one-liner-spitting star in Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, when things shift into a horror-survival tale in the second act, John McTiernan's film truly becomes something special.

Utilizing a monster concept and visual effects totally unseen at the time, Predator had every tough guy looking over his shoulder afterward – not to mention spawning a franchise that endures some 35 years later. The film still holds up to this day and is infinitely rewatchable, so it remains the king with little threat to its crown.