Every Predator Movie Ranked From Worst to Best

There’s something out there, and it ain’t no man.
When Predator exploded onto screens in 1987, cinemagoers were treated to unfiltered machismo, biceps, mud, rainforests, and one of the most terrifying monsters ever committed to celluloid – the alien Yautja, or as most of us know it, The Predator.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s iconic sci-fi horror didn’t just raise the bar for creature features – it drop-kicked it into orbit.

What followed was a collection of sequels, spin-offs, and crossover events that ranged from incredible to “why did they let this happen?” territory. So now, grab your minigun, cover yourself in mud, and don’t you dare bleed – it’s time to rank the Predator movies from worst to best.

8. Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem

Release Year: 2007 (though part of us still refuses to believe it actually happened)

After Alien vs. Predator made a decent box office return (and not much else), the studio said, “Yes! Let’s make another! But worse… and darker… literally.” And thus, Requiem was born — a film so poorly lit it might as well have been projected with a dying flashlight and a bag over your head.

The plot? Uh, sure. A Predator ship crash lands in small-town Colorado (because why not), unleashing a new Xeno-Pred hybrid, the Predalien (yes, really), along with a few facehuggers for good chaotic measure. One surviving Predator shows up to clean up the mess, and chaos ensues. It’s Aliens vs Predator, only now it’s happening in suburbia — like E.T. if E.T. ripped out spines and exploded pregnant women.

And oh boy, the tone. This film decided, “We want to be edgy,” and ended up being “teenage fanfic found on a USB stick in detention.” Children get chest-bursted. Newborn babies are used as Xenomorph incubators. A Predator accidentally nukes a hospital. And still, somehow, it manages to be incredibly boring.

The human cast? Who cares. There’s a brooding ex-con, a military mom, some teenage drama no one asked for — all delivered with the emotional depth of a damp sock. Nobody’s rooting for them. Honestly, we were just rooting for the credits to roll.

Requiem is grimy, mean-spirited, and above all else, nearly impossible to see. It’s like a haunted screensaver with screaming. Easily the lowest point of both franchises.

7. The Predator
Release Year: 2018

When word hit that Shane Black — yes, Hawkins himself from the original — was directing a new Predator movie, the internet did that thing it always does: it got excited, then confused, then very, very angry.

Black’s return was supposed to bring things full circle, except instead of delivering jungle warfare, dread, and spine-ripping glory, he brought… quips. Lots of them. And not good quips either. Not “stick around” or “if it bleeds, we can kill it” level. We’re talking fart jokes, Tourette’s punchlines, and “your mum” gags shoved into what should’ve been a gritty monster movie. The Predator tries to be a horror, a sci-fi, a comedy, and a weird family drama all at once, and fails at all four.

So what’s the plot? Great question. A Predator crash-lands on Earth (again), a military sniper’s kid finds its gear (of course), and a bigger, meaner, super-CGI Predator comes down to kill the little one. Toss in government experiments, Predator dogs (yes, dogs), genetic upgrades, and a ragtag team of ex-soldiers who feel like they wandered in from a rejected Expendables spin-off — and you’ve got a film that’s as messy as a chestburst gone wrong.

There are cool moments. The big Predator looks mean. Some of the deaths are inventive. Olivia Munn outruns an alien on foot while nude. (No, really.) But the tone is all over the place, the editing is a nightmare, and the final scene sets up a sequel involving a Predator Iron Man suit. We wish we were joking.

A huge disappointment, made worse by the fact that it had so much potential. Also, a Predator dog? Get in the bin.

6. Aliens vs. Predator
Release Year: 2004

After decades of what if? debates, crossover comics, and fanboy fights in playgrounds and forums alike, we finally got it: Aliens vs. Predator — a title so simple, so beautiful, it practically sold itself. “Alien vs. Predator? Take my money!” we all shouted in 2004. And then we saw it. And then we wanted a refund.

The premise is kind of cool, in a straight-to-DVD-but-with-a-budget sort of way. A Weyland Industries team (led by none other than Lance Henriksen, who just can’t stay away from xenomorph-related disasters) ventures to a snowy wasteland to investigate a mysterious pyramid buried under the ice. What they find is an intergalactic funhouse of death — a Predator training ground filled with alien eggs. You know, because Predators apparently like to spend spring break fighting Xenomorphs instead of getting smashed in Ibiza.

Soon, the humans are caught in the middle of the ultimate monster mash — a messy three-way brawl that plays like a sci-fi Royal Rumble, only with worse lighting. Seriously, who turned the brightness down to “pitch black”? At times, it’s so dark you’d be forgiven for thinking you were watching a radio drama.

But for all its flaws — and there are many — AVP at least gives us some halfway-decent monster-on-monster action. The fight scenes aren’t awful, there’s a Xenomorph queen, a Predator literally wrestles a facehugger, and we even get a team-up between the last surviving human and a Predator who decides, “Hey, I like this lady’s vibe.” It’s part horror, part action, part weird interspecies bromance.

Let’s not pretend it’s a masterpiece. The characters are forgettable, the plot is pure nonsense, and it’s all surprisingly tame for a film about two of cinema’s most violent creatures kicking the crap out of each other. But unlike its sequel, at least you can see what’s going on — and that alone earns it a spot higher on the list.

Also, someone please finally rename this Aliens vs. Predator vs. Extremely Unqualified Archaeologists. Thanks.

5. Predators
Release Year: 2010

On paper, Predators should have been incredible. A spiritual successor to the 1987 original, produced by Robert Rodriguez, boasting a solid cast, and promising a return to jungle-based mayhem. We were promised Predator mayhem cranked up to 11. What we got instead was a film so frustratingly dumb, it made Alien vs. Predator look like a documentary.

The movie opens with Adrien Brody (yes, the pianist guy) waking up mid-air and parachuting into a jungle. He’s quickly joined by a lovable band of murderers and war criminals, including a Russian with a minigun, a Yakuza enforcer, a cartel hitman, and Topher Grace. That’s right. Topher Grace is here too, playing a weedy doctor with serial killer vibes. Spoiler alert: he’s actually a serial killer. Which somehow the Predators figured out. Are we seriously meant to believe that a race of alien trophy hunters with dreadlocks and no concept of Netflix managed to identify a human serial killer who has successfully evaded the FBI?

Apparently, yes. Because this isn’t just any jungle — it’s an alien planet. With two suns. A Predator safari park, where humans are dropped in like deer in a fenced estate for the elite to hunt. The concept is cool, but the execution? Not so much.

There are moments of genuine excitement — the sword fight between the Yakuza guy and a Predator in a misty field of tall grass is slick, even if it feels like it wandered in from 47 Ronin. Adrien Brody gets shredded and tries to do the Arnie “cover yourself in mud” trick, except it feels like cosplay, not survival instinct. And there’s a nice bit of fan service when the original-style Predator is discovered chained up and let loose for a little interspecies brawl.

But despite its attempts at gravitas and style, Predators is a deeply annoying film. You spend more time picking holes in the plot than you do gripping the armrest. If these aliens are so clever, why do they keep letting humans run amok and blow up their hunting grounds? If they’ve figured out Earth psychology well enough to kidnap a secret serial killer, how have they not just taken over the planet already?

Ultimately, Predators is a half-decent entry with a wasted premise, some stylish kills, and far too much Topher Grace.

4. Predator: Badlands

Release Year: 2025

Who knew the deadliest hunter in the galaxy would one day star in what feels suspiciously like a Disney adventure about emotional growth? Predator: Badlands is what happens when director Dan Trachtenberg decides to take the franchise on a gap year to art school. Instead of a muscle-soaked hunt in the jungle, we get family drama among the Yautja. There is a moody young Predator named Dek, a synthetic sidekick named Thia with no legs and plenty of attitude, and a plot that feels like The Lord of the Rings crossed with Finding Nemo.

To be fair, it is a fun movie. The action is quick, the creatures look incredible, and it moves like a summer blockbuster should. But let’s be honest — this is not really a Predator film. The classic tension of unseen terror has been replaced with banter, bonding, and emotional breakthroughs. Gone are the days of Jesse Ventura mowing down half a jungle; in their place we get Dek learning about self-worth. It is like watching a motivational TED Talk delivered by an alien with mandibles.

Still, Trachtenberg deserves credit for taking a swing. Badlands is stylish, brisk, and undeniably entertaining if you can ignore the fact that it rewrites the rulebook. As a standalone sci-fi adventure, it is a blast. As a Predator movie, it is like someone painted fangs on The Lion King.

3. Prey
Release Year: 2022

A new Predator film that’s actually good? In this economy? Colour us stunned.

After years of disappointment, Prey came along and did what no one thought possible — it made us care about this franchise again. Not by going bigger or bloodier or more bro-tastic. No. It did something very un-Hollywood. It went simpler. We’re talking waaaay back — 300 years ago in the Great Plains of North America, where WiFi was patchy and no one was cracking vagina jokes in military helicopters.

Our protagonist this time around is Naru, a young Comanche woman who wants to prove herself as a hunter like her older brother. She’s mocked, dismissed, underestimated — you know, typical prequel setup stuff — until she runs into the galaxy’s nastiest tourist: a Predator that looks like it just crawled out of a Mad Max deleted scene. Seriously, this thing has bone armour and a mask that makes it look like it’s cosplaying as a skull-themed Transformer.

As Naru pieces together the creature’s brutal pattern of hunting apex predators (wolves, bears, men with muskets), she starts preparing herself to take it down. This is the first Predator film to feature a female lead, and Amber Midthunder absolutely smashes it. No muscles, no guns, no Arnold yelling “GET TO THE CHOPPA!” — just clever tactics, traps, and raw determination.

The film is gorgeous to look at — lush landscapes, brutal action, and a pace that actually builds tension, unlike certain other sequels (we’re looking at you, The Predator). Plus, there’s a real sense of respect for the Comanche culture, with the filmmakers even offering a full Comanche-language dub — a franchise first, and frankly, long overdue.

Prey isn’t just “good for a Predator film,” it’s a great horror-action flick full stop. It understands what made the original work — the hunt, the suspense, the David vs. Goliath angle — and strips away all the nonsense (looking at you again, The Predator). No random scientists, no bad jokes, just one woman, one alien, and a whole lot of blood.

A breath of fresh air for the franchise, and the reason Predator: Badlands got the green light. Whether that’s a good or bad thing… remains to be seen.

2. Predator 2
Release Year: 1990

A few years after Arnie told an invisible alien to “Come on! Kill me! I’m here!” we were yanked out of the jungle and dropped straight into the urban warzone of future Los Angeles — which, at the time, was the year 1997. That’s right, in 1990, the future was gang wars, extreme humidity, and everyone sweating profusely in every scene. So, basically, still 1997.

In comes Danny Glover, hot off the Lethal Weapon franchise and very much too old for this shit. He plays Lieutenant Mike Harrigan, an unhinged cop who has clearly been guzzling coffee and ignoring protocol for decades. His daily routine? Shout at his superiors, wear a sweaty shirt, shoot criminals, and then accidentally declare war on a seven-foot-tall space hunter. As you do.

When Predator #2 lands in L.A. — presumably on an off-season hunting vacation — he decides gang members are fair game. And we’re not talking stealthy kills, either. He’s going full spinal cord trophy mode in alleys, subway cars, and penthouse drug dens. Add in Bill Paxton playing the most Paxton-y character ever, and a wild-eyed Gary Busey monologuing about jungle cats (“The lions… the tigers… the bears… oh my”), and you’ve got yourself a sweaty, chaotic, oddly glorious sequel.

Now, let’s talk logic — or lack thereof. We’re supposed to believe that Danny Glover, alone, manages to outwit and kill the Predator in hand-to-hand combat. Look, we love Glover, but he was panting after three steps and somehow managed to do what a team of elite special forces couldn’t do even with grenades and giant machine guns. How? Who knows. Maybe the Predator slipped on a puddle of sweat.

Still, despite the sheer lunacy, Predator 2 is undeniably fun. It expands the mythology, ramps up the body count, and that ending? Chef’s kiss. When Glover is handed an ancient pistol by the Predator elders, we all collectively went, “Wait, what?! There’s more of them?!” And thus, the Predator Extended Universe was born.

Gory, silly, sweaty, and quotable — it may not be better than the original, but it damn well earned its silver medal on this list.

1. Predator
Release Year: 1987

There are movies… and then there’s Predator. A film so gloriously macho, it could grow chest hair on a cactus. Directed by John McTiernan (who’d go on to make Die Hard a year later — casual flex), Predator is the gold standard of action-horror-sci-fi hybrids. It’s so iconic that it’s practically a rite of passage for genre fans — and possibly for anyone with a Y chromosome.

Let’s set the scene. It’s 1988. You’ve got a VHS tape in the player with Arnold Schwarzenegger on the cover, shirt off, holding a gun the size of a motorcycle. You hit play expecting a war movie. But then… a cloaked, crab-faced alien drops out of the treetops, rips out a man’s spine, and everything changes. That was me — absolutely hooked, traumatised, and in love.

The plot is deceptively simple: a crack team of elite commandos (read: a walking steroid advertisement) is dropped into a Central American jungle to rescue hostages. That team includes Arnie as Dutch, Carl Weathers (RIP), Jesse “The Body” Ventura, Bill Duke, Sonny Landham, and… Shane Black. Yes, that Shane Black, who contributes precisely zero action and one dirty joke before being skinned alive.

At first, it does feel like a war movie. Guns blaze. Explosions go off. Testosterone seeps from every frame. But then bodies start showing up — skinned, dismembered, and dangling from trees like Christmas ornaments from hell. Enter the Predator, an intergalactic big game hunter with thermal vision, invisibility, and a tendency to collect skulls like Funko Pops.

One by one, the team is picked off in increasingly brutal fashion, until it’s just Arnie vs. Alien in a sweaty, mud-soaked showdown for the ages. The last act plays like a primal survivalist fever dream, with Dutch covering himself in mud, building jungle traps, and literally roaring into the night. It’s man vs. beast. Muscle vs. monster. And every single line? Utterly iconic.

“If it bleeds, we can kill it.”
“You’re one ugly motherf—”
“Get to the choppaaaaa!”

Predator isn’t just great — it’s perfect. The pacing, the score, the creature design (by Stan Winston, with a little help from James Cameron), and that unforgettable twist halfway through when the real villain reveals itself. It was lightning in a bottle, and nothing — not seven sequels, two crossovers, or a handful of dodgy spin-offs — has come close to matching it.

And yes, many say Predator is “a man’s film” — and sure, it’s about as macho as a protein shake doing bench presses — but really, it’s just great cinema. Anyone with a pulse can appreciate the tension, the craft, and the sheer sweaty spectacle of it all.

It’s the top of the food chain for a reason. Predator is the king. Long live the king.

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