All 8 Predator Movies Ranked (Including Killer Of Killers)

The Predator aliens are ruthless and seemingly unkillable. How fitting, then, that the motion pictures concerning these beasts are similarly enduring. The "Predator" franchise has lasted for nearly four decades, ever since that very first movie back in 1987. Since then, "Predator" outings have gone in every direction possible, including movies set in Los Angeles, an animated anthology feature, and even a questionable Shane Black directorial effort. There have even been two different motion pictures chronicling these creatures contending with the Xenomorphs, thanks to the "Alien vs. Predator" duology. If you're a "Predator" fan, there is certainly no shortage of options for movies out there to watch.

However, how many of these are actually any good and worth experiencing? Ranking the "Predator" movies from worst to best (largely based on their general critical reception) certainly underscores the artistic stumbles these films have endured over the years. Constantly shifting creative teams and flippant approaches to the Predator aliens resulted in several movies that didn't really appeal to anyone. On the other hand, this ranking also lets one appreciate the modern renaissance of the saga that includes the acclaimed animated 2025 entry "Predator: Killer of Killers." Even after so many underwhelming outings, this franchise can still produce absolute winners. We're here to take a look at the peaks and valleys of this bizarre and eclectic saga — so grab your weapon of choice and prepare to hunt down the best possible "Predator" installments.

Movies are complicated creations with countless moving parts. Yet sometimes, it just takes one element to distill what went wrong with especially subpar films. In the case of "Alien vs. Predator: Requiem," it's the atrociously dim lighting alone that dooms this entry in the "Predator" franchise. Whether it's professional reviews of "Requiem" from its initial release or retrospective breakdowns on YouTube and Letterboxd, everybody hates how dark-looking this feature is. With every scene drowning in pervasive pitch black darkness, "Requiem" is a massive slog to sit through. It also renders the largely nighttime fight scenes incoherent to watch.

What's the point of any "Predator" movie, let alone a cinematic showdown like an "Alien vs. Predator" installment, if everything is going to be indecipherable? "Requiem's" inescapably indistinct imagery is a microcosm of everything that went wrong on this boondoggle. "Requiem" has long been despised by fans not just for its lighting choices, but also for feeling like a rerun of past "Alien" and "Predator" installments. Little innovation was brought to this outing in any department, while the abysmally written characters ensured there was no engaging drama to compensate for the lack of cogent action sequences.

A lifeless creative endeavor, "Requiem" robbed both the Xenomorphs and Predator creatures of their cinematic majesty or towering presence. Here, they're just two more forgettable beasts killing people in sci-fi schlock. The only distinctive trait here is how thoroughly it suffocates everything in darkness. 

Bringing back "Predator" cast member Shane Black as a writer/director for a new "Predator" movie should've been a recipe for cinematic bliss, especially after Black honed his screenwriting craft on "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" and "The Nice Guys." Instead, 2018's "The Predator" was a jaggedly assembled disaster. For starters, "The Predator" crammed its script full of weird "edgelord" comedy digressions that felt cribbed from the laziest '80s comedies. Extended jokes about a mercenary with Tourette's, for instance, were as derivative as they were cringey. Reducing "The Predator's" characters to being disabled stereotypes for audiences to laugh at, meanwhile, ensured that it was incredibly difficult to get invested in anything happening on-screen.

Even worse was the strangely convoluted plot, which kept smothering the screen with too many human-centric subplots and "twists" regarding which characters (both extra-terrestrial and human) were actually "good" or "evil." The whole thing is just too busy for its own good, right down to an idiotic cliffhanger ending meant teasing sequels that would never come to fruition. Worst of all, it wastes an incredibly talented cast on one of Black's worst scripts. "Moonlight" star Trevante Rhodes deserved so much better than his forgettable supporting role, and the same could be said for Olivia Munn and Keegan-Michael Key. 

It's true what they say: You can't go home again. For Shane Black, that was egregiously obvious in his woefully miscalculated and ineptly-assembled feature "The Predator." Fans of "Predator" movies and Black's work should watch "The Nice Guys" or the original "Predator" instead.

It could've been worse. So much about "Alien vs. Predator" seemed designed from the ground up to inspire derision and an all-time bad movie. Tossing these franchises against each other for a quick buck was already a dubious proposition. Hiring erratically successful filmmaker Paul W.S. Anderson to helm the project was also a warning sign, ditto giving it a PG-13 rating. The end result was still not exceedingly special, but under those dire circumstances, it did manage to produce brief charms. For one thing, setting this project in a snowy temple did give it unique backdrops compared to the locations of previous chill-free "Alien" and "Predator" installments.

For another, Sanaa Lathan was around to anchor "Alien vs. Predator" as its lead character. This talented performer was a welcome presence who provided actual acting chops to an exceedingly silly project. Plus, there were fleeting yet solid practical effects in realizing the various dueling Xenomorphs and Predators on-screen. Unfortunately, "Alien vs. Predator" was also plagued by serious issues, including a script that was emotionally and atmospherically aloof. The absorbing tension of the original "Predator" was totally absent thanks to the film's poor pacing and lackluster characters. 

Plus, the PG-13 rating curbed all the gruesome ingenuity that could've gone into the big fight scenes where Xenomorphs and Predators slaughter each other. "Aien vs. Predator" could've been way worse, sure, but it's still a middling entry in the "Predator" mythos.

The middling artistic track record of "Predator" sequels was immediately apparent with the very first stab at following up on that 1986 classic. 1990's "Predator 2" took the action to Los Angeles, where a gang war between various drug cartels gets upended by the sudden presence of a Predator warrior. Lieutenant Mike Harrigan (Danny Glover) becomes fixated on tracking down and stopping this alien warrior, who is finding a lot of people to dismember on the streets of Los Angeles.

Benefiting from being filmed before the age of green screen technology, "Predator 2's" backdrops have a tremendously tactile feel. That quality is a lot of fun to absorb whenever the Predator begins smashing around alleyways or seemingly tranquil apartments. Director Stephen Hopkins also gives moviegoers plenty of grisly bang for their buck, given the many memorable death scenes sprinkled throughout the runtime. Still, the tightness of that original "Predator" is missed in "Predator 2." Specifically, the byzantine narrative choices, like a third-act reveal involving Gary Busey's treacherous government agent, make the proceedings a cumbersome maze to navigate. Somehow, in the middle of all this narrative chaos, the Predator in "Predator 2" gets lost in the shuffle.

Still, for those looking for a breezy, painless time laden with gore and alien mayhem, "Predator 2" will do in a pinch. Unfortunately, its wonky narrative impulses, not to mention a deluge of racially-insensitive caricatures, establish the underwhelming artistry that would come to define most "Predator" sequels.

Time has been very kind to "Predators" in one key respect — its cast. Since its July 2010 release, supporting actors in the film like Mahershala Ali and Walton Goggins have absolutely exploded in popularity. This means that extra layers of fun meta-entertainment exist when rewatching this feature in the mid-2020s. It's undeniably amusing to remember that, within six years of "Predators," Ali would have an Oscar while Goggins would soon find his niche delivering unforgettable supporting turns in prestige television. And before all that, here they are on an alien planet evading Predators hell-bent on slaughtering Earth's most vicious killers.

In terms of standalone virtues, "Predators" has some enjoyable traits, including a bravura Laurence Fishburne supporting turn and ominous visuals that lean into this story taking place on a realm far removed from Earth. Still, Alex Litvak and Michael Finch's script isn't an especially unpredictable or distinctive creation, and Adrien Brody simply isn't a very compelling leading man to hinge the entire film on. Then there's the fact that it ends on a clumsy note, teeing up a slew of sequels that would never exist. Such a conclusion makes the entire production feel incomplete and accentuates the problems of already nagging flaws in "Predators."

Like "Predator 2," "Predators" nails enough of the grisly cosmic carnage to make it watchable for franchise aficionados. Plus, if you like Mahershala Ali and Walton Goggins, it's cool to see them here in the earliest days of their respective filmographies.

For so long, the "Predator" saga seemed incapable of moving on beyond pastiches of the original "Predator." Nobody could've imagined in the eras of "Predators" and "The Predator" that this franchise would eventually produce something as unexpected as "Predator: Killer of Killers." For one thing, it's an anthology film that tells three unique stories, each set in a radically different time period. For another, it's an R-rated animated production, which offers up exciting new visual possibilities for how the prowess of the Predator aliens can materialize on-screen.

Director Dan Trachtenberg and co-director Joshua Wassung are in rare creative form in "Killer of Killers," particularly in how they embrace distinctive aesthetics for each storyline. The second story, "The Sword," for instance, is a 17th-century samurai yarn about a fractured sibling dynamic almost entirely devoid of dialogue. That's a far cry from the third segment, "The Bullet" — this entry is a rousing World War II adventure narrative, complete with extended aerial dogfight sequences. There's no shortage of imaginative fun in "Killer of Killers," and the surprising emphasis on human characters in each of the stories (the Predators are always servicing intimate character arcs) ensures there's enough dramatic weight to keep the entire endeavor compelling.

Granted, the computer animation, particularly in brightly lit sequences, leaves something to be desired, as does Benjamin Wallfisch's surprisingly static score. Otherwise, "Predator: Killer of Killers" is a triumph reaffirming the creative possibilities of a franchise once seemingly destined for artistic stagnation.

For decades, the original "Predator" was considered the franchise's creative high point for a very good reason. This John McTiernan directorial effort is an impressively tight creation packing in lots of excitement and personality into just 107 minutes of screentime. For one thing, "Predator" benefits from starting out as a men-on-a-mission movie where the ensemble cast is filled with memorable actors. Performers like Bill Duke, Shane Black, and Carl Weathers imbue so much memorable pizzazz into their individual roles. Even before an alien shows up to pick off these paramilitary soldiers one by one, it's entertaining just watching these guys bounce off one another.

More importantly, though, the suspenseful and action-heavy sequences involving the Predator are so much fun. Arnold Schwarzenegger is also the perfect outsized yet dramatically urgent leading man to anchor this movie. He matches the inherently heightened vibe of the story, yet his conviction in realizing Dutch Schaefer's determination to survive makes it effortlessly easy to get invested in the madness. Playing opposite the "Commando" star is a Predator, a masterful feat of creature design and practical effects work. This beast is iconic in pop culture for good reason, and it all comes down to how enthrallingly it's brought to life in this initial "Predator" installment.

Even the propulsive drama and relatively streamlined story of "Predator" make it a breath of fresh air compared to its often overcrowded successors. Still gobs of fun, "Predator" set a high artistic bar for any follow-up to reach.

After "The Predator" seemingly killed off these movies for good, "Prey" emerged in 2022 as a savior that fully revived this saga. How could that be possible after Shane Black's bomb? Director Dan Trachtenberg and screenwriter Patrick Aison accomplished the impossible by shifting the action to the Great Plains circa 1719 and having Comanche healer Naru (Amber Midthunder, who didn't even realize she was up for a "Predator" film when she auditioned) contend with a fearsome Predator alien. This historical backdrop already gives "Prey" a wildly different aesthetic compared to its predecessors. Meanwhile, Naru is the most compelling protagonist the series has ever had. She's a genuinely transfixing character made all the more absorbing thanks to Midthunder's acting.

"Prey's" character-based drama and creative setting go hand-in-hand with another outstanding virtue: the bone-crunching action. This installment lets the Predator go absolutely hog-wild in his gnarly prowess, particularly when he dispatches the only monsters more fearsome than cosmic adversaries: colonizers. There's a slew of memorable action beats and graphic deaths in here, which are both deeply entertaining to watch and amplify the emotional stakes of Naru's struggles. Witnessing all that carnage makes it clear that she's the ultimate underdog facing off with a Predator. Those odds ensure that audiences root for her through every inch of the runtime.

There's absolutely no end to the craftsmanship in "Prey," including in Sarah Schahner's remarkable score and the terrific sound design. "Prey" didn't just improve on "The Predator" — it beat out the original "Predator" as the best motion picture in this entire saga.