Best Predator Movies: Ranking Of All Yautja Films

With the release of Predator: Killer Of Killers and Predator: Badlands, it's time to re-rank all the Predator movies. The Predator movies span over three decades and contain a bunch of mediocre sequels with some highlights in addition to the original action/sci-fi classic. Although this is just a top 9 list, we are sure that a top 10 can soon be made with another new worthy sequel.to either the Predator or the Alien vs. Predator series, taking the Yautja to hunts through different time periods.

9. Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem is a bad movie and the worst movie in the whole series. (it is also the worst Alien movie). It suffers from bad plot, paper-thin characters and a big case of darkness, you can not really see what is happening on screen. However, there are a few positive things. Wolf the Predator is really badass and comes off as a competent anti-hero. The movie would have benefited on focusing on him more. Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem expands on the Predator lore a bit. We get to see Yautja Prime, some new Predator ships and weapons. It is the first appearance of the Predalien in full-grown form in the movie series. The movie tried to set the stage for Alien vs. Predator 3 but in reality, just killed the Alien vs. Predator series.

8. Alien vs. Predator

Alien vs. Predator gets a bad rap but is actually a competently made movie which seems to grow more respect as time goes on. This might be due to the fact that movies, in general, get dumber and dumber as time goes on. Alien vs. Predator has some nice practical effects, a lean script and easy to follow the action. Charles Weyland is a sympathetic character but the list ends there. Unfortunately, the Young Blood Predators are quite dumb and get killed too easily. The main character does not realize he has been facehugged and neither do the Predator elders in the end.

7. The Predator

The Predator was a huge disappointment and is actually pretty much tied for the 5th place with Alien vs. Predator. What makes it slightly better is the characters, dialogue, and humor. The first half of the movie is good but it all falls apart in the middle when the second Predator appears. From there on, it is a bad CGI fest with an incoherent plot. The movie had big reshoots for the third act and it shows. All the additions to the lore don't make much sense, like the Upgrade Predator, Predator Killer and Predator dogs. We excepted more from Shane Black. The prequel novelization to the movie - Hunter and Hunted, actually has a great simple plot that would have worked better for the movie.

6. Predator: Killer Of Killers

Predator: Killer Of Killers is the one and only animated movie in the franchise, developed in parallel with Predator: Badlands. Like Prey, it brings the Predators to the past, namely to the Viking, Samurai, and World War 2 era. However, the movie is separated into 4 parts, the final one bringing all the human survivors together to Yautja Prime. The Samurai segment is perhaps the best one in terms of fight sequences and emotion, and fans have been asking for a Predator vs. Samurai showdown for ages. The Viking segment is servicable, featuring a huge Predator fighting a female warrior. The World War 2 segment takes the fight to the skies, but is a bit too Disney-fied, with a young main character throwing quips like Spider-Man. A welcome addition is the voice of Michael Biehn, playing a Commander killed by the Predator. The Yautja Prime segment expands the Yautja lore, featuring a "Predator King" Warlord overseeing a gladiator-like fight between the humans. Overall, the movie was a good addition to the franchise, and we hope for more animated anthology movies in the future (why not featuring Aliens and Colonial Marines).

5. Predators

Predators in the fifth best Predator movie. Although the only Predator movie to take place on a different planet, it goes back to the basics. There is a group of soldiers struggling to survive in the jungle when hunted by Predators. However, the movie is different enough not to call it a rehash or a remake. The group is full of great actors, whom some would reach more critical fame later. The Super Predators suffer from the same problem as the Upgrade Predators, but they don't mess with any of the lore. They are just another breed of Predators at war with the Classic Predators. The movie had a smaller budget than some of the other sequels but the effects look good. Also be sure to check out the Predators prequel and sequel comics which elaborate some of the events in the movie.

4. Predator: Badlands

Predator: Badlands is the latest Predator movie and the third by Dan Trachtenberg. Badlands finally puts the Predator as the main character, in the form of Dek, a young Yautja wanting to prove himself. This twist is a somewhat original idea similar to what was done with the T-800 in the Terminator series. Dek's facial expressions and body language are great, provided by Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi. The filmmakers even invented a Predator language, which is also provided by the same actor. However, the film suffers from an overuse of CGI and could have utilized the natural environments of New Zealand a bit more, also bringing the budget down. The film has a PG-13 rating, and even if there are no humans in the film (only Weyland-Yutani androids), the violence is somewhat lacking for a Predator movie. Overall, the movie is the most original Predator sequel, taking things in a new direction.

3. Predator 2

Predator 2 is one of the most underrated movie sequels ever. Its review scores (in the low 20-30%) should be adjusted by today's crap movie inflation. Predator 2 tries to do something different and moving from the jungle to the city makes perfect sense. It expands a lot of the mythology, with new weapons, new Predators and being shown the interior of the Predator ship. We even see the trophy wall with the Xenomorph skull. The music and effects are great with the same people involved returning. Replacing Arnold with a new lead character was risky but Harrigan is a good character. Predator 2 had a black lead actor at a time when this was not common. The movie has problems, but they are nothing major. The pacing is not the best and some secondary characters are too cartoony. This movie would have probably been a classic if John McTiernan returned, even without Arnold.

2. Prey

Prey is the first Predator movie from director Dan Trachtenberg and immediately took the second place in the list. It is a great installment and washed away the disappointment of years of mediocre Predator and Alien movie sequels (the Terminator movies should take note as well). Prey takes the Predator to the past, a thing that was hinted at heavily at the end of Predator 2 and should have already happened in the third Predator movie, not the seventh. Even though it is a straight-to-streaming service movie, it has great visuals and should have been released theatrically as well. Prey has a great original score that does not riff from the same Predator theme over and over like the other sequels did it. The cast is very authentic and the Feral Predator is a vicious beast, although a bit reckless and slow at times.

1. Predator

Predator is not only the best Predator movie but one of the greatest sci-fi action movies ever. It's a perfect movie, directed well by John McTiernan and features Arnold at his prime. It is interesting to note that the creature design and the movie itself was saved at the last minute by Stan Winston stepping in. The initial version of the Predator played by Jean-Claude Van Damme looked horrible. With the effects of Stan Winston and the no-dialogue direction, the last act of the movie is true masterclass that should be thought at film schools. The sequels have been struggling to match the greatness of this movie and it is totally understandable.

Conclusion

After more than three decades of sequels, spin-offs, and experiments, the original Predator still stood at the top of the franchise. While entries like Prey and Predator 2 came close in their own ways, none managed to surpass the suspense, direction, creature design, and raw simplicity of the original hunt. Predator remained the benchmark for what a Yautja story should be, and it continued to prove itself as a classic that was, and likely always will be, impossible to beat. For more about Yautja, check out the list of the most powerful Predators and look over the different Predator types.

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