Today, Predator: Killer of Killers, the new animated anthology film from director Dan Trachtenberg and company, is on Hulu. And as we noted in our review of the movie… It rules. But, and here’s the question, how hard does it rule? The answer may surprise you! Or not, I don’t know you. Regardless, you’ll find out in our Predator movie ranking, below.
That’s right, we’re going to get to the ranker and break down which Predator movie in the franchise is best, which is worst, and where the new one — Killer of Killers — ranks in there. Not only that, but because if it bleeds, you can rank it, we’re also including the two Aliens vs. Predator movies on here. Because why not? Why not, indeed.
So, on with the list, as we rank all eight Predator movies, and eagerly anticipate the release of Predator: Badlands later this year.
8. Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem
Almost literally impossible to watch, the second AVP movie takes a premise that should be fun, and is occasionally fun in The Predator — transport the xenomorphs and the Yautja to suburbia — and makes it an absolute, incomprehensible drag. Not only is the story needlessly convoluted and the characters excruciating, but the action is often so dark you actually can’t see what’s happening on screen. Not even fun bad, just bad bad.
7. Predator 2
Mean, noisy, and often racist, the Predator sequel has Danny Glover going for it, and a classic dweeb-in-a-suit performance from Bill Paxton. But otherwise, this movie is loud and poorly made. It’s going for Paul Verhoeven, and ends up with Len Wiseman. Nowhere is that better seen than in a train attack, which should look cool thanks to the lights passing by the runaway train, but instead, it’s just impossible to tell what’s going on. And the special effects, rather than charming, come off as dated and unbelievable. Hey, at least we got the Raphael Adolini’s pistol runner here that would eventually pay off big time in Prey.
6. The Predator
I honestly could flip-flop entries five and six because they both have their faults. Shane Black transitions from performing in the original movie to co-writing and directing this one, which seems like a good idea on paper. But most of the movie is involved in setting up an array of characters and a rogue Predator in the modern day, while losing that iconic Shane Black breezy humor. Once everybody is established, this is easily the funniest Predator movie, including some great physical comedy from Olivia Munn, and a meta-running bit about how the Predator is more of a big game hunter. Sterling K. Brown also can’t stop chewing the scenery, Thomas Jane and Keegan-Michael Key make a weird pair, and those Predator dogs, man. Fun, weird stuff. But reported major reshoots and an awful ending hamper what could have been an all-timer.
6. Predators
The Adrien Brody-starring Predators gets knocked down for having several very uninspired kills — particularly a sword fight that is just… Not interesting. A Yakuza dude with a samurai sword fighting a Predator with a knife arm? How is it just them running at each other in a field? Boo! That said, you do get an absolute killer opening, Brody doing his hilarious best action hero voice, Laurence Fishburne at maximum weirdness, and Topher Grace channeling his nerd villain persona from Spider-Man 3 to great effect. It’s a neat concept — humans dropped in a Yautja hunting preserve — that’s been done better since in Marvel Comics.
4. AVP: Alien vs. Predator
Lord help me, I’ve seen this one maybe… The most of all the Predator movies? It’s just so stupid, but stupid fun, trying to jam together the Alien and Predator franchise in the most ham-fisted way possible, down to Lance Henriksen as Bishop, not the android, but the human the android is based on. But the action is big, and it delivers exactly what you want down in your animal brain: xenomorphs and Yautja just wrecking each other. Add in some weirdly intense sexual chemistry between Sanaa Lathan and the main Predator, and you’ve got a late-night classic.
3. Predator
Most of this John McTiernan classic is the iconic Arnold Schwarzenegger formula. He blows some dudes up, puns a lot (“stick around”), and ultimately beats the bad guy with his raw might. There’s a lot that doesn’t hold up to modern movie standards in the original, though the effects manage to work a lot better than in the sequel. Mainly, the racism, sexism, sweaty ‘roided out he-men in the jungle is extremely macho, but it’s all steak, just a bit of sizzle. But man alive, once the Predator clears everyone out and it is just Arnie versus the alien hunter, the original is tense, creative, and you can see why it launched a slew of (mostly) lesser sequels. It’s just below top tier Schwarzenegger, but a classic nonetheless.
2. Predator: Killer of Killers
The new animated movie is stunning to look at, thrilling to watch, and genuinely features some of the absolute best kills in the series. In fact, one in the second section — titled “The Sword” — seems like a specific rejoinder to the piss poor execution of the sword fight in Predators. Add in the shocking twists we won’t spoil here on debut day that blow out the world of the movies in a big way, and this is a must-watch for any Predator fan, and any fan of animation in general.
1. Prey
Speaking of which, Prey isn’t just the best Predator movie, it’s also a superb action movie in its own right. Like the title suggests, what Trachtenberg and crew do here is flip the narrative so that Naru (Amber Midthunder) is looking for the Predator, not the other way around. And it seems like such a simple thing, but not only does the movie hammer the idea of predator and prey over and over again visually, but it takes a simple idea — Naru just wants respect — and follows that emotional thread. Most of these movies are about survival, but Prey has more on its mind, with a streamlined story, jaw-dropping visuals, and death scenes that are instantly iconic. Prey is a film that actually gets better with repeated watches, as the layers of symbolism continue to unfurl themselves. Oh, and it’s also really cool. If you’re hunting for the best Predator movie? That’s Prey, no question.
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