Action movies of the1980swere characterized by machismo, over-the-top practical effects and stunts, and spectacle. If a particular title performed well enough and found the rightHollywoodstewards, franchises could follow.Some action movies performed so well, they even inspired crossovers with other iconic contributors to the genre.
Jim ThomasandJohn Thomas, brothers who worked together to develop the screenplay forPredator, focused on buildinga world where man could no longer claim to be the apex predator. In imagining an alien race that valued the challenge humans present as prey, the Thomas brothers opened up an imaginative world that would inspire filmmakers for generations. Now thatDan Trachtenberghas a hold of the franchise, he is taking it in exciting new directions with the most recent entries:Prey,Predator: Killer of Killers, andthe upcomingPredator: Badlands. From the questionable crossovers, to the sequels and prequels,here are thePredatormovies ranked by theirRotten Tomatoesscores.
8’Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem' (2007)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Score:12%
The firstAlien vs. Predatorcrossover film was hotly anticipatedever since the Xenopmorph skull appeared among the other trophies inPredator 2. Once released, a disappointed fanbase was hopeful that the concept of one of theAlienXenomorph creatures fromRidley Scott’s franchise facing off against a Predator could still be salvaged. WhenAliens vs. Predator: Requiemwas announced, a skeptical audience waited to see if the concept would finally be done justice.
Unfortunately,Greg StrauseandColin Strause’s vision ofa ship filled with Xenomorphs and a Predalien (Predator and Alien hybrid) crashing into Coloradoalso unfortunately underwhelmed audiences. While a terrorized town attempts to defend themselves against the extraterrestrial onslaught, a Predator is sent to eliminate the threat. There is a campiness to theAVPfilms that some audiences can appreciate, even ifRequiemwas bumped back to an “R” rating after the disappointment that fans expressed over the PG-13 rating ofAVP. But there is a reason these two films are on the lowest end of the Rotten Tomatoes rating spectrum compared to the rest of the Predator franchise.
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem
7’Alien vs. Predator' (2004)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Score:21%
The debate over which extraterrestrial terror had the superior franchise was hotly contestedeven before theAVPfilm came about.Alien vs. Predatorwas based on the popular 1989 comic series of the same name, where the Alien Xenomorph and Predator Yautja creatures were first depicted facing off. There was also theAlien vs. Predatorfirst-person shooter video game that was released in 1999.
Paul W.S. Anderson’s vision of the battle between the extraterrestrials was limited by a PG-13 rating, which meant that the horror elements that marked both franchises would be stunningly downplayed. Compared to an R rating, the movie being edited for a PG-13 release meant it could attempt to appeal to a younger, and therefore, wider fan demographic, butit also risked losing the core of what attracted fans to each franchise in the first place. Limiting the horror elements was just the start, as the film relied heavily on strung together action sequences in its story of a billionaire-led expedition to a pyramid buried under the ice in the arctic.According to Anderson’s DVD commentary, there was a deliberate effort to draw fromH.P. Lovecraft’s 1931 novellaAt the Mountains of Madness, which told the story of a group of explorers that discovered the remnants of an ancient civilization in Antarctica. With too many competing interests in the narrative, the crossover film doesn’t hold up to the originals of either franchise.
AVP: Alien vs. Predator
6’Predator 2' (1990)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Score:29%
The sequel,Predator 2,took viewers in an entirely new direction than the 1987 original. The 1990 sequel moved viewers away from the jungle setting ofPredator, and into the grim realities of a slightly futuristic downtown Los Angeles. The film has an entirely new cast of characters, includingDanny Gloveras Lieutenant Mike Harrigan, investigating a series of gangland killings. As it turns out,the Predator (Kevin Peter Hall)is behind the body count growing ever higher, and he isn’t satisfied limiting his prey to the criminals alone.
The sequel leans intothe B-movie elementsthat made action movies of the era great, especially in the police tropes that come up through Harrigan’s journey. Performances fromBill PaxtonandRubén Bladesbeef up the narrative as well. The change of environment, the semi-futuristic city elements, and the B-movie cop drama madePredator 2a sequel that was such a complete departure from the original that viewers weren’t initially sure about this new direction. Many now value it asa contribution to the sci-fi action genre that was burgeoning at the time, akin to titles likeTotal Recall,They Live, andThe Hidden.
Predator 2
5’The Predator' (2018)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Score:34%
Shane Black’s contribution to the franchise kicks off as a Predator ship crash lands on Earth, greeted by a swarm of soldiers led by Quinn McKenna (Boyd Holbrook). McKenna gets a hold of some Predator technology just before he is intercepted by government agent Will Traeger (Sterling K. Brown), and sent off to a military prison. McKenna manages to send the Predator tech to his young son Rory (Jacob Tremblay) just before his arrest, inadvertently making the young boy a target of both the U.S. government and the stalking Predator. The narrative is a mixed bag of middling motivations and antagonistic dialogue, butthe central plot of the young bullied boy suddenly getting his hands on extraterrestrial technologyis interesting, at least.
Olivia Munnas Dr. Casey Brackette, a government scientist in the thick of the action, offers a balance to the rowdy nature of McKenna and his rowdy crew of heroes. There are action sequences and some campy humor, butthe film is definitely in the middle of the pack when it comes to thePredatorfranchise overall. Black’s film dresses itself in thePredatormythos, but overall the story is hollow in comparison to the care that Trachtenberg would take with the lore once he took the reins of the franchise.
The Predator
4’Predators' (2010)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Score:65%
Nímrod Antal’sPredatorshas been called by somethe definitivePredatorsequel. Rather than the jungles of the earth, either concrete or forest,Predatorsis a sequel that took the audience out of this world, for the first time, introducing the audience to the idea of the Predators importing their prey. The film opens with a group of dangerous individuals who have been abducted suddenly plummeting towards an unknown planet, ina free-fall that lets the audience know we are no longer on familiar ground.
Once the ensemble cast is assembled, we learn their various occupations, all of which make them in some way suited to outwitting the Predators in their quest to hunt down their newly imported prey. There is a cartel enforcer named Cuchilli (Danny Trejo), a soldier named Nikolai (Oleg Taktarov), and a sniper called Isabelle (Alice Braga). They are joined by a revolutionary deathsquad member, Mombasa (Mahershala Ali), a death row inmate, Stans (Walton Goggins), and a member of the Yakuza named Hanzo (Louis Ozawa Changchien).Topher Gracejoins the mix as a scientist named Edwin, andAdrien Brodyas a mercenary named Roy who elects himself as the leader of the uneasy crew.The ensemble cast teamed together in a foreign jungle echoes the nature of the original film, while updating the legacy with innovative new narrative twists.
3’Predator' (1987)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Score:80%
For the longest time,there was no beating the hypermasculine action-packed thrill of the original 1987John McTiernanfilm.Predatorestablished the idea of an extraterrestrial hunter coming to earth to terrorize humanity as its ultimate prey. It was the muscle-clad predecessor that walked so creative minds like Black, Antal, and Trachtenberg could run with the franchise, taking it in bold new directions while making sure to pay homage to the ethos of the original film.
The central trope of the film has to do with the primal nature of warfare, when killing occurs face to face andthe opponents are so evenly matched that the smallest choices can make the difference between life and death. InPredator, Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger) must resort to covering himself in mud in order to evade the Predator’s heat sensory technology, as the two square off in their final showdown. As a paramilitary Special Forces major, Dutch is used to fighting in unfamiliar terrain, and he uses the jungle to his advantage in order to lure the Predator into a trap that would utilize the environment to his advantage. This theme of man using his wits and environment against his technologically advanced predator is one that would be explored in later adaptations as well.
2’Prey' (2022)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Score:94%
Preywas an overnight sensation when it was released in 2022.Trachtenberg’s film set itself apart in a significant way by foregrounding a female protagonist and taking the series significantly back into history, withAmber Midthunder’s outstanding performance as Naru, and her hunting dog Sarii in the Northern Great Plains in 1719. Naru has excellent hunting skills with her axe and her bow, and she knows the environment as well as an aspiring hunter should. But she is no match when the Predator begins to hunt her and her people.
Naru relies on her knowledge of the environment, her wits, and her people, to finally free herself of the extraterrestrial stalking her. Even without a theatrical release,the film’s updated premise and the care it takes with thePredatorlore meant the film quickly gained an appreciative audience, which is reflected in its Rotten Tomatoes score of 94%. This wasn’t missed by 20th Century Studios, which greenlit Trachtenberg’s next two Predator projects.Predator: Killer of Killersimmediately shot up the ratings chart as soon as it was released, cementing its place in the Predators franchise as a significant contributor toTrachtenberg’s ongoing world-building.
Naru, a skilled warrior of the Comanche Nation, fights to protect her tribe against one of the first highly-evolved Predators to land on Earth.
1’Predator: Killer of Killers' (2025)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Score:97%
Predator: Killer of Killersis Trachtenberg’s most recent addition to the Predator franchise.The animated anthology filmallows Trachtenberg to play with different “what if” scenarios,where the question of how different warriors across humanity’s history would handle a face-off with their most terrible predator is tested. Vikings, samurai, ninjas, and aviators face-off with the Predator creatures in different vignettes, building towards an ultimate battle witha surprising reveal about an already beloved character.
The switch to animated vignettes allows for a sense of enormity to enter into the action.It widens the scope of the storytelling, allowing for multiple Predator encounters within a cohesive narrative frame, and the grim sci-fi sensibility is enhanced by the visual continuity of the animation. Trachtenberg will be switching back to live-action with the highly anticipated upcoming release ofPredator: Badlands. StarringElle Fanning,Badlandsis set to be Trachtenberg’s next big contribution to the franchise, even as he admits thatKiller of Killersincludes"one of the coolest things for a franchise."
