Thirty-eight years ago, a group of elite commandos ventured deep into the Central American jungle for what they thought was a straightforward rescue mission. What they didn’t know was that, the moment they stepped into that dense green labyrinth, they had entered the hunting ground of an alien with advanced technology — a Predator.
The plan? To take out the commandos one by one, collecting their skulls as trophies to bring back to its homeworld. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s battle with the Predator not only gave us one of the most intense action films of the 1980s, but it also kick-started a legendary franchise. Over the decades, it has spawned multiple sequels, a prequel, and divisive crossover films with everyone’s favourite Xenomorph.
Combining muscle-bound action with tense sci-fi horror, it has become the blueprint for genre hybrids and one of the most recognisable movie monsters in history. For years, the films have set the standard for what an action movie should deliver: massive explosions, quotable one-liners, iconic kills, and a terrifying creature with a code of honour.
Here’s a look at the main Predator movies in the order they were released (excluding the Alien vs Predator crossovers).
Predator (1987)
It all began here. Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and his team of elite commandos are sent into the Central American jungle to rescue a captured Cabinet Minister. But soon, they realise something far more dangerous is stalking them.
On release, nobody could have predicted just how influential Predator would become. What started as a muscle-bound 80s action flick quickly flipped into a tense sci-fi horror. The tonal shift — from gung-ho rescue mission to survival horror — gave the movie a unique edge.
The testosterone-fuelled cast made their eventual defeats feel all the more shocking, reinforcing just how lethal the Predator really was. Stan Winston’s creature design — complete with mandibles, dreadlock-like tendrils, and the now-iconic infrared vision — remains one of cinema’s greatest monster creations.
Famous moment: Dutch covering himself in mud to hide from the Predator’s heat vision became one of the most legendary action-horror images of the 1980s.
Trivia: The Predator was originally going to be played by Jean-Claude Van Damme, but his version of the creature was scrapped after early test footage failed to impress. The clicking sound was provided by voice actor Peter Cullen — also the voice of Optimus Prime.
Predator 2 (1990)
Set a few years after the original, the action moves from the jungle to the “concrete jungle” of Los Angeles. Here, a new Predator stalks the city’s streets during a brutal heatwave, clashing with a determined cop who refuses to back down. Their cat-and-mouse game culminates on a Predator ship, where the human manages to outwit and kill the alien hunter.
While #2 was criticised upon release, it’s an underrated sequel. The urban setting brought a new sense of realism — the idea that a Predator could appear in a city makes the threat feel dangerously close to home.
Danny Glover made for a very different but equally compelling lead compared to Arnold. Bill Paxton’s delightfully over-the-top turn as the “Lone Ranger” provided the perfect comic relief, while the subway massacre sequence remains one of the most memorable Predator set pieces.
Trivia: #2 was the first film to tease the Alien crossover, with a Xenomorph skull visible in the Predator’s trophy room.
Predators (2010)
A mixed bag of mercenaries, soldiers, and criminals wake up on an alien world, only to discover they’ve been dropped into a Predator game preserve — and they’re the prey.
This was one of the most creative concepts in the franchise. The idea that Predators have designated hunting planets opened up endless possibilities. It also cleverly mirrored humanity’s own hunting practices, adding a layer of thematic depth to the sci-fi carnage.
The cast brought strong performances, with genuine chemistry that made you invest in their survival. Laurence Fishburne’s unhinged survivor and the samurai duel between a Yakuza enforcer and a Predator are standout highlights.
Most excitingly, the film explored different Predator species for the first time, even hinting at a class war between them — an angle that added richness to Predator lore.
The Predator (2018)
A Predator ship crash-lands on Earth, carrying a rogue Predator whose mission is to deliver an advanced weapon — the so-called “Predator Killer” — to help humanity fight off an even more dangerous race of Super Predators.
Naturally, the military gets involved, sparking a race against time to secure the alien technology before it falls into the wrong hands.
Fans were buzzing when it was announced that Shane Black — writer, director, and one of the stars of the original Predator — was returning to the franchise. Unfortunately, the finished product didn’t quite hit the mark. The plot often felt scattered, a result of numerous rewrites during production. Characters were overloaded with forced humour, which undercut the tension the film was aiming for.
One standout sequence saw a Predator rampaging through a military convoy — a reminder of how brutal and unstoppable these hunters can be. The action, at least, stayed true to Predator tradition: bloody, intense, and packed with imaginative set pieces.
Prey (2022)
Directed by Dan Trachtenberg and released in 2022, Prey serves as a prequel set in 1719, taking place on the Northern Great Plains during the Comanche Nation era.
The story follows Naru, a young Comanche healer with ambitions of becoming a hunter, as she strives to protect her tribe when a Predator arrives on Earth. The film is praised for its Indigenous representation, featuring an almost entirely Indigenous cast and a majority Comanche creative team, lending it both authenticity and cultural respect.
The Predator in this film is depicted as an early, “feral” form of the alien hunter—less technologically advanced than those in later entries—creating a more grounded and suspenseful match against Naru’s skill, resilience, and ingenuity.
Notably, the film includes a full Comanche-language dub, with the cast reprising their roles, marking the first feature film to offer this level of linguistic authenticity. Critical reception was highly positive, with praise for its fresh storytelling, compelling performances (especially by Amber Midthunder), cultural integrity, and its refreshing back-to-basics approach within the franchise.
Predator: Killer of Killers (2025)
Released on June 6, 2025, Killer of Killers is an animated anthology telling three standalone stories of legendary warriors hunted by Predators — a Viking, a samurai, and a WWII fighter pilot.
The series leans into stylised, brutal action while showcasing different eras and cultures. It’s the first animated project in the Predator franchise and expands the scope of the hunts beyond modern or sci-fi settings.
Predator: Badlands (2025) — Upcoming
Scheduled for release on November 7, 2025, Badlands is a live-action feature set on the Predator homeworld. Starring Elle Fanning as a synthetic who allies with an outcast Predator, the film marks the first time the franchise has placed a Predator in a central, potentially heroic role.
From the steamy jungles of Central America to the urban chaos of Los Angeles, the distant worlds of alien game preserves, and even the Great Plains of 1719, the Predator’s hunts have spanned centuries, planets, and timelines.
With Predator: Killer of Killers now adding brutal animated battles from across history, and Predator: Badlands promising a rare trip to the alien hunters’ homeworld later this year, the franchise is still evolving in unexpected ways — almost 40 years after the first hunt began. One thing’s certain: wherever and whenever a Predator appears, the hunt is never over.
