Ranking the Predator Movies
With the Recent release of The Predator, I decided to go back and watch all of the movies in the series so I could do a ranking of them all. Brace yourself, there may be a few surprises up ahead. We'll start with the worst film in the series and work our way to the top.
#6. The Predator (2018)
The newest film in the series comes in dead last and it isn't even close. This is the only film in the series I would consider outright bad. It has a few funny moments and some solid action and kills. Plus including Jake Busey in the film is a nice nod to Gary Busey being in the second, but the characters suck. They are all pretty much comic relief (and bad comic relief at that), which doesn't work in a sci-fi/action film. We don't even spend much time with the Predator itself. Instead, we're stuck with a bunch of irritating characters. There are parts where the CGI doesn't look very good, which just isn't acceptable in a big budget movie these days. Plus the revelation about the Predator's motivation is simply insulting and incredibly stupid. I hated this movie and was extremely disappointed by it. Especially considering director Shane Black was in the original film. I expected him to do much better with this material.
2/10: Awful
#5. Alien vs. Predator (2004)
This is the only other movie in this series that I wouldn't recommend. It's not bad, but it's not good either. The premise for the story works fine and is much better that I would have expected. The practical effects look really fantastic, I love the respect the Predator has for protagonist Lex Woods (Sanaa Nathan), the fights between the Xenomorphs and the Predators are cool, and having Lance Henriksen in the cast was a stroke of genius, but none of the characters in this movie are interesting, the CGI looks pretty bad, the movie is rated PG-13, which rips away the possibility of any cool kills, and the first 45 minutes are really boring. Again, it's not a bad movie, but I can't recommend it.
5/10: Meh
#4. Alien vs Predator: Requiem (2007)
I know this movie has a terrible reputation, but trust me when I say the unrated version is worth watching. I haven't even seen the theatrical cut because I know how bad it is, but the unrated version is awesome. Requiem has some really ballsy character kills in it, with characters that would normally survive this kind of movie being brutally killed. I love that it's willing to go so far with the deaths. Again, the fights between the Xenomorphs and the Predators are solid, the setting is far superior to the fist AvP film, and the characters are also an improvement. This movie only has one real problem, the lighting. This may be the worst lit big-budget movie I have ever seen. If there is any light at all, this movie is impossible to watch, and even if it's pitch-black, it's difficult to make out what is happening at times. I love this movie, but this is a massive flaw, so I have to give it a lower placement than I would like.
6/10: Okay
#3. Predators (2010)
I was surprised at how good Predators ended up being and it's right up there with the first two films. Adrien Brody is a solid lead and I like how cold his character is. Walton Goggins, Topher Grace, and Laurence Fishburne are all great as well and add some interesting dynamics to the film. The action is great and we get some really cool kills, but the characters themselves aren't super interesting, Alice Braga's character is annoying, and the 3rd act development with Grace's character is beyond stupid. It makes no sense at all, but if handled better could have been really cool, which is a shame.
7/10: Good
#2. Predator (1987)
Here's where we get controversial. Yes, call me crazy, but I prefer the second movie to the original. Don't get me wrong, I like Predator. It introduced us to one of my all-time favorite sci-fi creatures, the duel between the Predator and Arnold Schwarzenegger is incredible, the action is solid, there are some cool kills, and both Bill Duke and Sonny Landham are great, but I hate how much of the Predaotr-infared-vision there is. I can't stand looking at it. There are a few too many scenes of the characters just wandering in the jungle, and besides Mac and Dillon, none of the characters are well developed, including Dutch. I like this movie, but I do think it's overrated.
7/10: Good
#1. Predator 2 (1990)
And finally, we have what I consider to be the best movie in the series: Predator 2. I know this is an unpopular opinion, but hear me out. I find Danny Glover's character to be a more interesting protagonist than Dutch. It's fun to see Glover play the more hot-headed cop as opposed to his Lethal Weapon character. Bill Paxton and Gary Busey are both great. I know some people think Paxton's character is just an obnoxious goof, which he is, but he's also very competent and capable, which is cool. The opening sequence of the film is great and throws us headlong into the action from the get-go. The voodoo gang, though silly, is fun and adds a little zaniness to the film. Plus the film adds a lot to the Predator mythos with a great 3rd act battle on the spaceship and the creepiest scene of the series when Bill Paxton takes on the Predator who says to him, "Want some candy?" I still hate the heat vision effects, King Willie is a very disappointing character, and the flashing light effect used in the subway fight is obnoxious, but I really enjoy this movie and don't understand why it gets such a bad wrap.
7/10: Good
So, that's my ranking! What do you think? Am I dead wrong or did I nail it? Let me know!
#6. The Predator (2018)
The newest film in the series comes in dead last and it isn't even close. This is the only film in the series I would consider outright bad. It has a few funny moments and some solid action and kills. Plus including Jake Busey in the film is a nice nod to Gary Busey being in the second, but the characters suck. They are all pretty much comic relief (and bad comic relief at that), which doesn't work in a sci-fi/action film. We don't even spend much time with the Predator itself. Instead, we're stuck with a bunch of irritating characters. There are parts where the CGI doesn't look very good, which just isn't acceptable in a big budget movie these days. Plus the revelation about the Predator's motivation is simply insulting and incredibly stupid. I hated this movie and was extremely disappointed by it. Especially considering director Shane Black was in the original film. I expected him to do much better with this material.
2/10: Awful
#5. Alien vs. Predator (2004)
This is the only other movie in this series that I wouldn't recommend. It's not bad, but it's not good either. The premise for the story works fine and is much better that I would have expected. The practical effects look really fantastic, I love the respect the Predator has for protagonist Lex Woods (Sanaa Nathan), the fights between the Xenomorphs and the Predators are cool, and having Lance Henriksen in the cast was a stroke of genius, but none of the characters in this movie are interesting, the CGI looks pretty bad, the movie is rated PG-13, which rips away the possibility of any cool kills, and the first 45 minutes are really boring. Again, it's not a bad movie, but I can't recommend it.
5/10: Meh
#4. Alien vs Predator: Requiem (2007)
I know this movie has a terrible reputation, but trust me when I say the unrated version is worth watching. I haven't even seen the theatrical cut because I know how bad it is, but the unrated version is awesome. Requiem has some really ballsy character kills in it, with characters that would normally survive this kind of movie being brutally killed. I love that it's willing to go so far with the deaths. Again, the fights between the Xenomorphs and the Predators are solid, the setting is far superior to the fist AvP film, and the characters are also an improvement. This movie only has one real problem, the lighting. This may be the worst lit big-budget movie I have ever seen. If there is any light at all, this movie is impossible to watch, and even if it's pitch-black, it's difficult to make out what is happening at times. I love this movie, but this is a massive flaw, so I have to give it a lower placement than I would like.
6/10: Okay
#3. Predators (2010)
I was surprised at how good Predators ended up being and it's right up there with the first two films. Adrien Brody is a solid lead and I like how cold his character is. Walton Goggins, Topher Grace, and Laurence Fishburne are all great as well and add some interesting dynamics to the film. The action is great and we get some really cool kills, but the characters themselves aren't super interesting, Alice Braga's character is annoying, and the 3rd act development with Grace's character is beyond stupid. It makes no sense at all, but if handled better could have been really cool, which is a shame.
7/10: Good
#2. Predator (1987)
Here's where we get controversial. Yes, call me crazy, but I prefer the second movie to the original. Don't get me wrong, I like Predator. It introduced us to one of my all-time favorite sci-fi creatures, the duel between the Predator and Arnold Schwarzenegger is incredible, the action is solid, there are some cool kills, and both Bill Duke and Sonny Landham are great, but I hate how much of the Predaotr-infared-vision there is. I can't stand looking at it. There are a few too many scenes of the characters just wandering in the jungle, and besides Mac and Dillon, none of the characters are well developed, including Dutch. I like this movie, but I do think it's overrated.
7/10: Good
#1. Predator 2 (1990)
And finally, we have what I consider to be the best movie in the series: Predator 2. I know this is an unpopular opinion, but hear me out. I find Danny Glover's character to be a more interesting protagonist than Dutch. It's fun to see Glover play the more hot-headed cop as opposed to his Lethal Weapon character. Bill Paxton and Gary Busey are both great. I know some people think Paxton's character is just an obnoxious goof, which he is, but he's also very competent and capable, which is cool. The opening sequence of the film is great and throws us headlong into the action from the get-go. The voodoo gang, though silly, is fun and adds a little zaniness to the film. Plus the film adds a lot to the Predator mythos with a great 3rd act battle on the spaceship and the creepiest scene of the series when Bill Paxton takes on the Predator who says to him, "Want some candy?" I still hate the heat vision effects, King Willie is a very disappointing character, and the flashing light effect used in the subway fight is obnoxious, but I really enjoy this movie and don't understand why it gets such a bad wrap.
7/10: Good
So, that's my ranking! What do you think? Am I dead wrong or did I nail it? Let me know!
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