The Predator franchise is back and better than ever as Predator: Badlands finally opens in theaters. The iconic monster movie franchise has come a long way since its first installment in 1987. With some hiccups along the way, the franchise has officially been revived thanks to director Dan Trachtenberg, who helmed the latest three installments, including Badlands.
Over the last thirty-seven years, Predator has expanded to include six live-action films, one animated anthology film, and two crossover events with the Alien franchise. These entries take place over multiple centuries and aren’t all released sequentially, making it difficult for new fans to navigate their way through the franchise. However, viewers looking to experience the full scale of humanity’s fight against the Yautja need look no further than this watch order.
Prey Is a Perfect Modern Introduction to the Predator Franchise
Directed by Dan Trachtenberg, Prey tells the story of Naru (Amber Midthunder), a Comanche warrior who wants nothing more than to prove herself in a hunt. She finally gets the chance to display her skills when a mysterious creature arrives at the outskirts of her people’s home. Naru goes on a quest to slay the creature, only to discover that it is an extraterrestrial being with technology far beyond anything she has ever seen before.
Although it is a more modern entry, Prey is the perfect introduction to the franchise. Set in the 18th century, the film takes place long before most of the other stories in the Predator franchise. It also takes the Predator vs. human format back to basics, serving as an effective soft reboot of the franchise that captures everything that made the original film such a hit decades earlier. Prey‘s ending also includes a connection to Predator 2 and Predator: Killer of Killers, which plays better if viewed before these other installments.
Predator Is the Iconic Film That Kicked Off a Franchise
The original Predator follows a paramilitary rescue team led by Major Alan “Dutch” Schaefer (Arnold Schwarzenegger) as they trek through the jungles of Guatemala to recover an American who has been kidnapped by a group of guerrilla rebels. The mission takes a violent turn when they find that a skilled extraterrestrial warrior is hunting them. The team takes a stand against the Predator, but most don’t live to tell the tale.
Predator takes place in 1987, the same year as the film’s release. The decades haven’t diminished the epic scale of the original Predator film, which is still just as tense and exciting as it was thirty-seven years ago. The film establishes many of the core traits, strengths, and weaknesses of the Predator, which all come into play in later installments. As the first film released, Predator could easily serve as the starting point for newcomers to the franchise, but chronology places it second after Prey.
Predator 2 Expands the Lore of the Yautja
Predator 2 exchanges the jungles of Guatemala for the concrete jungle of Los Angeles. The film follows LAPD officer Mike Hannigan (Danny Glover) as he navigates a city torn apart by warring drug cartels. Things get even more violent when a Predator arrives, wreaking havoc on the city and murdering criminals, cops, and civilians alike. When the Predator’s hunt hits too close to Hannigan, he takes matters into his own hands to kill the alien before it can continue its rampage.
Predator 2 is an adrenaline-fueled action-fest that may be missing the more introspective elements of its predecessor, but still delivers on the promise of its premise. The film is crucial to understanding the deep lore of the Predator franchise, as it introduces several key details about the Yautja, their hunting preferences, and how long they have been coming to Earth. Although the film was released in 1990, it takes place several years later, in 1997, about a decade after the events of Predator.
Alien vs. Predator is the first of two crossover films pitting the Yautja against the xenomorphs in an epic battle for dominance. The film introduces a team of scientists who discover an ancient civilization buried beneath the ice of Antarctica. During their ensuing investigation, they learn that they’ve happened upon a Yautja hunting ground, where they breed xenomorphs as their quarry. When the xenomorphs break free, the humans find themselves caught between an epic battle between two of the universe’s deadliest creatures.
There are conflicting ideas about the canonicity of the Alien vs. Predator films, with some claiming that they exist in their own continuity separate from both the Alien and Predator franchises. AvP certainly does not take place in the Alien continuity, as its events clash with the franchise’s timeline. However, the film fits much better in the Predator canon and helps expand the lore of the Yautja, including their relationship with humanity. If this is the case, the film works best after Predator 2, as it takes place in 2004, about seven years later.
Alien vs. Predator: Requiem is the sequel to the previous AvP movie. This time, the unfortunate residents of a small town are faced with a new threat in a Predator-Alien hybrid that goes on a blood-soaked rampage. It is up to a small band of humans to survive the carnage as they wait for the Yautja to send a clean-up crew to eliminate the abomination.
AvP: Requiem is a disappointing follow-up to its predecessor, but it is still worth a watch for anyone curious about what an Alien-Predator hybrid would look like. The film takes place immediately after the events of the original Alien vs. Predator, setting it in 2004. However, the film does little to add to Predator lore or set up events of later films and could safely be skipped by new viewers who are just looking for the major installments of the franchise.
Predators Is an Underrated Expansion of the Franchise
Robert Rodriguez joined the epic sci-fi world in 2010 with Predators, which offers a new take on the franchise’s formula. The film follows a ragtag group of mercenaries, murderers, and monsters as they find themselves stranded in an unfamiliar jungle. They eventually discover that they’ve been kidnapped and abandoned on an uninhabited planet to be hunted by a team of Predators. With little recourse, the group bands together to fight back against the hunters.
Predators is an intriguing addition to the franchise’s lore, revealing a different side to the Yautja’s hunting practices. The film borrows elements from the horror franchise Saw, as the Yautja seemingly select prey that would be deemed monsters by humanity, an interesting twist to the humans vs. Predators trope. While Predators‘ alien setting means it could technically be set in any year, it most likely takes place in 2010. The film is confirmed to take place sometime after the original Predator, as its events are referenced therein.
Audiences Can Safely Skip The Predator
The Predator is the 2018 reboot of the iconic sci-fi franchise, with Shane Black taking the director’s chair after previously starring in the original 1987 film. Set in the modern day, The Predator introduces a large cast of characters whose lives are put in jeopardy when a new type of Predator arrives on Earth. Boasting genetic enhancements, this Predator proves to be more dangerous than his predecessors, but humanity has also developed new ways to fight back against the creatures.
The 2018 reboot does its best to expand the franchise’s lore by exploring new types of Predators and teasing potential sequels. However, The Predator is widely regarded as one of the worst entries in the franchise. Any planned sequels or continuations to this particular installment have stalled, leaving The Predator as a standalone film within the larger franchise. Uninterested viewers can safely skip The Predator, but those interested in sitting through it should place it after Predators but before Dan Trachtenberg’s two most recent installments.
Predator: Killer of Killers Tells Three Stories Across Centuries
Predator: Killer of Killers is an animated anthology film directed by Prey‘s Dan Trachtenberg. It features three separate stories wherein warriors from three different disciplines encounter and kill a Predator. The first segment, “The Shield,” follows Viking warrior Ursa as she confronts a particularly large and bulky Yautja. The second, “The Sword,” is a mostly silent story set in feudal Japan wherein a Predator interrupts the family feud of two samurai warriors. Finally, “The Bullet” depicts fighter pilot John Torres as he engages a Yautja hunting ship during World War II.
While most of the segments in Killer of Killers are set in the past, the film pieces together its three stories with one final section set sometime much later. It is unclear when the ending of the animated film takes place, but it can be assumed that it is sometime in the distant future, long after the events of the other Predator movies. Regardless of when the film itself is set, its ending and mid-credits scene include references to several of the franchise’s previous installments. As such, Predator: Killer of Killers works much better late in the franchise’s viewing order.
Predator: Badlands Takes Place in the Distant Future
Predator: Badlands is the latest film in the Predator saga. The third entry in Dan Trachtenberg’s revived era of the franchise, Badlands introduces a Yautja who has been exiled by his people for being a “runt.” In his exile, the alien surprisingly teams up with a Weyland-Yutani robot to brave the Badlands and survive a treacherous hunt.
Predator: Badlands takes a significant jump from the timeframe of the previous films. The film is set sometime in the distant future, likely decades or even centuries after its predecessors. This puts its timeline more on par with the events of the Alien franchise, which could hint at future crossovers. Because it is set so late in the timeline, Badlands should be viewed last after all the other Predator films.