This week’s big release is Predator: Badlands, the latest in the Predator franchise. To celebrate its release, I’m looking back at the previous Predator films. Films appear in chronological order.

Predator (1987)
About: This is the first, and a solid action film. Arnold Schwarzenegger heads the cast in a film directed by John McTiernan about a team of soldiers facing an unknown, and dangerous, evil in the jungle. It’s a good cable watch.

Predator 2 (1990)
About: Sequels have to go bigger and bolder. This one tries, setting the Predator loose on the streets of Los Angeles in the middle of gang wars and everything else. Throw in Danny Glover, Gary Busey, and Bill Paxton, and you’ve got something pretty OK. Not as good as the original.

Predators (2010)
About: This one drops the action back into the jungle for a new take. Adrien Brody leads the cast in this one, which feels like a more serious take on the material. It has some moments, but it doesn’t live up to the original.

The Predator (2018)
About: I love Shane Black. He co-wrote and directed this take on the Predator universe. This one has a good cast and a decent premise, which I appreciated. It’s not as good as the original, but it’s my favorite of the early films because of Black’s writing and style.

Prey (2022)
About: This one comes from director Dan Trachtenberg, who is the director of the new one. You wouldn’t have realized it was a Predator film when it started—and that was by design. Amber Midthunder is good here, and this is a very clever take. This likely makes us all more excited for this week’s release.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.