The 3 'Predator' Movies You Need To Have Seen Before 'Predator: Badlands' Actorsvaultpro

Predator: Badlands, the seventh film in the Predator franchise (nine if counting the two Alien vs. Predator movies), aims to give November a strong start after a slow October at the box office. Predator: Badlands is the third Dan Trachtenberg-directed entry in the franchise, mixing up the formula for the first time by making a Predator the main protagonist. Dropped onto a hostile alien planet where everything wants to kill him, the young Predator named Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) must team up with a Weyland-Yutani synthetic named Thia (Elle Fanning) to survive the planet and bring back a prized beast as a trophy to prove his worthiness to his clan.

Predator: Badlands is largely a standalone movie, with minimal callbacks or references to the other films. While die-hard fans are bound to love how it brings the joy of a Dark Horse Predator comic to life, the movie is also designed as a jumping-on point for new fans, as evidenced by the PG-13 rating, which hopefully can attract a young audience to introduce them to the Predator film series.

Director Dan Trachtenberg even told IGN, “No one will have to worry about doing any homework.” However, for those who want to get into the Predator mood for Predator: Badlands, and maybe appreciate the films’ deeper thematic connections to the series, these are the three Predator movies one should watch to prepare, along with one bonus movie.

‘Predator’ (1987)

Arnold Schwarzenegger Kicks Off the Action Franchise

20th Century Fox

The film that started the franchise, Predator, is an action-horror masterpiece. Directed by John McTiernan one year before Die Hard and starring two future governors, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jesse Ventura, alongside beloved stars like Carl Weathers, Bill Duke, and Shane Black, Predator sets the template for the entire franchise moving forward. Every sequel has been in response to Predator, mainly trying to replicate it and its specific jungle environment with soldiers.

Predator establishes much of what audiences will know about the title monster. Weapons like the plasma cannon, the cloaking device, and even their medical kit are shown, and the movie establishes key details, such as their infrared vision and their refusal to attack unarmed targets. Predator‘s perfect mix of 1980s action spectacle that quickly pivots into slasher horror is a genre gear shift that inspired the likes of Robert Rodriguez in From Dusk Till Dawn and Ryan Coogler in Sinners. Even if one wasn’t preparing for Predator: Badlands, Predator is just a great movie to watch.

‘Prey’ (2022)

Before Predator: Badlands, Dan Trachtenberg’s first foray into the Predator franchise was the Hulu Original Prey. Set in 1719, Prey follows a young Comanche woman, Naru (Amber Midthunder), who is striving to prove herself as a hunter and eventually comes face-to-face with a Predator. Prey seemed to finally solve the series formula of dropping a Predator into a distinct time period, opening the door to new aesthetics and types of characters.

Prey is not just a good movie by Predator standards, but a great film. It mixes incredible over-the-top Predator gore with a moving story about proving oneself. While aspects of Prey don’t exactly connect to Predator: Badlands, there are similar thematic elements at play that mirror Naru to Badlands‘ lead character, Dek. That might explain why Prey finally got a theatrical re-release in a double feature with Predator: Badlands on opening week.

‘Predator: Killer of Killers’ (2025)

Predator fans were eating well in 2025, as they were treated to not only Predator: Badlands but also Predator: Killer of Killers. The animated anthology, directed by Trachtenberg, builds on Prey‘s formula by telling three Predator stories set in different eras. The four storylines follow a Viking mother, Ursa, in Scandinavia in 841, a Samurai, Kenji, in Japan in 1629, and a World War II pilot, John Torres, in 1942. Whereas the three stories initially seem disconnected, they converge in a final act that ties into the larger Predator franchise mythology.

Predator: Killer of Killers is easily the most lore-heavy Predator movie, featuring the species name Yautja for the first time in the film. It is also gorgeously animated, with each Predator having its own distinct look and fighting style that highlight just how diverse the Predator franchise can be in terms of setting, aesthetic, and tone. After a brief glimpse in Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (a movie nobody has to see), Predator: Killer of Killers features Yautja Prime, the homeworld of the Yautja, revisited in Predator: Badlands.

Bonus: ‘Aliens’ (1986)

Newt & Ellen look on in concern in Aliens

A bonus film for those preparing for Predator: Badlands is James Cameron’s Aliens. Like Predator, Aliens is one of the greatest action movies of all time, and anyone will have a good time watching it. For Predator: Badlands, though, the movie is important for introducing the Weyland-Yutani corporation to the franchise. In Alien, Ripley and her crew only ever worked for “The Company,” which Aliens names Weyland-Yutani, a name retrospectively established in prequel titles like Alien: Earth and Prometheus.

Predator: Badlands actually links Alien and Aliens by featuring the return of MU/TH/UR, an AI mainframe shown in both Alien and Alien: Earth that the Weyland-Yutani organization used aboard its starships, which is absent in the later Alien movies. With Weyland-Yutani a significant part of Predator: Badlands and with some knowledge of the Yautja, it certainly seems the stage is being set for a new Alien vs. Predator film.