The Correct Order To Watch The Predator Movies

It's not mentioned out loud in any of the movies, but the alien species in the "Predator" series is called the Yautja, pronounced "Yah-OOT-Cha." Although there have been comics and other pieces of expanded universe ephemera to explain where the Yautja come from and what their civilization might be like, the movies have depicted them merely as a species of intergalactic hunters that have arranged their entire society around the challenge of hunting for sport. They could have a rich arts community back on their homeworld, or perhaps a stirring and complicated political culture, but we've only ever seen the hunting part of their society. Perhaps the hunters are merely wealthy weekend warriors who can afford to go game hunting on other planets, while other Yaujta protest their wasteful brutality.

Throughout their multiple film appearances, the Yautja have mostly hunted humans, although there are two notorious films from the 2000s wherein they hunt the xenomorph creatures from Ridley Scott's 1979 film "Alien." In both instances, the Yautja seem to get a thrill from stalking, killing, and making trophies of the most dangerous game. They seem to have no compunction killing sentient creatures, although it can be debated as to whether or not the xenomorphs are sentient. 

The first "Predator" film came in 1987. The sequels have been set in the past, present, and future. They also have a confusing titling system, as only one has an actual number attached and the others merely add definite articles or bonus S's. One can also, as many have, pair the "Predator" movies with the "Alien" movies to create a mega-marathon of alien mayhem. Let us examine the various iterations of the "Predator" film series. 

If one wishes to watch the "Predator" movies in order of their historical chronology, then the following lineup should be followed: 

• "Prey" (1719)
• "Predator" (1987)
• "Predator 2" (1997)
• "Alien vs. Predator" (2004)
• "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem" (2007)
• "The Predator" (2018)
• "Predators" (2019?)

Of course, since there are "Alien" crossovers involved, it gets a little more complicated. All of the "Alien" movies are set in the future, so they won't overlap with the "Predator" films above chronology, but the "Alien" movies also feature a few prequels within their own universe, so the release order and the historical order don't exactly line up. Here is the release order of both the "Predator" and "Alien" movies. 

• Ridley Scott's "Alien" (1979)
• James Cameron's "Aliens" (1986)
• John McTiernan's "Predator" (1987)
• Stephen Hopkins' "Predator 2" (1990)
• David Fincher's "Alien³" (1992)
• Jean-Pierre Jeunet's "Alien Resurrection" (1997)
• Paul W.S. Anderson's "Alien vs. Predator" (2004)
• Greg and Colin Strause's "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem" (2007)
• Nimród Antal's "Predators" (2010)
• Ridley Scott's "Prometheus" (2012)
• Ridley Scott's "Alien: Covenant" (2017)
• Shane Black's "The Predator" (2018)
• Dan Trachtenberg's "Prey" (2022)

Although they all take place in the future, Scott's "Prometheus" and "Alien: Covenant" take place before the events of "Alien." Although not so far that they overlap with the events of any of the "Predator" movies.

Both the first "Predator" and Cameron's "Aliens" are explicitly about masculine military bluster and the powerlessness that ultra-tough, gun-toping a-holes feel in the face of an unknowable alien threat. Some critics have noted that both may also be a metaphor for American soldiers in the Vietnam War. If you don't have the time to see all 13 of the above movies, make a double feature of "Predator" and "Aliens." They're not the best movies on the list, but they pair well.