Ranking All The Alien & Predator Movies, From Worst To Best

This recent Predator entry has had opinion split right down the middle; some writing it off as a big mess, while other's found it to be enjoyable (if mindless) retro entertainment - both statements ring true in the end.

The film is a blatant throwback and proud, with director Shane Black and co-writer Fred Dekker channelling their individual 80s trademark flavours; Dekker's humorous horror backlog and Black's macho classics. Yet it also contains the weaknesses, as well as the strengths, of that era's genre movies. It's fast, bloody and humorous but also rushed, tone-deaf and a little shallow.

While the main cast appears to be having a blast, the amusement doesn't always carry over with plenty of humour and pathos falling flat. The creature itself also gets the short end of the stick, with a bait-and-switch towards the finale that lacks the personality and impressive practical effects that go hand-in-hand with the franchise.

Basically, the movie has the dial turned to eleven throughout; sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. It's irrelevant and inconsistent but there's no denying it's pretty fun too. Where your opinion lands really depends on your tolerance for its flaws and affinity for a certain type of cinema.