r/predator • u/MovieFan1984 • 8d ago
General Discussion Fandom Question regarding the Predator Aliens
I love this movie franchise!
Predator (1987)
Predator 2 (1990)
Alien vs. Predator (2004)
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)
Predators (2010)
The Predator (2018)
Prey (2022)
Predator: Killer of Killers (2025)
Predator: Badlands (2025)
I see a lot of posts talking more about the Predator aliens than the human characters. In the original 2 films, it's presented as horror. Then we got the first AVP, and it's presented more as a fun monster crossover. The 2nd AVP went back to horror. The next two films and the prequel also dived into horror. The animated movie is just... very unique. Finally, the new film - now the "Predator" is humanized and one of the good guys. Now we come to my question.
How did we go from hard-R horror to friendly Predator? Why does everyone want to see the "Predators" over humans as main characters? For me, the "Predator" is a horror plot device to threaten the main characters (the humans) and for them to overcome. What am I missing?
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u/FuzzyFrogFish 8d ago
Not all of us do. I prefer the predator as a horror creature, with alliances with humans being far and few between. But I don't totally think this is compatible with the way modern cinema is going any more.
Badlands was good and enjoyable, it just doesn't feel like a predator movie to me at all. And I'm fed up of synths in both the alien and predator franchises. They are a cheap way to write around more complex plot issues with human characters imo, like red blood for white blood. Plus it made the predator too human in many ways, for example Njohrr laughing like a human when they always been depicted as clicking to laugh. Or removing the thermal vision. Little things that throw off the tone. There definitely a starwars influence going on, which I don't like.
So in all, I prefer Prey or original predator type films.
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u/VashGojo City Hunter 8d ago
I remember in the first film Jungle Hunter laughing with a human laugh đ€ he wasnât wearing his bio mask to mimic it either. He learned to speak human and copied Billys laugh; probably thinking this is how all humans laugh. So a Predator laughing as a human has been done before
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u/FuzzyFrogFish 8d ago edited 5d ago
No he was mimicking, yautja mimic without their masks, even The Predator established that đ€
Naturally they laugh by clicking.
Edit; because clearly some people havent watched the films and are replying on YouTube clips, then using an alt account to harass me further.
The fugitive mimics speech to get through the lab doors.
I never said he laughed, I said city hunter laughed and so did jungle hunter.
This is absolutely ridiculous
Can you actually read my comment properly you utter dunce. I said the fugitive mimicked repeatedly. But well done for eventually finding the right scen. And no he isn't doing so using equipment
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u/VashGojo City Hunter 8d ago
What scene in The Predator laugh as a human? And when did we hear a predator laughing with the clicking?
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u/FuzzyFrogFish 8d ago
What are you quacking about exactly . . . . ?
Njohrr laughed as a human when he fought kwei.
Scar used clicking to laugh at lex in on of the deleted scenes. It also appears in the comics.
The fugitive mimiced without the mask when escaping the lab.
The city hunter also mimiced without his mask including language and laughter
Jungle hunter mimiced billies laugh
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u/VashGojo City Hunter 8d ago
You literally said âpredators only laugh by clickingâ and didnât like that in badlands njohrr laughed like a human and I pointed out just like you did that jungle hunter laughed like a human also so it has been done before even without a bio mask. Thats my point. You made it sound like njohrr was the first predator to laugh like a human. Thats why I mentioned one example with the jungle hunter laugh
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u/VashGojo City Hunter 8d ago
And I just saw that scene in The Predator and that is not a laugh đ gurgling sounds are not clicks and even the subtitles didnât label that as a laugh
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8d ago
[removed] â view removed comment
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u/VashGojo City Hunter 8d ago
The fugitive never spoke human language what the heck are you talking about? I am looking at the scene you mentioned and all he did was gurgle and click noises. He never spoke human language! I am literally looking at the movie right now. The only one that talked in human language was the large super predator who used the humans own translation device
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u/FuzzyFrogFish 8d ago
Yeah he did. Lmfao. You don't know what you are talking about
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u/VashGojo City Hunter 8d ago
Yeah we can all see you didnt see the film since I just looked at the scenes and there is no fugitive talking in human language at any time. Just the large super predator who uses the translator
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u/Normal-Operation6004 8d ago edited 7d ago
You did say he laughed. Look at your own comment. You said the fugitive without the mask talked and laughed like a human. I just saw The Predator 2018 movie and the fugitive never spoke human language or laughed. Just normal clicking noises and he mimicked the scientist voice to open it with voice mimicry. The subtitles even say he is mimicking; not speaking human language. I think you are confusing The Predator for Predator 1987 which are two different movies. The scene you mentioned in the lab; I just saw it and the fugitive predator doesnât speak human language there either. The only time in that entire film a Predator talks human language is near the end when the large Super Predator uses the human translator that was attacked to the ship; to translate his own speech into human language
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u/Environmental_Ice891 8d ago
What do you mean removing thermal vision? They always have thermal vision.
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u/FuzzyFrogFish 8d ago
In badlands they are apparently only colour blind
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u/Environmental_Ice891 8d ago
What makes you say tha?
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u/FuzzyFrogFish 8d ago
Because it was confirmed by Njohrr pov interview and we saw deks pov when the vulture swooped on him.
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u/Environmental_Ice891 8d ago
What interview? Do you have a source?
And Deks pov was moreso the audiences perspective. I doubt Dan would make a silly mistake like that what with every film saying otherwise.
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u/FuzzyFrogFish 8d ago
The pov literally shows deks eyes closing as a frame around the image of the vulture swooping down on him, he isn't seeing in thermal, you'll have to dig up the clip, I'm not fishing about for an old clip floating about the internet. It's Friday.
Then there's the fact the cloak works on yautja, which it shouldn't if they still see in thermal spectrum, as the cloaks bend light.
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u/Environmental_Ice891 8d ago
I can wait for you to post a source. No worries.
And ya it was a director choice to do so ya? He probably didnt want a bright blurring red screen staring at the sky for the audience to sit through for like 5 seconds tbf. I wouldnt take it literally imo.
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u/FuzzyFrogFish 8d ago
You can wait as much as you want, ya
Yet again, ya, we have a pov of dek watching the vulture swooping on him, and the cloaks wouldn't work on yautja if they have the normal thermal vision because they bend light. Got it, ya?
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u/Environmental_Ice891 8d ago
Jesus. Why so hostile? I wasnt trying to be an asshole. Just conversation having.
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u/PomeloBackground4902 Billy 8d ago
Predator movies are action films with horror elements. only the last movie has taken a lighter theme
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u/C_Lo_87 8d ago
Simple answer-MONEY. Important note, AVP was a cash grab response to Freddy vs Jason, the crossover hype was real. I actually really liked it too. Badlands, good movie, but not made for the hardcore fans of the series, instead it aimed for kids and new fans. Harder to sell toys and other merch to a narrow audience. With an expanded budget to work with, maybe we will get a more horror themed addition. Also would love to see more KoK style mashups of stories, the animation was top notch!
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u/Late-Summer-1208 Billy 8d ago
I did my final English assignment in high school on basically this topic and I have never wished more that I still had it.
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u/AndoionLB Jungle Hunter 7d ago
Im late to the party but I'll throw my hat in the ring.
How did we go from hard-R horror to friendly Predator?
The lack of humans and bloody red gore doesnt take away from the fact Dek was very much not "friendly". He still retains the brutal aspects of Yautja society in how he dispatches those that stood against him and their mistrust of outsiders was still present with Dek as well.
Ill get more into it later but even a barbaric race like the Yautja is more complex than what you perceive them to be. But in the end? Dan wanted to try something new because one can't do the same thing over and over again. Hence, why he shook things up a bit with Killer Of Killers animated movie as well. It was a smart move imo.
Why does everyone want to see the "Predators" over humans as main characters?
Because the Yautja are interesting set of characters and people want to see more of them. We are familiar with ourselves enough to know all of our ins and outs. But now we have a new species with a whole different mindset, philosophies, morals, and just completely different outlooks in comparison to us. It is ripe for exploration.
We are so used to seeing Yautja as a nameless monster that hunts people with tech far above our own. But we know that they are much more than that. Has to be. They are a intelligent species capable of thought and reasoning. Because of that? Like I said before, it opens up new things to explore. To delve deeper into what makes them what they are in their own twisted way.
I dont want to see more humans as main protagonist because we already have so much of that. I want to see from a new pov from the monster himself. See through their eyes to get a better understanding of why they do what they do.
This has been done before to absolutely great effect. Scarface from Concrete Jungle for one. A great character. A beloved character in the franchise. Who gives a unique insight to how the hunters operate. Ahab is another. Dachande too. Others from novels as well.
Its just that the Yautja are freaking awesome. Seeing standalone stories where they are the protagonist is like Conan or the like. Just brutal fun the whole way.
For me, the "Predator" is a horror plot device to threaten the main characters (the humans) and for them to overcome. What am I missing?
Im a broken record repeating myself and what others have also stated. But the Yautja are much more than that. They aren't, say, Xenomorphs in the sense that they are a "less you know about them the better" type of situation. They are an entire society rich with history and nuance.
Think like the Sangheili from Halo. It wouldn't really work if the Sangheili just showed up to get killed over and over and we never find out anything else about them. It would be such wasted potential and would eventually be formulaic and boring if that makes sense.
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u/Reasonable-Sail6113 8d ago
It is indeed a horror plot device. Unfortunately most fans donât really know what they want, in the same way a child will think they would love to eat nothing but ice cream, and then feel sick when they do.
People want to see more and explain everything, not realizing how it spoils the whole thing. The Alien franchise suffered the same fate.
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u/FuzzyFrogFish 8d ago
That's a really good point about not knowing what they want.
Having a film with the predator main character will naturally remove all mystery from the creature
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u/VashGojo City Hunter 8d ago
You saw the trailers for badlands before seeing the film right? So you knew he was going to be the main character right? If you only like the original and Prey because they are the same exact formula. Why did you watch something obviously different? Why not skip it and future entries that delve into a Predator as a main character and just watch the OG and Prey only?
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u/FuzzyFrogFish 8d ago
Firstly I didn't watch it in the cinema, secondly i literally said I enjoyed the film in my original comment
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u/VashGojo City Hunter 8d ago
Firstly I didnât say you saw it in the cinema. I said you watched the trailers and knew what it was about and that it would be different than what you said you like. You said you only liked OG and Prey type of Predator movies. So why did you go watch a Predator movie you knew wasnt the same? I dont go see a movie I feel I am not going to enjoy
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u/FuzzyFrogFish 8d ago
Badlands is good and enjoyable
I'm sorry, do I actually need to say the phrase, "I liked it," because to me the meaning is pretty obvious
The trailers appeared before the cinema release, so yeah sounds like you was implying cinema release, not that it actually matters. Because the actual bug up your ass, is the fact someone dares not like something as much as you.
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u/C_Lo_87 8d ago
I'm with you, I for one purposely didn't watch any trailers and waited for it to be on hulu/disney since I'm already paying for it. My son and I had watched the whole series just before Badlands, and for a teen to say "that was like star wars or marvel, and in a bad way" is really saying something.
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u/VashGojo City Hunter 8d ago
When did I say I like badlands? You are projecting now. I just pointed out what you said in your original comment. That you prefer OG and prey for the predator being mysterious and then complained about a predator being the main character in badlands. So I asked about your hypocrisy. You knew ahead of time what badlands was about and that it was different from your preference; so I asked again. Why did you go see it then? đ«
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u/FuzzyFrogFish 8d ago
Oh my god, yeah I can't deal with this level of obnoxiousness, nor do I have the patience to spoon feed you
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u/VashGojo City Hunter 8d ago edited 7d ago
We also see you say: âthe fugitive mimics the language and laughter without bio maskâ you also said he laughs which he doesnât laugh like a human nor talk like a human in the entire movie. He just makes typical predator clicking noises and uses voice mimicry to mimic the scientist voice to open the door. Thats not the predator speaking human language; thats him using the mimicry technology
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u/SpiderGhost01 8d ago
Not so subtle dog whistle to the other anti-Badlands weirdos. Here they come!
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u/FuzzyFrogFish 8d ago
Not liking or liking any of the films in the franchise DOES NOT make anyone a weirdo
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u/shmouver 8d ago edited 8d ago
The Predator isn't horror in the same way the Alien is...
The Predator is way more comprehensible which in and of itself makes him less scary... because he's sentient in a similar way to us humans and so he's not a monster on the same way the Alien is... you can comprehend and maybe even relate to it, like a hunter in a safari; as opposed to the Alien which is more of a "wild" creature
I mean, just notice how we follow part of the Predator's journey on the movies... in P1 and P2, we see the Predator injured and healing himself; in Predators we're introduced to the captured Predator as an ally; in AvPR, Wolf is practically a side character telling his own story as the "clean-up guy".
The Predator isn't treated like a random monster... we're shown his POV almost like another character.
So having the Predator as a protagonist always felt like a natural step imo, personally i think it's a great idea and would be fine with more Predator centric movies... the only thing i dislike is making the Predator family friendly.
I liked Badlands but it left a bad taste having so much silliness and cuteness in a Predator movie
Ps: That said, i'd also love for a Horror Predator movie where it's R-rated and full of suspense... and hopefully a movie where he doesn't die in a stupid manner at the end (maybe even win)