I would argue, and I believe I’m correct in this, that “Predators” is the best film in the franchise yet, having taken the franchise to it’s next logical step. The next movie after this one is “The Predator” which I found to be a step backward from the heights that Predators reached.
The first Predator film was amazing, yes. Arnold and his ‘rescue team’ really were the best that the 80’s could offer in American machismo and explosive capabilities, but there’s only so much that a single alien Predator can do in the middle of a jungle. Predator 2 brought them into the urban jungle, but that film felt more fantastical than predatory, and Predators really hit every aspect of a good film that I could hope for, all with an instantly recognizable cast.