Review: 'Predator: Badlands' proves more is less

20th Century Studios, 2025.

Full disclosure: I don't have vast knowledge of the Predator Cinematic Universe, nor am I a dedicated fan of this series. What I can tell you is that the Predator franchise has now spanned six live-action stand-alone movies, an animated film (2025's "Predator: Killer of Killers") and two crossover films. They've collectively grossed over 550 million, and on the heels of "Predator: Killer of Killers" and Hulu's surprisingly great 2022 entry, "Prey," the series seems to be headed in a positive direction.

The new life breathed into the franchise can perhaps be credited to Dan Trachtenberg, the writer/director of "Prey" and "Predator: Killer of Killers," who now brings us "Predator: Badlands." Unfortunately, this latest effort feels like a blatant, soulless attempt to try to broaden the series' appeal.

Grade: C

The more we get to know about these Predators and their warrior-like alien race, the less interesting they've become. The creatures we've come to know as "Predators" are actually called Yautja. We've learned that these beings live to hunt, but instead of being mysterious, powerful and relentless killers as in the earlier films, "Badlands" reveals that they actually belong to clans, and that defeating prey earns them a place in their tribal hierarchy.

Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) is one such Yautja, who we find battling (playfully?) with his brother. But Dek is the runt of the family and is cast out by the tribal chief, Dek's Father. He sets out on an impossible mission to "the death planet," to kill a monster known as a Kalisk, hoping that claiming its skull as a trophy will prove to his father that he belongs.

That's right: Predators have feelings, abusive fathers and complicated family dynamics, just like so many of us.

As Dek tries to survive the many trials and tribulations he finds in the Badlands, he comes across a synthetic robot known as Thia (Elle Fanning)...actually just her top half, as her bottom half was torn apart by the Kalisk and has gone missing. She has an identical "sister" known as Tessa, who serves as the film's antagonist, and was sent to the planet as part of an expeditionary unit led by the Weyland-Yutani Coorporation (the same ruthless conglomerate featured in the Alien film franchise, a sly nod to the other series that has crossed over with Predator in the past.)

I did like the death planet and its many treacherous alien inhabitants. Dek showcases the Predator's ability to adapt to his environment, a staple of these characters from the beginning. If only the movie weren't so misguided, this might have been an exciting setting for a high-stakes adventure.

For the first time in the franchise, we are meant to cheer for and sympathize with a Yautja. Thia - along with a cute yet violent creature they meet along the way - supplies enough laughs and quirky one-liners that it's clear Trachtenberg is trying to appeal to the Marvel Cinematic Universe crowd. But in doing so, he neuters the very essence of what has made this franchise popular in the first place. We don't need to know that these killers have family issues, or that they're capable of making friends. The whole thing feels like a feeble attempt to humanize these deadly beings, when their entire appeal has always been centered on the threat that they pose to humanity.

What's next, Dek gets a dog? He lines up a target in his sights, but a close-up of a single tear rolling down his face shows that he can't pull the trigger? This film - for the first time in the franchise - is also rated PG-13. Why are the Predator movies going soft and mainstream? That's not Predator to me, bros and gals.

In expanding this world larger than it has ever has been, "Predator: Badlands" makes everything in it duller. Trachtenberg - who until now seemed to have a strong grasp of what makes this franchise work - has perhaps faced corporate pressure to make this IP more accessible to the masses. In doing so, he endangers the very series he's worked so hard to revive these past few years.

Grade: C

Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
Run Time: 1 hour 47 minutes.
Rated PG-13.

Starring: Elle Fanning, Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi.

Co-Written & Directed by Dan Trachtenberg ("Predator: Killer of Killers," "Prey," "10 Cloverfield Lane").

"Predator: Badlands" is in theaters on Friday, November 7th, 2025.