Predator: Badlands – Film Review
Reviewed by Harris Dang on the 10th of November 2025
20th Century Studios presents a film by Dan Trachtenberg
Screenplay by Patrick Aison
Produced by John Davis, Brent O’Connor, Marc Toberoff, Dan Trachtenberg, and Ben Rosenblatt
Starring Elle Fanning, Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, Michael Homick, and the voice of Stefan Grube
Cinematography Jeff Cutter
Edited by Stefan Grube and David Trachtenberg
Music by Sarah Schachner and Benjamin Wallfisch
Rating: M
Running Time: 107 minutes
Release Date: the 6th of November 2025
In Predator: Badlands, Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Kolomatangi) is a hunter of the Yautja tribe and desperate to prove to his father, Njhorr, he is equal to his brother, Kwei (Michael Homick in suit and voiced by Stefan Grube). Dek ventures to the planet Genna to kill a formidable creature called the Kalisk. After an explosive family conflict though, Dek is exiled and lands on Genna.
To prove his worthiness, he hunts the Kalisk. However, he is saved from the planet’s fatal elements by Thia (Elle Fanning), a Weland-Yutani Corporation synthetic who is trapped and immobile. With her objective being to look for her identical “sister” Tessa (also played by Fanning), the two form a reluctant alliance. Dek and Thia slowly realise their quests are closely aligned, resulting in not knowing who the hunter is and the prey.
Badlands is made by Dan Trachtenberg, who directed some fantastic genre efforts, including 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) and the Black Mirror episode Playtest (2016). He has revived the Predator franchise with two films, Prey (2022) and Predator: Killer of Killers (2025). Both released on streaming and were well-received due to creatively expanding the franchise’s scope. They traded dense exposition, franchise call-backs, and patronising dialogue for strong visual storytelling.
Trachtenberg continues the trend with Badlands, creating one of the franchise’s most fun entries. Even with the bigger budget, expansive scope, and softened violence, Trachtenberg (alongside returning screenwriter Patrick Aison) keeps the storytelling effectively simplistic. It allows the world-building to tell the story. Badlands is essentially a hero’s journey like Prey. Trachtenberg and Aison apply the found family concept to refresh the narrative. It adds a surprising heart to proceedings.
Fans may find the change questionable due to the lack of gruesome violence and lighter tone. Yet the gruesomeness is retained due to the human absence, hence the lack of human blood. The violence remains impactful, and the action scenes pack a punch. The CGI and digital sheen may hinder the visual scope and the shot compositions of the set-pieces. However, the set-pieces’ imagination and action choreography are effectively energetic. Spines are still extracted by hand, heads are lopped off by sharp blades, and legs become formidable foes.
That last part seems comical in a Predator film, but it signals the franchise’s creative change. Toning the violence down and amping up the characters’ heartfelt camaraderie sounds detrimental to fans expecting the prior films’ intensity. Fortunately, the leads have an appealing rapport that is amusing in their opposing attitudes and heartfelt in their turmoil and sympathies.
Schuster-Koloamatangi (best known for his role in the Kiwi crowd-pleaser Red, White, and Brass) is formidable, intense, and convincing in his physicality as Dek. Fanning is great in her multiple roles as an unexpectedly affable comic-relief, a convincing voice of reason, and a capable primary antagonist. Speaking of unexpected, the film hints at a larger scale. There is connective tissue with another franchise with its leanings towards the Weyland-Yutani corporation. Trachtenberg and Aison rarely resort to didactic call-backs that have plagued many blockbusters like Alien: Romulus (2024).
Overall, Predator: Badlands is another winner from Trachtenberg who proves the franchise is in good hands. While it may take time to accommodate the tonal changes, the formula is refreshed by affable characters and unexpected heart and warmth. Recommended.
Summary: Predator: Badlands is another winner from Trachtenberg who proves the franchise is in good hands. The formula is refreshed by affable characters and unexpected heart and warmth.
4
Recommended
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