20th Century Studios presents Predator: Badlands in UK cinemas from November 7, 2025.
Synopsis
Cast out from its clan, an alien hunter and an unlikely ally embark on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary.
Review
After a seven year absence from cinemas the Predator franchise returns to the big screen this week. Brand saviour Dan Trachtenberg is hoping to make it three-for-three following streaming mega-hit Prey and the franchise’s first animated feature, Killer of Killers. But can this distinctly family-friendly entry, complete with 12A rating in the UK, compete with its gorier competitors for franchise glory?
Trachtenberg has arguably struck gold for the studio with his work on the series. After Shane Black’s The Predator completely failed to reignite audience interest it seemed the Yautja were relegated to the cinematic bench. But Trachtenberg’s rewriting of the rule book, taking the franchise back to its core DNA – and to Disney+ – has seemingly won over die-hard fans. But with Badlands Trachtenberg is making good on his promise to deliver stories the franchise has never dared tell before.
Badlands focusses on Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), a young Yautja who is also the runt of his clan. Opening on Yautja Prime, we first meet Dek as he is mid hunt with his brother Kwei. Unbeknownst to us – and to Dek – the prize depends on the last man standing and comes at the order of their father, Njohrr. When Kwei is unable to kill his brother, as is customary to the Yautja people, he is unceremoniously slain by their father. The trauma of seeing his brother killed, knowing his own failure is the cause, sets Dek on a revenge mission which first requires him to travel to the planet Genna. There he meets Thia (Elle Fanning) and plans to hunt for an apex predator known as the Kalisk.
What’s immediately striking about Predator: Badlands is that at its core it’s a story we’ve seen in plenty of other sci-fi, action-adventure movies. In that respect Trachtenberg’s story, masterminded with Patrick Aison who co-writes the script with Brian Duffield, is simple. Our protagonist has family issues, goes on a journey of self-discovery through which he meets others with similar issues. They bond, forming a group which together can save the day. These story beats have underpinned countless stories before. But never before has that protagonist been a Predator. That alone sets the story apart and breaks new ground for the near four-decades-old franchise.
This is the push-and-pull under the hood of Predator: Badlands which may win over new audiences whilst alienating older ones. Those who were there in 1987 for Predator are likely to feel this entry in the franchise is missing the tension which captured their attention. They would be right in observing that Badlands replaces that tension with moments of humour and more forthright action. What they would be missing however is Trachtenberg embracing 38 years of extended storytelling from comic books which has given way to a rich and diverse canon. Taking cues from the Dark Horse-era comics, Predator: Badlands embraces the Yautja culture and really presents us with our first live-action deep dive into it.
This cultural exploration of the Yautja is where many will decry the film for its Disney-influence. There are moments when Badlands borders on Mandalorian-esque as Dek and Thia befriend a small, furry creature they come to name Bud. The trio becomes a found-family unit, each with their own parental issues, which sets out to prove that together they can overcome their trauma and succeed. In order to bring the film to a broader audience Trachtenberg softens all of those predatory edges of the Yautja. It makes Dek an identifiable, emotional and somehow amiable character which is a completely alien concept for the franchise. At times he borders on becoming a sulking emo-teen. But it’s all in service of exploring the experience of a Yautja in his position, outcast by his family and sentenced to death simply for being weaker than his siblings.
Where Badlands successfully sidesteps a franchise’s normal R-rating is in its violence. There isn’t a single human character in the film. Not one. The entire Weyland-Yutani – we’ll get to them in a second – crew on Genna is made up of synths. That includes Thia’s twin Tessa (also Fanning) and all of her goons. As the planet’s inhabitants are also all inhuman that means there isn’t a single drop of red blood in the film’s 107 minute runtime. No red blood, no R-rating, but also no need to compromise on the ferocity of the predator’s actions. So when Dek gets to go hand-to-hand with either one of the local creatures or one of the Weyland-Yutani crew it’s suitably brutal and fast-paced.
Though he’s buried under motion-capture and a creature suit, Schuster-Koloamatangi‘s performance still shines through. Dek has yet to earn the right to wear the Yautja’s traditional hunter helmet. This allows for a much more emotive character, albeit one which is enhanced via visual effects. Still, Schuster-Koloamatangi does an excellent job at conveying so much of the character through his physicality. His dialogue is entirely spoken in the film’s fleshed out Yautja language, something Badlands deserves huge credit for bringing to the table in this kind of sci-fi action-adventure.
Meanwhile Fanning pulls double-duty as the twin synths. Both are imbued with much more human characteristics than other synths from the Alien franchise. We’re told this was done by MU/TH/UR to aid in their hunt for the Kalisk. It’s a weak plot device which is used to give Fanning a much more nuanced performance. Something she pulls off with ease. The two characters are well defined from each other. We spend considerably more time with Thia who is funny, bright and brings a lot to the party in keeping the narrative moving even during its slowest moments.
The inclusion of Weyland-Yutani may ultimately prove to be the film’s biggest issue. It offers connection to the Alien universe which will undoubtedly excite fans. Following middling entries Alien vs. Predator and Aliens vs Predator – Requiem, having Trachtenberg helming what could have been a crossover film is a tantalising prospect. So it will come as a surprise to a huge cross section of the audience that Predator: Badlands shuns all forms of connectivity. Its story is entirely standalone, offering no hint of a Xenomorph or even connections to both Prey and Killer of Killers. Though its closing moments may offer a path towards making connections, for now this is an entirely standalone entry which, depending on your perspective, may excite or disappoint.
Verdict
Predator: Badlands trades gore for growth, delivering a surprisingly emotional and visually rich expansion of Yautja lore. It may divide long-time fans, but its bold new direction proves there’s still life left in the hunt.
⭐⭐⭐
