Before Dan Trachtenberg, I had little interest in the Predator franchise. I am of course very fond of the 1987 original starring Arnold Schwarzenegger (an 80s action classic). Otherwise, I’ve been disinterested in the subsequent sequels and reboots over the following decades. Then, Trachtenberg’s Prey (2022) and Predator: Killer of Killers (2025) completely captured my attention and admiration, as both featured strong spectacle and storytelling; proving that when thoughtfulness and passion are at the helm, there’s a lot more to this world than invisible cloaks and neon green blood.
Predator: Badlands continues Trachtenberg’s impressive winning streak by achieving multiple cinematic objectives. All these elements combined to yield one of the most entertaining beginning-to-end rides I’ve had all year:
- Magnificent action set pieces
- Unrelenting pace
- Thoughtful expansion of Predator (and Alien) lore
- Injection of empathetic and humorous tone/themes
- Making the brutality feel R-rated within the confines of a PG-13
The story is simple, but compelling. Yautjas (the Predator alien species) by nature are all about the hunt. That is their religion. That is their reason for existing. Weak links are culled from the clan to favor the strong. And the green blood is not thicker than water, as the story focuses on protagonist, Dek, who is ostracized at the hands of his own father as a perceived weak link. Dek then goes on a perilous journey to hunt down the infamously unkillable Kalisk, a giant alien beast, to prove to his clan that he is worthy to be part of the Yautjas. And that’s where the thrill ride accelerates as the film is almost non-stop thrilling action.
While Dek’s harrowing journey is simplistic on the surface, Trachtenberg expertly weaves together layered storytelling elements that yield engaging levels of emotional investment from the audience. We’ve known Yautjas mostly, if not entirely, to be a blood-thirsty species. But Dek’s arc flips that notion on its head to create a Predator character who is still a badass hunter, but one who has the ability to make connections with other beings and Sytnthetics/”Synths” (humanoids). There are some aspects of this arc that do feel a tad cheesy at times, but by the end it doesn’t matter because everything else is so well done.
Speaking of Synths, Dek is not alone on his quest to hunt the Kalisk. Elle Fanning wonderfully plays two “twin” Synths: a hero (Thia) and a villain (Tessa). Dek finds Thia with her robotic legs missing and she offers to help him track down the Kalisk if he reunites her with her missing appendages. This Synth is way more animated and bubbly in persona than any Synth I’ve seen before. And that over-the-top positivey exhibited by Fanning was slightly annoying at first, but then became endearing over time. She did a fantastic job contrasting that with the cold and calculated nature of Tessa’s persona. Fanning effortlessly switched from genuine empathy to malice in impressive fashion. Great performance.
Predator: Badlands is simply a great action sci-fi thriller, perhaps the best of the year (definitely the most action packed). It adds new depth to the Predator (and Alien) lore, including a conspicuous connection to this year’s Alien Earth series in the form of a hyper focus on the malicious aspirations of the Weyland-Yutani corporation. I’m getting the sense that these respective franchises that share the same universe are gearing up for more cohesive and holistic shared universe storytelling going forward. At least I hope so.
See it loud. See it in IMAX. I guarantee sci-fi action fans will have a good time.
