Review: PREDATOR: BADLANDS Is a Badass and Fun Sci-Fi Adventure Film!
While I was excited about watching Predator: Badlands, I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. Director Dan Trachtenberg has pulled off something awesomely exciting here, crafting a Predator movie that feels fresh, risky, and completely different from anything we’ve seen in the franchise before.
Instead of another human-versus-Predator survival story, we get a journey with the Predator, a young outcast named Dek, who becomes the hunted in his own story. That flip in perspective changes everything, and it’s what makes this movie so damn cool.
From the start, Trachtenberg sets a tone that’s adventurous, thrilling, and emotional. The film throws Dek onto a deadly, uncharted planet where there are so many things that could end him.
One of the things that I liked most about this story is that we actually get to see the Predator’s personality for once. He’s not just a silent killer; he’s a warrior trying to prove himself, to survive, and maybe even to grow.
Watching this alien character struggle, adapt, and connect gives the story a surprising emotional pulse that I full-heartedly embraced.
Then there’s Elle Fanning as Thia, a synthetic who becomes Dek’s unexpected ally. She’s phenomenal! The best apart of the film! Fanning brings so much charm and warmth to a character that could’ve easily felt cold or mechanical.
Thia’s personality lights up every scene she’s in. She’s funny, curious, and totally endearing, and her chemistry with Dek is the heart of the film. Their banter gives Badlands a buddy-comedy energy that works way better than you might think in a Predator movie.
I loved how Trachtenberg let that dynamic breathe. There’s something oddly touching about watching a lethal alien and an android form this “found family” bond while trying to survive on a nightmare planet.
It’s weird, it’s different, and it works. The film gives both characters space to be vulnerable and brave in their own ways. By the time the story reaches its emotional peak, I was genuinely invested in both of them.
The action, though, that’s where Badlands still feels like Predator. It’s brutal, inventive, and nonstop. Trachtenberg stages some seriously awesome fight sequences, with Dek taking on a variety alien beasts and other characters that present themselves.
The choreography is tight and intense, and the visual design is just stunning. Every shot of that hostile planet feels alive and dangerous. It’s a world that looks like it could kill you just by looking at you, and I loved every second of it.
Some fans might miss the classic Predator formula with the human soldiers, the jungle horror, the brutal cat-and-mouse dynamic, but this is a different kind of story. It’s more sci-fi adventure and the emotional stakes are higher. But for me, that’s exactly why it works. Trachtenberg isn’t repeating what’s been done before; he’s pushing the franchise somewhere new.
There are a few clever twists that caught me off guard, and the way the story wraps up feels both satisfying and exciting for where the franchise could go next. I was so entertained and genuinely happy with where Trachtenberg took this story!
Predator: Badlands might divide longtime fans, but for me, as a longtime fan, it’s one of the most refreshing entries in the series. It’s bold, heartfelt, and just plain fun. I’m 100% on board with this new direction, and if this is the future of the Predator universe, I can’t wait to see where Trachtenberg takes it next.