Predator Badlands (2025)

Film Details

Director: Dan Trachtenberg

Run Time: 1hr 47m

Cast: Elle Fanning, Dimitrious Koloamatangi, Mike Homik.

Synopsis

Cast out from its clan, an alien hunter and an unlikely companion set out in search of the ultimate adversary.

My Review

Predator Badlands marks an important turning point for the franchise, not only is it the first experience with the Yautja as the central protagonist but it also has a tone that is palatable for audiences of all ages and interests. The most efficient description would be that the franchise has received the Marvel treatment, focusing on the connections between characters, with a nice dose of humour to supplement the action. There is no doubt that I prefer a darker, more serious tone to films like this, but the Alien and Predator universe is so expansive that there is plenty of room for refreshing new takes such as this and as long as there is a willingness to explore all kinds of genres and themes, then I’m all for it! 

Exploring the lore from the perspective of the Yautja (Predator) was a brilliant decision from director Dan Trachtenberg and framing it in the context of a coming of age story allowed for plenty of satisfying character development, which was incredibly rewarding once the film reached its conclusion. The world building was super effective, with high quality CGI that paired nicely with a poignant musical score, vocalising the tone of each environment really well. I did notice a few blips in the CGI, particularly its comparability with Dek’s eyes but I understand the difficulty of navigating such a complex creature design and given the rest was that impressive, it wasn’t a big deal at all.

There are clearly lots of plot points that were logical business decisions. The inclusion of Weyland-Yutani synthetics allowed for an English speaking character that could translate, so the film didn’t have to be reliant on subtitles the entire time. Meanwhile, setting Badlands on an alien world where the only human like creatures were Synthetics, helped them achieve that 12A rating and opened up the film up to a whole new market. But despite the corporate manipulation, Trachtenberg flexed those narratives into the story organically and if a higher profit margin means we get to see more stories like this in the future, then it can only be a positive thing. Definitely a film to see on the big screen, be immersed in alien worlds and take in the large set piece action sequences! 

My Rating: 8 out of 10

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