Predator: Badlands arrives with plenty of expectation, and it mostly earns it. Dan Trachtenberg knows how to make this universe feel gritty, textured and alive, and the seventh entry opens with a confident swagger. What unfolds is a curious mix of spectacle, character work and franchise reinvention that thrills at times and makes you sigh at others.
The story follows Dek, a Yautja runt who has never gained his father’s approval and is exiled to the savage world of Genna. The film wastes no time plunging you into its darker corners, where the hostile flora and dense atmosphere make every step feel perilous. Dek’s uneasy partnership with Thia, a damaged Weyland Yutani synthetic played with real emotion by Elle Fanning, provides the film’s strongest thread. Their bond develops as they face the Kalisk, a regenerating apex predator that delivers the film’s most intense action sequences. When Dek finally confronts the creature, loses, survives and ends up in corporate captivity, the sequence carries surprising heart, helped by Dimitrius Schuster Koloamatangi’s quiet resolve.
Visually, the film is striking. Practical effects blend seamlessly with digital work, and Genna’s wide-open vistas feel genuinely dangerous. The fights are clear, tight and impactful, and even the lighter buddy elements land effectively, particularly thanks to Bud, a native creature that ties several plot threads together.
The problem emerges when the film’s place within the franchise is considered. The script relies heavily on familiar sci-fi beats, and some scenes feel lifted from other adventures rather than offering something fresh. More significantly, the Predator is recast from menacing apex hunter to sympathetic underdog, pushing the film into buddy-movie territory. That tonal shift will jar older fans, as it softens the creature’s legendary edge in ways that feel deliberate but blunt its historic menace.
Taken on its own, the adventure works. Taken in the context of the franchise, it struggles. Predator: Badlands is entertaining, heartfelt and packed with strong action, but it is the wrong fit for the badge on the poster. Turning a once-terrifying monster into a troubled youngster evokes the image of a small, nervous dog compared with the brutal force of the 1987 original.
It is still a fun ride, and for what it is, it deserves a 7 out of 10.
Out in Cinemas Now.
Apple TV - https://apple.co/3Mwbuwd
