A pulpy, high-concept sci-fi adventure with a fresh angle on the Predator mythos: exile, uneasy companionship, and a quest for worth through combat. The setup suggests a leaner, more character-driven entry than the franchise norm, with enough creature-feature spectacle to satisfy action fans.
Predator: Badlands
Where to watch: Buy
Movie · Action · Science Fiction
Wed · 1h 47m
Director: Dan Trachtenberg
Starring: Elle Fanning, Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, Ravi Narayan
Overview
Cast out from his clan, a young Predator finds an unlikely ally in a damaged android and embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary.
Director
Dan Trachtenberg
Cast
Elle Fanning, Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, Ravi Narayan
Curator Review
Verdict
A pulpy, high-concept sci-fi adventure with a fresh angle on the Predator mythos: exile, uneasy companionship, and a quest for worth through combat. The setup suggests a leaner, more character-driven entry than the franchise norm, with enough creature-feature spectacle to satisfy action fans.
Best for
Predator fans open to a new spin on the formula
Viewers who like sci-fi buddy-journeys with an outsider lead
Fans of survival action and creature-hunt storytelling
Audiences interested in worldbuilding and nonhuman protagonists
Skip if
You only want straightforward slasher-style Predator carnage
You dislike franchise reboots that lean into mythology and emotion
You want a fully human cast or grounded military action
You prefer tightly self-contained stories with no lore expansion
Overview
Predator: Badlands looks like the rare franchise sequel that tries to widen the emotional frame instead of simply escalating the body count. The premise of an outcast Predator teaming with a damaged android gives it a built-in odd-couple tension, and that alone makes it feel more curious than routine.
Worth noting
Dan Trachtenberg has already shown he understands how to refresh an established monster property without sanding off its menace. Here, the appeal is likely to come from the collision of survival adventure, alien ecology, and a protagonist who is both hunter and underdog.
Bottom line
If the film lands, it should satisfy on two levels: as a sleek action-sci-fi ride and as a mythic coming-of-age story about proving yourself in a brutal universe. It may not be the most ferocious entry in the series, but it sounds like one of the most distinctive.
Themes
exile, identity, survival, unlikely alliance, coming of age, hunter versus hunted, alien world, redemption