REVIEW: Predator: Badlands – The Hunt Evolves Again, and It’s One of the Best Sci-Fi Films of the Year
- Travis Brown
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
It’s time to stop pretending that Predator doesn’t belong among the greatest sci-fi franchises ever created. For nearly four decades, the series has survived studio politics, shifting trends, and countless imitators—yet here we are, in 2025, and Predator: Badlands proves the creature’s mythology still has teeth.
Directed once again by Dan Trachtenberg (Prey), Badlands marks a fierce return to the big screen, arriving in theaters nationwide on November 7th, 2025 from 20th Century Studios. With Elle Fanning leading the cast alongside breakout New Zealander Demetrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, this latest chapter in the saga is both a direct continuation of the spirit of Prey and a bold step into the expanding Alien vs. Predator universe.
A Franchise That Refuses to Die
Let’s be clear—keeping a legacy franchise alive today is no small feat. With Predator stretching all the way back to John McTiernan’s 1987 original, it’s astonishing that this series continues to evolve rather than calcify. The fact that Badlands is this good—nearly 40 years later—speaks volumes about Trachtenberg’s ability to blend nostalgia with modern precision.
After Prey revitalized the brand on Hulu in 2022, fans hoped lightning could strike twice. Trachtenberg and team don’t just deliver—they level up. Badlands takes the primal essence of the original films and filters it through a new lens: a near-future world haunted by both alien technology and humanity’s own brutality.
The Story
Set against a scorched, war-torn expanse that fuses dystopian tech with tribal spirituality, Predator: Badlands is a visceral, mythic entry in the long-running sci-fi saga — equal parts Skull Island and Apocalypto, reimagined through the cold lens of future warfare.
The film follows Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as Dek, a young Yautja warrior who crash-lands on a hostile planet to complete his rite of passage — a sacred and deadly test meant to earn his standing within the clan. Alone in a ravaged landscape of sand, bone, and broken technology, Dek’s survival depends on both instinct and honor as he begins his first true hunt.
His path crosses with Elle Fanning, portraying Thia, a damaged Weyland-Yutani technician — a half-synthetic, half-human remnant of the corporation’s reach into forbidden territory. Thia’s fractured programming and ghost memories of her twin, Tessa, make her both unpredictable and essential to Dek’s mission. What begins as a clash between hunter and machine evolves into an uneasy alliance — one that blurs the lines between ritual, reason, and survival.
Together, they navigate a landscape crawling with ancient predators and corporate relics, each step pushing Dek closer to understanding that this hunt is more than a test — it’s a reckoning. The film’s pacing is sharp, the tension unnerving, and the world-building beautifully harsh, turning Badlands into one of the most atmospheric and ambitious entries in the franchise’s nearly 40-year history.
The addition of alien tech into the mix gives Badlands a fascinating edge, connecting directly to the FX Alien series and the recent Alien: Romulus film. Together, these entries form a unified mythos that feels more deliberate and intertwined than ever before.
Performances & Direction
Fanning delivers one of her best performances to date—raw, instinctive, and layered with the kind of emotional grit that keeps this film grounded even in its most chaotic moments. Her co-star, Schuster-Koloamatangi, is a revelation—commanding, physical, and steeped in cultural power that anchors the film’s themes of heritage and survival.
Trachtenberg, meanwhile, cements his place as one of modern sci-fi’s most reliable voices. After the minimalist terror of 10 Cloverfield Lane and the stripped-down brilliance of Prey, he proves he can scale up without losing intimacy. His direction balances epic scope with intimate stakes, even when the film occasionally leans too dark—literally.
That’s perhaps Badlands’ only flaw: the lighting. Some sequences are so dim they obscure the incredible production design and creature detail. But when the camera does capture those moments—the glint of heat on armor, the Predator’s glacially slow reveal—it’s absolutely stunning.
Why It Works
The brilliance of Badlands is that it understands what made Predator great to begin with: the myth of the hunt. The series has never been about one-liners or explosions—it’s about fear, dominance, and respect between killers.
Trachtenberg and his team resurrect that primal tension but infuse it with modern anxieties—colonization, technology, and humanity’s obsession with self-destruction. It’s intelligent without being pretentious, visceral without being hollow.
And make no mistake—this is a Predator film through and through. The blood, the heat, the violence—it’s all here, just sharpened by decades of refinement and a new emotional heartbeat.
Final Thoughts
Predator: Badlands isn’t just another sequel—it’s a statement. A reminder that even in an industry flooded with nostalgia, it’s still possible to build upon legacy rather than coast on it. It’s also proof that Dan Trachtenberg may be the franchise’s best steward yet.
We’re giving Predator: Badlands a 4.5 out of 5 — one of the year’s most electrifying sci-fi experiences and easily one of the best Predator entries ever made.
If you’ve never seen a Predator movie before, start here—you’ll get it. If you’ve seen them all, this one will make you proud. The hunt continues, and the jungle—digital or desert—is alive again.
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