Predator: Badlands review – Brutal, badass, but surprisingly bloodless

by

Predator: Badlands takes the Predator series in a fresh direction with a sci-fi adventure set on a deadly planet. Director Dan Trachtenberg offers intense action and introduces frightening new creatures, but the movie is surprisingly less gory than expected.

Some longtime Predator fans might be surprised by this approach, as the series is known for its violence. However, this story focuses more on Dek’s journey to prove himself and earn his father’s respect – and his own cloaking device – than on the typical hunt and kill.

Even though it avoids excessive violence, Predator: Badlands is still a thrilling sci-fi adventure. The witty banter between the hunter, Dek, and Thia, a broken android from the Weyland-Yutani corporation, adds a lot of humor to the story.

The latest Predator installment cleverly broadens the franchise’s world, drawing inspiration from the animated film Killer of Killers. It also successfully establishes Dek as a distinct individual, rather than just another member of the Yautja species. However, the movie doesn’t quite live up to the intense, brutal action hinted at in the trailers.

What is Predator: Badlands about?

Predator: Badlands centers around Dek, a Yautja hunter, who is determined to take down a dangerous creature known as the Kalisk. His goal is to prove his strength to his father and earn his place among the Yautja clan on their home planet. Success means he’ll finally be considered a true member and receive his own cloaking device, similar to those used by other Predators in the films.

He journeyed to the planet Genna in search of something, unaware of its extreme danger. The entire planet, from its sharp-edged grass to everything else, was built to be incredibly hazardous – making it the most dangerous place in the galaxy!

During his travels, Dek encounters Thia (Elle Fanning), a broken android from the Weyland-Yutani corporation. She offers to help him locate the Kalisk, but only if he helps her find her robotic twin sister, Tessa. This sets the stage for an unlikely partnership and a journey filled with challenges.

Hit the road, Dek

The Predator series has always included occasional moments of humor to lighten the mood, but in this installment, those funny lines primarily serve to build the relationship between the characters Dek and Thia.

Okay, so in this game, there’s this character, the Synth, and he’s basically the funny one. Dek is super serious, so the Synth balances him out and makes the story relatable, even though there aren’t any humans in it. He’s always thinking out loud, asking the weird questions we’ve all had, like… should something chew with fangs on the outside of its mouth, or teeth on the inside? It’s surprisingly deep!

The characters’ little interactions are actually quite charming. The story tries to say something about choosing your own family, but this message gets lost in all the excitement and monster mayhem. It doesn’t quite land effectively.

Dan Trachtenberg originally wanted to bring Amber Midthunder back for ‘PREDATOR: BADLANDS’

— ScreenTime (@screentime) November 3, 2025

Badlands is genuinely enjoyable, particularly when the main characters gain a surprising new ally. The fast-paced action and fights are exciting, and Trachtenberg clearly had fun creating unique creatures and insects to populate the world.

The story builds to a big fight where Dek uses all the skills he’s gained surviving on a deadly planet. While the action is intense with plenty of impacts and attacks, Predator: Badlands doesn’t fully embrace the brutal violence it seems to be aiming for.

Predator: Badlands bares its teeth, but doesn’t have bite

Just because this Predator movie isn’t as graphically violent as the others doesn’t make it a bad film. Plenty of gore doesn’t automatically equal a great movie. However, the franchise has always featured a lot of blood and guts, so it feels a little strange to see a Predator kill without showing it.

Okay, so I’ve been playing Predator: Badlands, and yeah, Dek takes down tons of creatures on Genna. But honestly, it just doesn’t feel the same as the older Predator movies. The enemies don’t bleed realistically, and when you slice them up – even bisect them or chop off a tentacle – it doesn’t have that same impactful, visceral punch. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a super fun and violent game, but it’s missing that weighty feeling of the original films.

One reason it feels so clean and controlled is the use of Weyland-Yutani’s artificial beings in place of people, which creates a compelling dilemma.

Trachtenberg cleverly connects the worlds of Alien and Predator without forcing a massive, over-the-top threat just to justify the crossover, and the result is really effective. However, pitting the Yautja against synthetic beings diminishes some of the story’s inherent danger.

Is Predator: Badlands good?

Predator: Badlands is definitely worth seeing in a movie theater. It’s the kind of film that would have disappointed fans if it had gone straight to streaming – they’d have wanted the big-screen experience. However, the movie does suffer from a somewhat predictable storyline and a lack of truly intense action.

While it’s not overly graphic, the film features impressive action sequences and surprisingly humorous performances, especially from Elle Fanning who plays twins. Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi also stands out, bringing a fresh and engaging quality to his character, which could have easily been one-dimensional.

Predator: Badlands score: 3/5

Predator: Badlands arrives in theaters on November 7.

Read More

2025-11-04 20:21