Predator: Badlands (Theaters)
With another imaginative, thrilling winner, Dan Trachtenberg makes his case for Predator as the best current franchise.
What is it? A young Predator outcast from his clan finds an unlikely ally on his journey in search of the ultimate adversary.
Watch if you like: Prey, Predator Killer of Killers, Avatar, Predator, The Mandalorian
Schmear’s Verdict: A surprisingly tender, pulse-pounding survival story that proves the Predator franchise still has (green) blood—and heart—left in its veins.
Even my appreciation of Dan Trachtenberg and his past Predator entries, Prey and Killer of Killers, couldn’t have prepared me for how much I loved Predator: Badlands. It’s the most heartwarming found-family tale since The Wild Robot. I know that sounds blasphemous for a franchise built on blood and gore, but this is a perfectly calibrated PG-13 adventure about violence, survival, and connection.
It follows a runt-of-the-litter Predator dropped onto a planet where everything’s trying to kill him. The setup is simple, but in a brilliant, video-game kind of way—each level introducing new and imaginative creatures that make the world feel almost Avatar-like. While the planet has that gray, ugly quality that’s become standard in modern blockbuster fare, there’s still a desolate beauty to it, with the blend of CGI and on-location New Zealand shooting giving it striking texture.
A film like this needs a good critter, and this one definitely has one—something in the spirit of The Mandalorian’s Grogu. Our Predator, played with surprising emotion by Dimitrius Koloamatangi, links up with a cut-in-half Weyland-Yutani synthetic, played by Elle Fanning. They have a Shrek-and-Donkey kind of relationship: prickly, humorous, and unexpectedly sweet.
Meanwhile, Fanning also plays the synthetic’s “sister,” rebooted and set on a warpath against them. The story stays mission-oriented and clean, and Elle elevates the material—mixing humor, menace, and pathos across both roles. The action is clear and cogent throughout. You can imagine Marvel execs watching this and wishing their own set pieces were half this coherent. The sound design ripples through you, as does the score from Sarah Schachner and Benjamin Wallfisch.
The movie is predictable—you can guess most of the beats early—but it’s staged and crafted so well that it doesn’t matter. My theater was even clapping during a few of the kills and big moments.
Maybe it sits a notch below Killer of Killers and Prey, both of which used silence and imagery to greater effect. Badlands is louder and busier, but it’s a rocking and rolling experience. Trachtenberg remains completely locked in on character, and his imagination feels boundless.
Predator: Badlands only strengthens the case that this is quietly one of the best and most consistent franchises running today.
