When a franchise has been around for nearly 40 years, you’d expect that the story would evolve in some way. That may be an understatement with the upcoming horror flick Predator: Badlands, which hits the 2025 movie calendar on Friday, November 7. Part road trip comedy, part coming-of-age story, Dan Trachtenberg focuses on the Predator, or Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), who sets out to prove himself after being outcast from his clan and forms an unlikely alliance with Elle Fanning’s synth Thia.
Critics have seen the film, and first reactions to Predator: Badlands were positive, if a bit apprehensive. Those who saw an early screening conveyed just how different this offering is from the Predator movies that came before. Now that critics are able to expand on those initial thoughts, does “different” translate to “good”? Peter Debruge of Variety thinks so, saying that other than Prey, this is the strongest film in the series since the 1987 original (and is plenty gory despite its PG-13 rating). The critic continues:
Being comfortable with arms lopped off, skulls crushed and brains probed by ear-piercing tendrils makes it easier to enjoy a handful of gags involving the bisected Thia, whose legs can do kung fu on their own. That’s an example of something sorely lacking from the other Predator movies: a welcome sense of gallows humor. … In the end, Badlands is about the value of teamwork and learning that ‘alpha’ and ‘apex’ don’t mean the same thing where Predators are concerned.
Germain Lussier of Gizmodo calls the film an “emotionally charged adventure,” with twists, turns and several winks at the Predator and Alien franchises. While the plot seems pretty basic — outcast sets off on a journey to prove himself — Dan Trachtenberg’s story goes much deeper than that. Lussier says:
The film begins by dissecting Dek’s complex relationship to family, which is surprisingly Shakespearean. He’s given real, traumatic motivations for his journey, and almost instantly, he becomes wildly relatable. That carries over to Thia, too, especially in regard to Tessa, another synthetic who looks just like her. Thanks to Tessa, Thia has some serious abandonment issues, and those give her a humanity that extends through the story. Bonus that it’s Elle Fanning in both roles, who brings real vibrancy to each character.
David Fear of Rolling Stone promises “thrills, chills and spills” in this pulp-filled upcoming action flick that plays out like a buddy road comedy. Fear writes:
Predator: Badlands retains the mix of B-movie action and pulpy horror, with a lot of hard sci-fi elements thrown in. … But it’s really a comedic road movie at heart, with as much yuks over a mismatched pair trying to get along as yucks involving the goopy innards of cosmic mastodons. Finally, the Predator cinematic-universe remake of Midnight Run that no one knew they, er, needed?
Richard Lawson of THR writes that while there are still dismemberments and gruesome bits of violence, there is a sweetness to Predator: Badlands, and the shift to seeing things from the Predator’s perspective works due to Dan Trachtenberg’s thoughtful construction. Lawson continues:
Trachtenberg is generous but also careful with detail; his film remembers what it has previously introduced us to, satisfyingly referencing back to plants and animals passingly encountered an hour prior. Badlands is a decidedly B-movie that thoroughly utilizes and enjoys the freedoms allowed when any prestige ambition is eschewed. The film simply wants to be the best version of a zillionth Predator installment that it can be. If it has to complicate — and, yes, soften — the branding to do that, so be it.
Damon Wise of Deadline praises the chemistry between Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, but says Predator: Badlands carries no real sense of danger. He also calls it a “buddy movie,” but doesn't seem as excited about the result, writing:
Returning director Dan Trachtenberg is clearly in a groove here, and his enthusiasm helps, notably in the film’s impeccable world-building. But the action scenes never seem to galvanize, and somewhere along the line the predator, once a ruthless, unstoppable killing machine, has simply lost its menacing mojo. It all seems a bit, well, silly — like a long episode of Succession starring John Travolta’s character in Battlefield Earth, or the adventures of Eric Trump in space — and that surely can’t bode well for the inevitable next instalment.
It seems a bit extreme to call an installment of the Predator series a “comedic road comedy” or “buddy movie,” but for most critics, that seems to be an OK change. I’m sure it helps that there’s still reportedly plenty of action and “bloody” dismemberments. If this movie feels like one you need to see on the big screen, you can do so starting Friday, November 7.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
