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Review: ‘Predator: Badlands’ is an ‘Alien’ Crossover Minus the Iconic Xenomorphs — and That’s Not a Bad Thing
November 5, 2025Ben MK
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In Hollywood, movie franchises come and go. However, as far as cult classic 1980s sci-fi films are concerned, the Predator series has certainly gone above and beyond its initial promise. What began as one of 1987's most bloody and action-packed entries has since gone on to spawn not only several sequels of its own, but several crossovers with the similarly themed Alien franchise — both on the silver screen and on the comic book pages. It's an evolution that has, in recent years, also spread to the realm of streaming, with director Dan Trachtenberg's Prey and Predator: Killer of Killers doing blockbuster business on Hulu and Disney+. And now, with Predator: Badlands, Trachtenberg is back to turn his two crowd-pleasing tales into a veritable trilogy, in this story of one outcast warrior's quest to prove his worth to his clan — and to himself — by defeating one of the most fearsome beasts in the universe. The place is Yautja Prime, the homeworld of the deadly Yautja species, and Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) is one of the Predators' least formidable specimens. Considered a runt compared to other Yautja hunters, like his more imposing brother, Kwei (Michael Homick), Dek has so far been unsuccessful in securing the respect of the other members of his clan, with even his father, their clan's ruthless leader, seeking to kill him. But when Dek witnesses Kwei brutally cut down by their father — an act that also marks one last example of brotherly sacrifice on Kwei's part — it sends Dek on a self-appointed mission to prove everyone who ever doubted him wrong. Journeying to the most dangerous planet in the galaxy, Genna, Dek is determined to bring home the head of the planet's most formidable creature, the massive Kalisk, whose regenerative characteristics also make it a valuable target for the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. But when Dek crosses paths with one of Weyland-Yutani's synths, a badly damaged next-generation unit named Thia (Elle Fanning), who promises to help him find the Kalisk in exchange for his help, it sets Dek's mission off in a direction that he never imagined. Teaming up with Thia to navigate Genna's treacherous terrain, and encountering all manner of savage and murderous creatures along the way, Dek soon comes to realize that working with a partner may be more advantageous than going it alone, especially when that partner is a living supercomputer. What Dek could never have foreseen, though, is how Thia's directives — and the directives of Thia's not-so-empathetic twin, Tessa — could vastly diverge from his own intentions. It's a complicated situation made even more difficult by the involvement of Weyland-Yutani's shadowy operatives, whose competing interests for the Kalisk will throw a major wrench in Dek's plans to bring home his new trophy. And when it finally comes time for him to face the Kalisk and prove his own mettle, Dek will learn the all-important lesson that not all battles can be fought in black and white — and that if he's to have any hope of returning to Yautja Prime with his head held high, he won't just have to defeat the Kalisk, he'll have to outsmart his newfound enemies from Weyland-Yutani as well. Written by Patrick Aison, the result feels very much like a spiritual successor to Killer of Killers, both in terms of overall tone and world-building style. Still, for those who prefer their Predator adventures more in line with the earlier movies in the series, Badlands also delivers ample amounts of visceral action and bone-crunching brutality to satisfy audiences who’ve been loyal to the franchise since its '80s origins. Make no mistake, Trachtenberg's third foray into the Predator universe certainly qualifies as an Alien crossover, especially given the prominent roles played by Fanning's characters. But if you're expecting that series' infamous Xenomorphs to make an appearance this time around, you might be in for something of a disappointment. That said, longtime Predator fans should be pleased to hear that this latest iteration of cinema's most iconic alien hunter is more than a mere superficial upgrade that relies on viewers' nostalgia for the franchise to survive. On the contrary, Predator: Badlands represents a deeply rooted narrative evolution that fundamentally alters the series' DNA for the better. And when it comes to the thrill of the hunt, it's sometimes those very basic, primal changes that ultimately helps give the predator the advantage over its prey. Predator: Badlands releases November 7th, 2025 from 20th Century Studios. The film has an MPAA rating of PG-13 for sequences of strong sci-fi violence. Its runtime is 1 hr. 47 min. |
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