Predator: Badlands, directed by Dan Trachtenberg and written by Patrick Aison, tells the story of a young Yautja warrior, a Predator, named Dek. Considered weak by his clan leader father, Dek’s brother Kwei is ordered by their father to kill him. Instead, Kwei sacrifices his own life at the hands of their father. To prove he is not weak, Dek travels to the planet Genna to hunt the Kalisk, known to the Yautja as the “unkillable,” since no Predator has ever killed one.
When Dek crash-lands on Genna, he’s disoriented. While trying to survive the planet’s hostile environment, Dek encounters the upper torso of a Weyland-Yutani synth named Thia. Knowing he is hunting the Kalisk, Thia offers to take him to its lair—where her lower half had been abandoned. Along the way, they’re attacked by one deadly creature or carnivorous plant after another. After one skirmish, they take on a third companion — a small alien pet named Bud. As the trio gets closer to the Kalisk, they’re also hunted by a Weyland-Yutani synth squad led by Tessa. This squad is also hunting the Kalisk for reasons known only to the Weyland-Yutani Corporation.
Two things are worth noting about my feelings for Predator: Badlands. First, I’m a fan of the first two movies starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Glover, respectively. Both films had a winning formula: an alien lands on Earth and hunts humans for sport. Like big-game hunters, the aliens hunt purely for sport. They are invisible and deadly. Can our heroes stay alive long enough to defeat an unbeatable being? It’s scary, deadly, and showcases humanity’s innate ability to triumph over insurmountable odds. Even Prey from last year followed that formula.
Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) in 20th Century Studios’ PREDATOR: BADLANDS film. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
“…Dek travels to the planet Genna to hunt the Kalisk, known to the Yautja as the ‘unkillable’…”
Now, for some reason, we need a backstory for the Predator. Add to that, they have to be part of the Alien universe. Apparently, a 20th Century executive decided that what made the original work is now outdated. We want Predators with daddy issues and empathy who team up with others to get the job done. All this to say, the Predator here is no longer Predator. They’ve been turned into a Disney fantasy.
As I watched Predator: Badlands, I couldn’t help but think, “This is not Predator. I don’t like this.” With over an hour left, I had to resign myself to the fact that Predator is dead and view the movie through a new lens, which begs the question: why couldn’t Disney just make a new sci-fi series?
Remove the Predator branding, and you have a story about a young warrior trying to prove himself to his father by hunting the deadliest beast in the galaxy. Meanwhile, a greedy corporation has the same goal, turning it into a race. What you get in the end is a typical alien hunter story. Nothing new except that this borrows elements from the Predator and Alien franchises without featuring a single Xenomorph.
Oh, and the beast they’re hunting isn’t exactly the deadliest creature around. There’s a reason for its anger, but its motivation isn’t original. I could list off a dozen films that use the same plot. Once again, we’re rehashing old stories and adding nothing new—except that this one happens to be a Predator movie.
Yes, the action scenes are exciting. I appreciate how far CG world-building and effects have come over the decades (note the sarcasm). The film features good action set pieces, but without a story that has something meaningful to say or connects with audiences on a deeper level, it’s just another standard sci-fi action film. To that, I’ll say indie filmmakers have told this story before—and better. Support them over Disney. Because it’s not really a Predator movie, you can skip this one. Sure, Predator: Badlands will leave you satisfied like your favorite candy bar, but if I’m going to shell out $20 for a movie ticket, this one’s not worth it.
"…will leave you satisfied like your favorite candy bar..."
