Like Prey, director Dan Trachtenberg‘s latest entry in the Predator franchise centers on a young warrior’s rite of passage, a self-imposed hunt of impossible prey to prove themselves to their disbelieving clans. It even comes with sly callbacks to the original film that began it all. But Trachtenberg is far more interested in exploring the Yautja universe and its possibilities than safe retread, so much so that the seventh film in this series is a complete and audacious departure. Predator: Badlands takes a sharp detour into adventure, with its propulsive, creature-filled action matching the polarizing thrills of Yautja innovation.
Opening text from the Yautja codex reiterates that this species is friend to none and predator to all, a statement in stark contrast to Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), the runt of his clan and this story’s unlikely hero. He’s introduced as his skills are being tested by his older brother Kwei (Mike Homik), who’s trying to prepare him for an important but familiar rite of passage: bring a worthy trophy home from a perilous hunt or die trying. That Dek is perceived as weak means that he has even more to prove, and he vows to retrieve a Kalisk from the hostile planet Genna, a perilous hunt from which no Yautja has ever returned.
(L-R) Thia (Elle Fanning) and Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) in 20th Century Studios’ PREDATOR: BADLANDS film. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Predator: Bandlands introduces an insane amount of franchise firsts, beginning with the opening sequence set on the Yautja home planet and the introduction of the Yautja language, fully created by Britton Watkins. That doesn’t mean that Dek is particularly chatty, though; that falls mainly to unlikely ally Thia (Elle Fanning), Weyland-Yutani’s most advanced synth yet. Thia’s previous encounter with the Kalisk left her separated from her legs and her team, including counterpart Tessa (also Fanning), which sets the stage for an odd couple pairing hacking their way through hostile terrain and lethal flora and fauna.
That becomes the narrative thrust of Badlands, an imaginative adventure story that sees Dek stripped of everything, including most weaponry, and forced to adapt to what’s available while dodging the latest death trap or encounter and processing what it means to be Yautja. Trachtenberg knows how to create scale and spectacle; Genna is as dazzling as it is deadly with Dek trekking through razor-bladed plains, treacherous cliffs, and beyond. Dek’s journey moves at a rapid clip, his resolute determination plowing forward through thrilling action set pieces and battles, all a showstopping showcase of practical effects and VFX talent from the likes of Alec Gillis, Wētā Workshop, Framestore, and more.
Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as Dek in 20th Century Studios’ PREDATOR: BADLANDS film. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
As a creature-filled adventure tale, Badlands is a genuine crowd-pleaser with no shortage of creativity and heart. As a Predator movie, it’s a peculiar beast that’s trickier to reconcile. Dek is unlike any Yautja we’ve seen before, and not just for his shorter stature. This is a young warrior whose journey is shaped by trauma, though one Dek isn’t quite ready to acknowledge, and it’s one that introduces the typically loner Yautja to the foreign concept of found family. Schuster-Koloamatangi does an admirable job with Dek’s tricky arc as a young, inexperienced warrior honorbound to a clan that rejects him, but one who slowly comes into his own. Patrick Aison‘s script constantly reminds us that Dek, by Yautja standards, is deficient. It not only underscores Dek’s underdog status to great effect, but it also doubles as an acknowledgment that Dek, and his film by proxy, is an abnormal outlier in Yautja culture. Trachtenberg also makes sly visual callbacks to the original Predator, drawing parallels from Dutch to Dek, especially in a trap montage, to further position the Yautja as the underdog hero.
The mandible design, prompted by the need for Dek to talk, makes for one of the weakest Predator character designs yet, but Schuster-Kolomatangi’s winsome personality compensates. Personality goes far here, especially when it comes to the film’s dialogue. Thia’s introduction comes with a rather clunky and distracting explanation for overcoming the language barrier, made more jarring by Thia’s perky nature. That bubbly persona complements Dek’s rough stoicism, but it does take some initial adjusting. Fanning quickly finds her stride as the surprising moral compass, but also impresses with her complete opposite turn as Tessa.
Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi on the set of 20th Century Studios’ PREDATOR: BADLANDS film. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Tractchtenberg’s complete disruption of a Predator film extends right through to the film’s closing moments, where a single line of dialogue doubles both as the film’s final punchline and a massive Yautja bombshell guaranteed to get fans buzzing over its divisive implications. It sums up Badlands well; Trachtenberg and his talented team craft a stunning adventure epic with winsome characters, action, and creatures, but one that’s so drastically different that it’s polarizing. The dialogue and humor can feel out of place, and Dek is at odds with every Predator before, and yet it somehow works. Trachtenberg boldly keeps pushing these films into new territory, yet never forgets the past.
It also blows the doors wide open on the franchise’s future. Tratchtenberg has explored the Yautja across time, with Badlands the furthest into the future yet. It functions well as a thrilling adventure, albeit very PG-13, but also lays exciting seeds for the future, from crossovers to sequels and beyond. That limitless potential is as exciting, if not more so, as this bold new adventure tale that introduces the Yautja’s heart.
Predator: Badlands releases in theaters on November 7, 2025.
