Read @ Joe’s

Title: Predator: Badlands (2025) Director: Dan Trachtenberg Writers: Patrick Aison // Dan Trachtenberg Studio: 20th Century Studios IMDb Plot: A young Predator outcast from his clan finds an unlikely ally on his journey in search of the ultimate adversary. Joe Says: Complete with a wisecracking sidekick and a cute CGI critter, Predator: Badlands takes a proto-Disney dynamic and soaks it with blood, turning this franchise entry into teenage boy heaven.

Predator: Badlands plays out like an old school arcade: loud, flashy, and designed to make your pulse spike. Director Dan Trachtenberg moves away from the cultural knockout of Prey and instead leans into a gladiatorial, f/x-driven playground that feels more akin to a pro wrestling match. Complete with a wisecracking sidekick and a cute CGI critter, Predator: Badlands takes a proto-Disney dynamic and soaks it with blood, turning this franchise entry into teenage boy heaven. 

Badlands centers on Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Kolomatangi), a young Yautja with classic daddy issues and a chip the size of a xenomorph skull on his shoulder. Dek’s hunger for a clan and a rite of passage drives the plot, while Elle Fanning’s synth, Thia, provides an annoying comic ballast albeit one with surprising heart—yet long time fans of the Alien franchise would have a difficult time imagining Ash or Bishop acting so jovial. Thia is ironically the human gateway into this alien and bestial world. While Dek flexes, pouts, and spits, Thia smiles, quips, and occasionally saves the day. Together, they make a mismatched duo that surprisingly grows comforting to watch.

This film’s strength lies in worldbuilding as the hellish badlands of Genna are among the most unique and alien this side of Pandora. Genna has flora that slices, fauna that bites, and environments that feel distinct from any previous Predator playground; ones that are ripe with guilty-pleasure satisfaction.

Alas unlike Prey, the plot here takes a backseat to spectacle. Badlands supplies a morality play scaffold—man versus nature, son versus father, hunt versus honor—yet a narrative complexity in these themes are as rare as a callback mention to Schwarzenegger’s Dutch. Convenient rescues are perfectly timed with an over-repetitive frequency. The good versus evil simplicity of it all sometimes feels more like a checklist. On the other hand, viewers who came to the show for creature design, inventive f/x, and a gleefully violent ride will enjoy this level of fanboy valhalla. Through all this, the movie does have an underlying current about the importance of taking care of the environment and the power in building a clan of your own. If there is any noted follow-through from Prey, Trachtenberg and co-writer Patrick Aison properly showcased these elements.

Predator: Badlands punches and laughs with genre joy. Filmmaking bravura is evident in the creature work, while the story stays simple and oftentimes too convenient. This is louder and gorier than Prey yet unabashedly good ol’ scifi, alien monster cheese.

Predator: Badlands won’t top Prey on craft or cultural bite, but is a green-soaked, howling good time for anyone who likes their monsters large and their heads (and legs) detachable. Springsteen song optional.

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Check out a full discussion about Predator: Badlands on the Cinefied podcast featuring Read @ Joe‘s Joe!