06 November,2025 09:11 AM IST | Mumbai | Nandini Shah
Still from Predator Badlands
Predator: Badlands marks director Dan Trachtenberg's third foray into the Predator universe and is the seventh film in the overall franchise. With each film, Trachtenberg strives to reinvent the concept by finding an unexplored angle. This time, he attempts his boldest pivot yet - turning the murderous predator into an underdog hero. Trachtenberg distances himself from the franchise's violent roots. The film begins with the title card "The Yautja are prey to none, friend to none, and predator to all," and spends the rest of its time subverting that statement. While Trachtenberg's decision to take a new approach is commendable, he unfortunately trades intensity for sentimentality and cliché. This is why I feel the Predator movie, like the Yautja, works best alone.
Brute strength is of utmost importance to the Yautja. The protagonist, Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) is the runt of the family, and his father decides to kill him for his weakness rather than live in shame. However, seconds later, he kills Dek's brother, Kwei, because he shows mercy to Dek. Trachtenberg sets up a promising emotional arc as Dek, ostracised and outcast from his clan, seeks to reclaim his honour by venturing to Genna, the deadliest planet in the universe. There, he hopes to earn his shield by killing the legendary and unkillable Kalisks.
On Genna Dek meets Thia, a Weyland-Yutani android (Elle Fanning) whose perky, 'manic pixie' personality feels out of place in the film, yet is entertaining. Thia is meant to provide comic relief and heart, which she does, but also ends up undercutting the stakes and tension. Thia convinces Dek of her utility, having knowledge of the planet, and she joins his quest as a hunt.
Thia is severed in half due to a Kalisk attack, and Dek carries her around by strapping her to his back like luggage. En route, they battle a fierce bone bison, evade razor grass, flee from grenade caterpillars, and almost get eaten by a gigantic luna bug. The adventure is thoroughly entertaining, as every living thing wants to kill them. Ironically, Fanning does most of the heavy lifting; she shines in the comedic moments, and the exploration of her dynamic with film Dek forms the most engaging part of the film.
However, the film derails with the introduction of an alien monkey sidekick that feels ripped from a cartoon. It's hard to know whether to cringe or surrender.
The second half is more propulsive and contains more gore and action sequences as Dek encounters other synths with sinister motives. The incorporation of the synths allows Trachtenberg to indulge in his violent instincts. The highlight is a sequence where Thia's detached legs independently battle rogue synths. The thrum of the score builds anticipation and enhances the conflict.
Ultimately, the film feels thematically stranded. The âfound family' trope that drives the story feels hackneyed, dulling what could have been a thrilling exploration of identity and survival. However, Trachtenberg succeeds in his goal to humanise the Yautja, stepping away from the hypermasculine, violent archetype of the 80s and arguing for kindness over toxic masculinity. He must be lauded for his attempt to reinvent the franchise.
With the Yautja no longer the predator, he comes up with a different species to fill that role.
