Is this the gentrification of the Predator franchise?
A young warrior from the Youtja clan seeks to prove himself worthy by defeating a ferocious beast on a deadly planet. But his skills are lacking, and he is forced to work beside a mysterious synthetic lifeform.
Predator: Badlands is directed by Dan Trachtenberg, who has taken the Predator franchise completely under his wing ever since Prey in 2022. He directed the animated feature Predator: Killer of Killers which, like Prey, is also a Disney+ exclusive. It would seem that the franchise has a good head leading the way. The theatrically released Badlands stars Elle Fanning (A Complete Unknown) and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamantangi.
Perhaps most worryingly for fans of the franchise, Badlands is an entry given a 12A (or PG-13) rating… Is this Disney’s gentle tweaking of this universe into a money-printer? (the answer is probably “yes”)
The film follows Dek, a young Youtja, although to us the audience we know them as the titular Predator. While Dek’s father condemns him as a weakness that should be cut out of the clan, Dek’s brother vouches for him. But Dek’s hubris leads him to hunt a prey even his powerful father failed to kill, a beast that lives on a planet so hostile that everything there is trying to kill you.
Once there, the aloof and honour-bound Predator must learn to adapt and work with others if he hopes to survive. Thia, a human-built synthetic, is attempting to reunite with her lost comrades and joins him… Despite having been sliced in half.
I only just saw Prey this year, since it is a Disney+ exclusive, and it is excellent. While I’ve not seen Killer of Killers, it is safe to say that the 2022 film is superior to Badlands. But what can be said of Prey can be said of this film as well; Trachtenberg did something well, and is doing it again. Both films involve a hunter who is seeking to prove themselves. Both films have supportive brother/sibling characters. Each one has a great love of creative action sequences and a excellent attention to detail.
The 2025 film is a gentle bridging of the Predator and Alien franchises, something not seen since the catastrophic Alien Vs Predator movies. With Ellen Fanning’s synthetic Thia, comes Weylan-Yutani, aka The Company that features prominently in the Alien franchise. And you know they are up to no good. Overall, this extension into the universe is welcome; the Predator franchise has been all over the place (both to its benefit and detriment) and it is nice to see it unified in a less “monster-mash” sort of fashion.
Like in 2022, the characters and the imaginative combat is where the film shines. We have the same writing team as on Prey, and it shows. Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamantangi) is a short statured warrrior, but is no less full of the same ridiculous posturing and testosterone that we’ve come to expect from Predators. His juxtaposition with Fanning’s floozy, surprisingly whimsical android is positively delightful. It helps with humanising a Predator lead character. There’s a good deal of heart and emotional weight underneath all the sci-fi aliens and funny languages. A story about empathy. About realizing what you are fighting for might not be what’s best for you, but something you were told to do.
The attention to detail here is great, yet again. We have excellent monsters and alien flora and fauna. From Disney, this is like Mandalorian season 1. Familiar elements but in new settings. Plus, like with Prey, we get the awesome payoff at the end where everything in the movie was relevant. Everything has a purpose, everything is designed with intention. It is a sci-fi geek’s dream.
But the elephant in the room is simple: what does this mean for the franchise? We should probably accept that Trachtenberg and the writing team are savvy enough to keep things fresh each time. But should a 12A certified Predator film succeed…? I’m pretty sure we all know what Disney Executives would say. Does that change everything going forward. Predator films are not family-friendly experiences. You don’t take your five-year-old to see Predator. But with Badlands, you technically can.
Sure, it is still bloody carnage. We see Dek rip and tear through tonnes of aliens and synthetic lifeforms with blades and traps. It is wonderful. But it is the same logic as having the Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles wielding swords and knives… so long as they are beating up robots. Everyone is okay with it. It is funny, actually.
Where is the line, when a horror franchise becomes tamed? Will this logic be placed onto Alien as well? Is that a problem? Personally, I find conflict of interest; little Timmy and Sarah loved Badlands, they want to watch the other Predator films. OH NO, that man’s been eviscerated! Even the most recent Prey was an 18 certificate.
This is, obviously, a lot of circumstantial negativity for an otherwise excellent time at the cinema. There isn’t much objective issues in Badlands as a movie. It is fairly predictable, if the audience has seen any other movies in the Alien franchise. It is, in the broadstrokes, just Prey again. Although considering that being a Disney+ exclusive, Badlands maybe has a wider audience to entertain? There was one moment that felt a little contradictory, but it was minor, and it is by its nature very CGI heavy.
Predator: Badlands was a good time. It is extremely fast-paced (faster than Prey‘s more moody, expressive venture) but it has heart and empathy in its characters. I will always respect a movie that has some good character themes and chemistry in there.
Additional Marshmallows: Hey Disney, I hope you’ve learned now that making Prey a Disney+ exclusive was a crappy move on your part. Maybe think about having a limited cinema release??