Trailer for ‘Predator: Badlands’
The trailer for 20th Century Studios’ ‘Predator: Badlands,’ starring Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi. Now in cinemas.
There’s a funny craze in Hollywood turning iconic villains into sympathetic – or even heroic – figures. “Wicked” turned the evil Wicked Witch of the West from “The Wizard of Oz” into a misunderstood protagonist of a now-two-part musical. Disney has done the same with ‘Maleficent’ and ‘Cruella’. I mean, they made a ‘Venom’ trilogy based on one of Spider-Man’s best enemies for crying out loud!
Introducing “Predator: Badlands,” 20th Century Studios’ revival of the action/horror franchise featuring the Predator – the seemingly indestructible alien fighting machine that became famous for duking it out with Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1987.
In ‘Badlands’ the Predator is not the villain. It is Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), a Yautja who is seen as weak by his warrior clan – mainly because he is much smaller in stature than his brother and father. While his brother tries to strengthen Dek’s fighting skills, he is as good as dead in his father’s eyes.
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Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as Dek in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Predator: Badlands’. (Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All rights reserved.)
Determined to prove himself, Dek vows to hunt down the ultimate trophy: the Kalisk: the legendary apex predator – a huge, lizard-like lion-gorilla-like creature with tentacles and a regenerative body.
Crash landing on the Kalisk planet Genna, Dek encounters Thia (Elle Fanning), a synthetic humanoid from the Weyland-Yutani Corporation – yes, the same company from the ‘Alien’ series (a tease for a future crossover, of course) – trapped in a vulture’s nest. She knows exactly where Kalisk is (it’s her legs, which he tore off) and offers to show him the way. In a kill-or-be-killed universe, Dek reluctantly carries Thia on his back, viewing her as an essential ‘tool’ for surviving the deadly terrain.
Meanwhile, Thia hopes to reunite with Tessa (also Fanning), another synthetic from whom she was separated during the Kalisk attack, who she considers her sister. She explains to Dek that she and Tessa are elevated synthetic humans and are programmed to feel sensitivity and emotion. Yautja aren’t exactly known for being very sentimental, so the concept is quite foreign to Dek. All he knows is to show strength and survive. At one point, Dek doubts that Thia can survive alone, to which she replies, “I can survive alone, but who would want to survive alone?”
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Elle Fanning as Thia and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as Dek in “Predator: Badlands.” (Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All rights reserved.)
The odd combination of Dek, a rugged, stoic creature, and Thia, a sunny and overly talkative humanoid, gives “Badlands” an unexpected comedic energy for a road trip buddy (Fanning certainly provides comic relief and ironically gives one of her liveliest performances as a robot). How else could they lighten the mood as they try to avoid needle-exploding plants, razor grass fields, and a whole host of monsters?
“Badlands” is the sixth film in the “Predator” franchise, not counting the two “Alien vs. Predator” films. Unlike its R-rated predecessors, “Badlands” is only rated PG-13. That’s probably due to the fact that no human characters die in this movie (they’re all humanoid robots). But there’s plenty of alien carnage to be found.
Director/co-writer Dan Trachtenberg, who previously helmed the commendable 2022 installment “Prey,” does an excellent job of creating an entire universe to explore and bringing intensity to what would otherwise be a fairly simple story. The alien landscapes are fascinating and the visual effects were out of this world (no pun intended). But if you want to see Trachtenberg’s best work, look no further than the criminally underrated ’10 Cloverfield Lane’.
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Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as Dek in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Predator: Badlands’. (Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All rights reserved.)
The verdict:
“Predator: Badlands” is a solid popcorn flick that successfully revives a decades-old sci-fi franchise. While Trachtenberg’s version of the Predator doesn’t reach the must-see threshold, it’s action-packed and offers a promising future for Dek and Thia.
★★★ — STREAM IT LATER
“Predator: Badlands” is rated PG-13 for its sequences of strong sci-fi violence. Running time: 1 hour, 47 minutes. Now in cinemas.
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