Even watching the trailers, we knew Predator: Badlands was going to be a really completely different form of Predator film. From Weyland-Yutani having a significant presence to a Grogu-like alien critter becoming a member of the journey, we have been comfortable to see director and co-writer Dan Trachtenberg taking the sci-fi franchise into new territory. However by some means, the tip consequence was even bolder than we would anticipated.
The filmmaker already cited classics like Conan the Barbarian and Mad Max 2: The Highway Warrior as influences, but it surely’s exhausting to not see tints of The Mandalorian, John Carter, and Riddick in there as nicely.
Spoilers for Predator: Badlands past this point. If you haven’t watched it, good news! It’s just landed on Hulu and Disney+. Go watch it and come back… We’ll wait.
A universe expanded
Earlier in 2025, Trachtenberg also dropped an extra gift in the form of Predator: Killer of Killers, the franchise’s first venture into animation. It was a brilliant anthology and the first sign that the filmmaker and Disney-owned 20th Century Studios were finally ready to escape the original’s shadow. Prey had already delivered the best possible refresh of that type of Predator story, so Killer of Killers tried something different; it took us on a bloody trip across history with a surprise fourth act that greatly expanded the Predator universe and teased a new set of exciting possibilities.
Predator: Badlands – despite being live-action and releasing in theaters versus Disney Plus – feels like a bigger gamble, and the sort of $100-million anomaly that shouldn’t exist at all.
Yautja Prime (the Predator homeworld) is explored for the first time in live-action since AvP: Requiem gave us a quick look at the planet, exploring their tradition, devices, and traditions. How do they even preserve an interstellar civilization if all they do is go on area safaris? The ultimate scene within the film might need answered that in semi-comedic style, too.
Now rocking a totally realized Yautja language (developed by linguist Britton Watkins), the alien hunters are “humanized” and given depth by acquainted struggles and feelings moviegoers may immediately relate to. They’re not killers who lack empathy or are simply following a strict code of honor… nicely, at the least not all of them. That is universe-building that could not have occurred throughout the realm of sci-fi horror.
Yautja being losers is instantly addressed
Whereas Badlands’ early beats are all about delivering the male-dominated energy fantasy a lot of the earlier lore and “expanded universe” have labored with, issues take a much more fascinating flip the second Weyland-Yutani and Thia/Tessa (Elle Fanning) enter the image.
The Firm and Yautja have met earlier than, because the story is ready within the farthest way forward for even the Alien series, but it appears MOTHER and the synths aren’t extremely interested in the spacefaring warriors; odd given their obsession with “perfect lifeforms” like Genna’s Kalisk and the Xenomorph.
It wasn’t a shock to see the post-The Predator movies completely do away with the idea of the Yautja seeking to dominate known space, but it’s still great to learn they’re doing their own thing still, seeking the thrill of the hunt until they die in battle (not unlike the Klingons of Star Trek).
Dek’s father is the embodiment of the ancient ways, leading Predators to kill the weak who might ‘dishonor’ the clans. The entire species seems to be a big death cult that has evolved to see value in self-defeat rather than growth. The hunters we’d seen before were meant to be losers; they might survive a hunt only to eventually die elsewhere, because that’s what they do.
By connecting with a synthetic that’s more human than many of the humans in Weyland-Yutani’s employ, Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) chooses to be not just different, but better too. This is the sort of hero’s journey we associate with space operas and classic fantasy adventures like Willow. The pivot from a “sword-and-sorcery journey to slay a horrifying creature” to an unexpected alliance in the vein of Enemy Mine – a flick about friendship and defying one’s nature – lands with energy and conviction.
Current sci-fi wins enabled Predator to develop
Might feelings and a convincing Yautja language be instructed by the tried-and-tested sensible results? The reply isn’t any. Badlands would not work if Dek wasn’t a plausible being with an expressive face; there’s solely a lot that may be performed with a rubber go well with and animatronic face. As an alternative, Weta Digital delivered digital work that was a direct evolution of the wonderful, industry-shaking craft developed over a few years with the Avatar and trendy Planet of the Apes films.
Once more, that is the creatives and executives seeing Predator — each the film collection and the creature itself — as greater than a one-note sci-fi action-horror star, destined for nothing however samey sequels and diminishing returns.
The know-how developed for grander, crowd-pleasing behemoths is what in the end allowed Predator: Badlands to resonate with more people than ever before, all whereas preserving its distinctive traits and imply violence.
We’re all the way down to see extra of Dek, Thia, and Bud on additional adventures constructed on prime of the heroic tales of outdated, however wanting on the different latest wins like Killer of Killers, we’re glad it will not make gory new entries a factor of the previous both.
Predator: Badlands is now streaming on Hulu (US) and Disney+ (Internationally)
