I Watched Predator: Badlands And It Just Broke Every Rule In The Franchise

I walked into the theater expecting another hunt. Another group of heavily armed soldiers getting picked off one by one in a jungle. But what Dan Trachtenberg delivered with Predator: Badlands wasn’t just a sequel—it was a complete rewiring of the franchise’s DNA. As the credits rolled, I sat there realizing that for the first time in 38 years, I wasn’t rooting for the humans to survive. I was rooting for the monster. And honestly? It’s the boldest move this series has ever made.

The “Backpack” Dynamic That Actually Works

The plot sounds insane on paper: a “runt” Yautja named Dek (played with surprising physical emotion by Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) is exiled from Yautja Prime and teams up with a damaged Weyland-Yutani android named Thia.

When I saw the leaks about Elle Fanning playing a robot strapped to a Predator’s back, I was skeptical. It sounded like a buddy-cop gimmick. But watching it unfold on the hostile planet of Genna, the chemistry is undeniable. Trachtenberg has essentially made Shadow of the Colossus meets Mad Max. Thia isn’t just baggage; she’s the translator for the audience, bridging the gap between us and a protagonist who only speaks in clicks and roars. The scene where Dek refuses to kill the Kalisk (the apex monster) because it’s protecting its young? That is the exact moment the franchise evolved from a slasher flick to a sci-fi epic.

The “Disneyfication” Controversy Is Nonsense

Let’s address the elephant in the room. I’ve already seen the angry tweets and the review-bombing claiming that Disney has “woke-ified” the Predator by giving him feelings or making him a “good guy.”

I honestly feel that this criticism misses the point entirely. We have had decades of the mysterious, unstoppable killer. We saw it in the jungle, in the city, and even in that mess of a 2018 reboot. Predator: Badlands dares to ask, “What is their culture actually like?” Showing Dek’s struggle against his father, Njohrr, doesn’t make him weak; it makes the violence matter. If you think a Predator having a code of honor is “new,” you haven’t been paying attention since 1987. This isn’t “Disney soft”; it’s deeper lore. And for the fans screaming about the lack of human prey? The climax where Dek tears through the Weyland-Yutani security team is as brutal as anything in Prey.

A Technical Masterclass on Genna

Visually, this movie is a feast. Trachtenberg and cinematographer Jeff Cutter ditched the dark, muddy visuals of modern blockbusters for the vibrant, dangerous landscape of Genna.

The practical effects on the Yautja suit are staggering. You can see the sweat, the shifting weight of the armor, and the intricate details of Dek’s “runt” design—specifically the lack of dreads which actually serves a story purpose (he hasn’t earned them yet). The CGI for the Kalisk is also surprisingly grounded; it feels heavy, biological, and distinct from the Xenomorphs we’re used to. But the real winner here is the sound design. The way they mixed the mechanical whirring of Thia with the organic clicking of Dek created a soundscape that told the story without a single line of human dialogue.

Final Verdict

Predator: Badlands is a risky, weird, and deeply emotional expansion that proves this franchise has legs beyond just hunting Arnie. It might alienate the purists who just want mindless slaughter, but for anyone who loves world-building, this is a masterpiece.

Score: 9/10.

Do you think humanizing the Predator ruins the mystery, or was it time for a change?