Film Review: PREDATOR: BADLANDS (2025): A Unique Science Fiction Extravaganza with Plenty of Satisfying Action Sequences
Predator: Badlands Review
Predator: Badlands (2025) Film Review, a movie directed by Dan Trachtenberg, written by Patrick Aison, Jim Thomas and Dan Trachtenberg and starring Elle Fanning, Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, Ross Duffer, Cameron Brown, Stefan Grube and Rohinal Nayaran.
Director Dan Trachtenberg’s Predator: Badlands follows in a line of mediocre movies from a franchise that just recently picked up traction again with the well-reviewed Hulu movie, Prey, a few years back. Now, it seems they’ve saved the best in the series for now. Predator: Badlands is the type of big-budget extravaganza that Hollywood rarely makes these days. It’s full of intense action scenes and actually has a heart and a pulse to the story line. I’m not saying this is a very emotional movie from a sentimental standpoint, but the main characters are likable and whether they’re human or not, it doesn’t make much of a difference. This film will allow the audience to take sides with certain characters and root for them even though, traditionally, movies like this are just vehicles to showcase “bigger and better” action sequences.
This film opens with the type of “predator” this series thrives on: His name is Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi). There is a series of family dynamics within this predator’s circle. His brother ultimately sacrifices his life to save Dek who is interested in a heroic victory to come from taking on a dangerous monster known as the Kalisk. This creature can re-up and even if one cuts its head off, it can simply regenerate. Killing it is not an easy feat, if it’s even possible at all to do so.
Elle Fanning plays a dual role in the picture as an android named Thia and the head of a research corporation named Tessa. Thia comes to view Tessa as her sister at one point thanks to her interaction with Dek, but there is a conflict of interest to that theory that takes flight in the story line. Thia is ripped in half by the Kalisk. Dek sees the damaged Thia as a “tool” to help him with pivotal information to help in finding and defeating the Kalisk. Thia trusts Tessa, but there is ultimately nothing more than the desire by Tessa to do research on Dek for the “greater good.”
Thia and Dek form a powerful bond. At first the characters are unlikely allies, then they fight. That is until Tessa and her crew come along and freeze the Kalisk. There’s also the matter of a monkey (Roninal Nayaran) that looks like a troll as well. Thia names him Bud. Imagine a deformed Curious George crossed with that odd-looking elf from Harry Potter, and you get an idea of what Bud looks like. Though Dek leaves Bud in the dust, and Dek doesn’t seem to care about him, Bud does come back into the movie and is one of the best supporting characters in the picture.
Fanning is excellent in terms of playing two entirely different characters. This film focuses on her communications and interactions with Dek. Fanning creates one good character and one bad one with terrific precision. Fanning is one of our most reliable actresses and the movie turns Thia into the heart of the movie. She may be an android, but she has spunk and she has feelings that make her relatable. Dek isn’t such a bad guy either. He can’t help the way he was brought up and when he carries Thia’s top half around while they wait to find her legs, there is magic in these scenes that keep the movie flowing at a steady pace.
Another movie with less courage would have had Dek speak English. Instead, Trachtenberg uses subtitles for Dek to communicate to Thia in his language. This choice could cost the film viewers who don’t like to read words on the screen, or it could hopefully, in fact, make audiences more open to foreign language films as they discover reading isn’t that hard when the plot of the film is so entirely enjoyable to behold.
Predator: Badlands has exquisite shots of the landscapes the setting of the movie offers. It’s full of one action scene after another without the typical predictability factor that is often found in these types of movies. I don’t think one can pigeonhole this movie into the category of just another Predator movie because it’s so well-made and so energetic and action-packed.
Trachtenberg tells the story here in a way that will please audiences. Bud is a fine supporting character who appears when you least expect something unique will happen in the film. While Dek and Thia seem like pair of misfits, they form an unforgettable bond that will keep audiences watching and rooting for them to succeed against all odds. At the end, when another member of Dek’s family shows up, it opens the door to a potential sequel which audiences would welcome with open arms.
Predator: Badlands has all the ingredients for a box-office hit, but there’s the pesky matter of the subtitles. I don’t think they’ll be a problem for audiences who love great action movies. When I made a list of new movies coming out, I bypassed this one, thinking it would be more of the same. I admit I was wrong and recommend this film very highly for fans and newcomers to this popular science-fiction film series. Don’t miss it.
Rating: 8.5/10
Leave your thoughts on this Predator: Badlands review and the film below in the comments section. Readers seeking to support this type of content can visit our Patreon Page and become one of FilmBook’s patrons. Readers seeking more film reviews can visit our Movie Review Page, our Movie Review Twitter Page, and our Movie Review Facebook Page. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Mobile App, Google News, Apple News, Feedly, Twitter, Faceboo
Related Articles
