Predator: Badlands

YEESSSS!!! As a big fan of the original 1987 Schwarzenegger movie, I have seen all the Predator (and Alien) movies they have put out...including the ones that were awful and wasted my time (i.e. Requiem).

This "Badlands" movie, "Killer of Killers", and "Prey" have all fully resurrected the fandom's interest in wanting more again, in lieu of being okay if the franchise died. Trachtenberg single-handedly brought the series back to life...it is in good hands.

Still connected to the Weyland-Yutani Industries (see Alien series), this flick totally kicks ass with action, believable CGI, great sounds, cool scenery, a little comic relief, villains, unlikely friendships, adaptation-evolving theme, etc. Production, cinematography, plot...totally spot on. See it in the IMAX if you can!!! You are totally cheering for the Yautja. I thought I would hate the Thia character...but she/synth keeps it grounded and tied back perfectly to earth and the human's need for consumption. I think both the Alien and Predator universes still have more to give.

BEST to worst of the Predator series...(in my opinion): 1. Predator (1987), of course, gotta let the original stand alone.

2. Tie: Killer of Killers (2025) & Predator- Badlands (2025) 3. Prey (2022) 4. Predators (2010) 5. Alien vs. Predator (2004) 6. The Predator (2018) 7. Predator 2 (1990) 8. Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)...worst ever.

So after the Disneyfication of Star Wars and Alien, we finally get around to the abject ruination of the beloved Predator series. True, Shane Black came mighty close with The Predator back in 2018 and best not mention Alien v. Predator: Requiem at all but, in the excellent wake of Prey and Predator: Killer of Killers, hopes were extremely high for whatever Dan Trachtenberg would come up with next.

And then this. Predator meets the Mickey Mouse club or Predator and Stitch. Whatever, you get the picture. What we have been dished up here is the very furthest thing we could possibly have been given from the Predator we know and love.

I won't go into the depressing details of what we actually have to endure for the sake of the poor suckers who are going to spend their hard earned sheckles seeing this mess but I just need to say that Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi give it their best... and that's about it. Too much CGI, not enough horror and absolutely no tension.

This is gonna take a lot of coming back from....

It's finally here, a Predator movie that doesn't take itself too seriously, yet remains incredibly well-made and thoroughly entertaining, Dan Trachtenberg, who already delivered the most serious and still the best Predator film to date with Prey, is clearly having a blast with Predator: Badlands, from the very first scene, the movie hooks you with one of the most exciting and promising intros in the franchise.

This is the closest we've ever gotten to seeing the Predator as an actual character, complete with personality, language, and depth, and it works remarkably well, adding to that, Elle Fanning is a great addition to the film, and the little creature named Bud also brings unexpected charm to the film.

Besides being one of the most excitingly entertaining films of the year, Predator: Badlands, in my opinion, the most wholesome buddy cop movie i've seen in a while, the beautifully shot, vast, and dark Predator world gives off Dune vibes for me, while the introduction of fascinating new creatures evokes a touch of Avatar, i genuinely adore the world building they've did in the film, it's visually stunning.

The action and fight sequences are exciting, and the Predator is as badass as ever, while the pacing slows down in the second half, overall, Predator: Badlands is pure fun, exciting, and wildly entertaining, i wouldn't mind another installment, as long as Dan Trachtenberg returns to direct it, because honestly, the best Predator movies are the last three, all under his direction.

I had such high hopes for this movie after Dan Trachtenberg drag the Predator franchise out of the gutter and restored it to its former glory with Prey. Well if Pray was Star Wars, Badlands is Episode II: Attack of the Clones. They tried to inject a lot of humour into this movie which just didn't work for me, and I didn't feel it should have had a place in this movie. I found some of it just ridiculous. The story is actually very good and could have been epic in the same way Prey was. Prey is an incredible movie in so many ways and I was expecting Badlands to be the same, sadly, for me it wasn't. There are good elements in this film such as gaining some insight into the Predators home world and culture. I also though Elle Fanning was fantastic in this movie. If Badlands had taken itself more seriously I would have liked it a whole lot more. I don't actually think the fault lays with Dan Trachtenberg This is a 12A in the UK and I'm pretty sure Disney were trying to make it appeal to children. So once again Disney take something wonderful and completely destroy it. I'd love to see Dan Trachtenberg original script and not the Disneyfied version.

Let's be honest this is just a mix of Jurassic park, Avatar, Starwars all wrapped into one. With a predator falling in love with new pronoun. Hollywood really you need to wake up and go back to the 80s and 90s. We're just getting directors because they come from a certain place and not looking at true cinema.