I thought that 2022’s Prey was a fantastic movie. I have watched it a few times since it aired on Disney+, and it still rocks! Predator: Badlands was a movie that I was very excited for, and the trailers looked awesome. I will admit, I was a little bit put off when I heard that they went for a 12 A or PG-13, if you are in America, age rating, for the movie. However, they dealt with this very well, and I hardly even noticed it due to some very clever filmmaking.
Where to Watch Predator: Badlands
Predator: Badlands was released on November 7, 2025. You can expect it to become eventually available for streaming on Disney+.
The Movie Review
Let me start by saying that Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane) has done it again! Prey was great, I enjoyed the hell out of Predator: Killer of Killers, and now Predator: Badlands has him at three for three with The Predator franchise! The lore of the Predator universe is something that has been drip-fed to us for the last few decades, and I think that Badlands does a great job of giving us even more about the way that this race lives.
Meet Dek: The Underdog Yautja
Our main character is a young Predator called Dek. By the way, they do a great job of making sure the audience is aware that this race is actually called the Yautja. Dek is a very interesting character. He is small for his race, seen as the runt of the litter; he is pretty much an embarrassment and disappointment to his tribe. They make you connect and care for this guy right away, due to the crappy way that he is treated.
Proving His Worth on a Deadly Planet
Dek is tough, though! Dek is not going to let his smaller stature stop him from proving his worth! Dek heads to a planet that is one of the most dangerous planets in the galaxy, as everything there either wants to eat you or just rip you limb from limb. Like in Prey and the other Predator movies. Dek has gone to this planet to hunt and prove himself to his tribe and also to himself.
An Unexpected Ally: Thia and the Hunt for Survival
While Dek arrives with an epic arsenal to help him on his hunt, he ends up losing his weaponry and has to rely on his wits and a synthetic called Thia, who is played by Elle Fanning. I got a huge kick out of the way that Elle was severely damaged, having no legs, so Dek carries her around like a backpack. If you are a Star Wars fan, you will no doubt smile as this is similar to Chewie carrying around C-3PO.
Survival, Synthetics, and the PG-13 Challenge
What went from a hunt to prove himself has become a fight for survival! In addition to all the monstrous creatures on this planet, there is also an army of synthetics here as well that Dek has to deal with. Using synthetics instead of “humans” was a very clever decision. This is how they get around that PG-13 rating, as there is no blood, but Dek is still able to rip them apart!
Action, Effects, and a Tight Budget
The action scenes in Predator: Badlands are awesome, and I have said this already, but they got around the no doubt forced on them age rating as best they could. This movie looks amazing, and I was shocked to see it was made for around 100 million dollars! The filmmakers here pretty much did everything just right, and there is a great mixture of practical and CG effects. Having Dek be mostly a dude in a suit works really well, and there were never any moments where I felt like the CG looked too much like a video game. I have seen movies with double the budget of this that look far, far worse.
A Surprising Tone That Works
One of the most surprising things about Predator: Badlands for me was the tone. Prey played it all pretty much straight, but Badlands has some fun humor in it. You may think that humor has no place in a movie like this, but it works, and the duo of Dek and Thia is a whole lot of fun.
Final Thoughts: A Top-Tier Predator Entry
I grew up with the original Predator, so that will always be my favorite. However, I am having a very hard time picking between Prey and Badlands for my second-favorite Predator movie! This was a ton of fun, and while I was sure I was going to like it, I liked it even more than I thought I would. I think that I have to see this again before I can say for sure if I think it is better than Prey. I loved this so much, I very well may go and see it in the theatre again before it finishes its run.
