“Predator: Badlands”, the latest installment from the Predator franchise, is another surprisingly solid piece of entertainment to admire and enjoy. Like its two recent predecessors “Prey” (2022) and “Predator: Killer of Killers” (2025), the movie tries some refreshing and interesting variations with what has been so familiar to us for years, and the overall result is successful enough to bring more energy and spirit to the franchise.

At the beginning, we are introduced to Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), a young Predator who has been eager to prove himself although he is relatively more imposing than many of his clan members including his father. Despite his earnest efforts, his father, who is incidentally the chief of their clan, is already ready to eliminate him, but he manages to escape from his home planet at the last minute, and he eventually finds himself stranded in some other alien planet.

However, this alien planet is quite dangerous to say the least. There are many different creatures on the planet, and, as Dek soon comes to learn, most of them are pretty lethal as your average predators. In the end, he really needs someone to help him, and then he comes across Thia (Elle Fanning), a damaged android robot sent from the Earth. Although she lost the lower half of her body, Thia is fairly functional on the whole, and she is also willing to help Dek locating a certain local creature.

That local creature in question has been regarded as something quite challenging even for more experienced Predators like Dek’s father. Nevertheless, Dek is very determined to hunt and then kill it for proving himself, so he accepts Thia’s offer despite his initial reluctance. While Dek is often quite serious and rather humorless, Thia is programmed to be plucky and sensitive, and we are often amused by this humorous personality contrast of this mismatched duo – especially when they are later joined by a little creature which somehow looks both cute and ungainly.

As Dek and Thia continue their risky quest, the movie fills its alien world with vivid mood and details to observe and appreciate. While being reminiscent of James Cameron’s “Avatar” (2009) to some degree at times, the alien world of “Predator: Badlands” actually looks much richer than its subtitle suggests, and the movie often lets us get immersed more into its alien world whenever it is not on action mode. In addition, it also pays a lot of attention to the relationship development between its two very different main characters along the story, and it is poignant to observe how Dek comes to bond with his unexpected companion a lot more than he can admit.

Meanwhile, the situation becomes a bit more complicated as another main figure enters later in the story. That figure in question is Tessa, Thia’s twin android robot who is also played by Fanning. After being restored and reprogrammed by the supervising computer of that evil corporation in the Alien franchise, Tessa is ready to get their mission accomplished by any means necessary, and it goes without saying that she will eventually stand on Thia and Dek’s way.

During the last act, the movie provides a lot of action, and we are surely thrilled and excited as expected, but we also come to care more as the movie stays focused on what is going on among its main characters as before. Via his strained but meaningful relationship with Thia, Dek comes to learn that care and compassion are not a weakness at all, and we are not so surprised when he changes his mind after learning something about his hunting target.

The two lead performers are terrific as ably complementing each other from the beginning to the end. Although his acting is accompanied with a lot of CGI and voice manipulation, newcomer Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi brings enough physicality and personality to his character, and his strong performance here in this film is the main reason why the movie works as an engaging coming-of-age drama. On the opposite, Elle Fanning, who will impress us again in this year with her recent acclaimed supporting turn in Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value” (2025), has a lot of fun with swinging back and forth between her two opposing characters, and her compelling double performance always brings some extra charge to the movie.

The movie is directed by Dan Trachtenberg, who drew our attention with his first feature film “10 Cloverfield Lane” (2016) and then made “Prey” and “Predator: Killer of Killers”. While “Prey” unexpectedly brought some unexpected fresh air of change to the franchise, “Predator: Killer of Killers” generated more potential for the franchise as a stylish animation film, and both these two films and “Predator: Badlands” certainly show us together that Trachtenberg is a talented filmmaker willing to take a chance for going further with the franchise he clearly respects and loves.

In conclusion, “Predator: Badlands” is recommendable for not only its exciting action scenes but also its compelling storytelling coupled with enough mood and personality. As reflected by what is brief shown around its end credits, there will certainly be more Predator flicks during next several years, but the movie recharges the franchise as well as its two recent predecessors, and you may come to have more expectation after it is over. In short, this is one of the more enjoyable Hollywood blockbuster products of this year, and I assure you that you will root for this alien lad a lot.