Predator: Badlands

"First hunt. Last chance."

2025 1h 47m EN

🙌

7.8

BANGER

🍅

86%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.2

IMDB

★7.8TMDB · 3,761🍅86%Rotten Tomatoes●71Metacritic★7.2IMDB · 143,246

ActionScience FictionAdventure

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Cast out from his clan, a young Predator finds an unlikely ally in a damaged android and embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary.

“First hunt. Last chance.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Elle Fanning
Thia / Tessa
Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi
Dek / Father
Ravi Narayan
Bud
Michael Homick
Kwei (Suit)
Stefan Grube
Kwei (voice)
Reuben De Jong
Father (Suit)
Cameron Brown
Drone Synth
Alison Wright
MU/TH/UR (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Dan Trachtenberg
Writers: Patrick Aison, Dan Trachtenberg, Patrick Aison
Languages: English, French
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

$105M budget — tentpole studio territory.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released last year.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Predator Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Dan Trachtenberg, shot by Jeff Cutter. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Sarah Schachner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Stefan Grube shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi and Ravi Narayan carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Dan Trachtenberg directs. Jeff Cutter behind the camera. Sarah Schachner scores. Stefan Grube cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1$105M budget — tentpole studio territory.
2Released last year.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.
4Part of the "Predator Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Dan Trachtenberg, shot by Jeff Cutter. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Sarah Schachner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Stefan Grube shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi and Ravi Narayan carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "First hunt. Last chance.".
10IMDB entry: tt31227572 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 20 themes, including "sequel", "survival", "outcast", "alien planet".
12Released under 12 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Jeff Cutter
Original score: Sarah Schachner
Editing: Stefan Grube
Production design: Ra Vincent
Costume design: Ngila Dickson
VFX supervisor: Olivier Dumont
Sound: Brandon Proctor
Stunt coordinator: Jacob Tomuri
Runtime: 107 min · 1h 47m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $105,000,000
Box office: $184,500,000
Return: 176% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Predator: Badlands (2025)
Rotten Tomatoes: 86% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 71/100
IMDB rating: 7.2/10 · 143,246 votes
MPAA: PG-13

Awards

3 wins & 22 nominations total

Part of

Predator Collection

A science fiction action film series centered on a warrior class extraterrestrial species with technologically advanced weaponry that travel to Earth to trophy hunt human beings.

Also by

Dan Trachtenberg

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Manuel São Bento2025-11-06
★ 7/10
FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://movieswetextedabout.com/predator-badlands-movie-review-dan-trachtenberg-earns-the-franchise-keys-by-flipping-the-hunt/ "Predator: Badlands is an audacious exercise in reinvention that takes a risk and triumphs. The movie excels in every technical department, featuring a spectacle of creature design and sound work, and offering a new thematic vision for the saga's longevity. Elle Fanning's superb performance and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi's powerful physicality ensure Dek's journey — the creature who forgoes the Yautja code of honor in search of a deeper, collective capability — won't leave anyone indifferent. If there were still doubts that Dan Trachtenberg deserves the keys to the franchise, they've been dissipated once again. It leaves us with the important message that even in the most lethal and solitary of cultures, cooperation and compassion can be the most powerful forms of survival." Rating: B+
Chris Sawin2025-11-11
★ 9/10
Predator: Badlands is the first Predator film since 2022’s Prey. It is also the second Predator-related media released this year. Hulu’s animated anthology film, Predator: Killer of Killers, is now streaming. All three titles were directed and/or written by Dan Trachtenberg. Badlands follows Dek, a young Predator who yearns for his father's approval but struggles to escape the shadow of his bigger and older brother Kwei. Their father, viewing proud Yautja lineage as something reserved for only the strongest, sees Dek as weak and useless—wanting him dead to preserve the family’s honor. Dek’s perceived weakness, being the runt, drives both his father’s harsh stance and Dek’s desperate need to prove himself. However, Kwei believes Dek deserves a chance to prove himself, hoping Dek can live up to his family's legacy. Predators choose their prey. Dek, eager to earn his father's respect and prove he’s not only a worthy warrior but also superior, selects Genna—a planet with a low survival rate. Dek chooses the Kalisk as his target, a predator believed to be unkillable, in an attempt to demonstrate his own fearlessness. When Dek’s father kills Kwei, Dek’s drive turns to vengeance, and, after surviving and escaping to Genna, he must now capture the Kalisk both to prove himself and to avenge his brother. The Yautja are a proud and stubborn race that hunts alone. Dek tries to prove himself by surviving the perils of Genna. He reluctantly saves Thia (Elle Fanning), a damaged synthetic, hoping she can guide him. Thia says she's searching for her sister, Tessa, and knows where the Kalisk is, motivated by the desire for reunion. Dek brings her, unaware that he and the Weyland-Yutani Corporation pursue the same prey for their own ends. Badlands is a lot of firsts for the Predator franchise. It’s the first time a Predator was named in any film. It is also the first time a Predator is a protagonist. The Yautja language was created by Britton Watkins, who was recommended by Paul Frommer, the creator of the Na’vi language for Avatar. Dan Trachtenberg is eager to build a new Alien vs. Predator film or franchise, but wants to do it right. Predator: Badlands includes Easter eggs connecting those two cinematic universes and one more. Badlands features pulse rifles from Aliens. The Weyland-Yutani logo on the back of Thia’s eyes resembles Andy’s eyes in Alien: Romulus. Dek’s armor and weapon preparation before the final battle is an homage to Amber Midthunder’s in Prey, which was already a nod to Dutch’s prep before the last battle in the original Predator. Tessa uses a power loader similar to the one Ripley uses to fight the Alien Queen in Aliens. A Harvester skull from Independence Day is visible on Kwei’s trophy wall. Badlands runs a tight 107 minutes and is nearly nonstop action. Influences include Frank Frazetta, Terrence Malick, films like Shane (1953), The Road Warrior, Conan the Barbarian, The Book of Eli, Clint Eastwood westerns, Jaws, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and Star Wars; video games such as Shadow of the Colossus, Half-Life 2, Uncharted, God of War; and the comic book character Drax the Destroyer. Genna is so deadly that Dek is surrounded by wildlife and otherworldly creatures out to kill him. Predator: Badlands channels Mad Max: Fury Road, letting non-stop action lead until the credits. Emphasis on the Yautja language (a universal translator allows characters to hear their native tongue), brutal action, and animals in the storyline give Badlands an ambiance similar to Genndy Tartakovsky’s animated epic, Primal. Badlands has more visual effects shots than any other Predator film. The film credits several VFX studios, including Weta Workshop and ILM, for bringing this visual powerhouse to life. The film looks incredible, thanks in part to its breathtaking cinematography and nearly flawless visual effects. Each action sequence blends creativity, intense violence, and masterful CGI. Every battle is unforgettable, like when Dek cuts a bone bison in half in slow-motion with his plasma sword. The film skirts its PG-13 rating through violence, avoiding an R-rating since almost all onscreen blood is green from predators or white from synthetics. The only flaw in Predator: Badlands is its straightforwardness and lack of depth. However, this film doesn't need complexity. It's easily one of the year's best action movies. Trachtenberg references past franchise films without simply repeating stories. You're invested in Dek, Thia, and Bud (a native creature bonded to Dek), and you notice almost every Easter egg. Yet, the story still feels fresh. Wherever Predator goes next, it promises a new journey for fans. Savage, badass, and brutal, Predator: Badlands is the most action-packed Predator film yet. See this one in theaters for the best picture and sound—it’s worth every penny.
CinemaSerf2025-11-20
★ 6/10
“Dek” is the runt of the “Yautja” clan so his militaristic father has asked his elder brother “Kwei” to get rid of him. Luckily, his brother isn’t so brutal and so with an impossible task on his hands to prove his worth, “Dek” manages to escape to a planet where he seeks to make a trophy from the menacing “Kalisk”. Thing is, this place is riddled with all sorts of flesh-eating monsters and plants so his own survival chances aren’t especially high until he encounters the top half of synthetic “Thia” (Elle Fanning) who is quite hot on keeping him alive and who agrees to work with him to achieve his task. It turns out, though, that she and her mission doppelgänger “Tessa” are on this world for a similar reason and him getting back home is not in their plans, let alone home with a creature that has impressive regenerative powers. What chance the young “Dek” can achieve his task, or perhaps even better - do something his tribe never do and learn to cooperate and maybe even make friends? Now it is fractionally better, but for the most part this really just reminded me of Adam Driver’s “65” (2023) as the whole premise of the “Predator” - the menacing and all-conquering alpha hunter - is abandoned in favour of this great looking but derivative story of survival with fangs against critters and plants that could have caused a stir in “Star Trek” in the 1960s. By flipping the established plot on it’s head like this, Dan Trachtenberg is almost asking us to sympathise for “Dek” rather than hide behind the sofa, and this manages to disappointingly humanise him - albeit monosyllabically - and reduce any sense of menace to a bare minimum. Sorry, but I was underwhelmed by the whole thing.