Predator: Badlands (2025) Reviews: What Critics Said

Editorial note: This is a roundup of published criticism of Predator: Badlands. Celluloid has not screened the film for this piece, and it carries no Celluloid rating. The critics are named and linked under Sources.

Is Predator: Badlands worth watching?

Most critics say yes: turning a young Predator into the hero and pairing him with a chatty android gives the series a fresh, funny and unexpectedly warm instalment. Reviewers praised Dan Trachtenberg’s inventive action, the rapport between the two leads and Elle Fanning in particular. The main reservation, pressed hardest by The A.V. Club, is that the gentler buddy-movie approach trades away the mystery and dread that made the Predator frightening.

What is Predator: Badlands about?

Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) is a young Predator, the runt of his clan, who has been cast out. Alone, he finds an unlikely ally in Thia (Elle Fanning), a damaged Weyland-Yutani android, and the pair set off on a dangerous journey in search of the ultimate adversary. Fanning also plays a second android, Tessa.

Dan Trachtenberg, who also made Prey, directs from a screenplay by Patrick Aison. Released in 2025, Predator: Badlands runs 107 minutes.

What critics praised

The central idea won over most reviewers. In Empire, Nick de Semlyen called it the most fun the series has been since the original, a geeky mix of lurid science fiction, comedy and rowdy action with more heart than anyone had reason to expect. He found the pairing of a surly Predator playing straight man to Fanning’s cheerful synthetic extremely winning, and enjoyed the inventive action and the affectionate nods to the franchise’s history.

William Bibbiani of TheWrap went further, calling it mainstream science fiction at its best and reading it as a pointed story about the limits of machismo told inside a macho action franchise. He argued that Fanning turns what could have been a disposable sidekick into something genuinely compelling, moving deftly between wide-eyed fascination and weary irritation, and felt her work deserved awards attention.

Tim Grierson in Screen Daily found it consistently entertaining, full of propulsive set pieces, and credited Trachtenberg with rising above the cheesier side of the series. He praised the grounded performances, Schuster-Koloamatangi’s towering physicality and the quiet vulnerability beneath it, and the touching rapport between the leads despite the heavy digital work. In Time Out, Olly Richards welcomed the mismatched buddy-movie premise and argued that Trachtenberg is enriching the franchise with each film.

Where critics were divided

Even admirers had caveats. De Semlyen felt the film lacks the visual awe of the best space epics and that a slight numbness sets in when computer-generated monsters take over. Grierson thought the themes a little simplistic and some of the bonding between outcasts corny, and suggested Fanning occasionally overplays Thia’s talkativeness.

Justine Smith of Little White Lies admired the tactile world-building, the textured creature design and the likeable leads, but found the story predictable and short of edge, closer in spirit to The Mandalorian than to a Predator film. She was also disappointed by a drab setting for the finale after so much imaginative design elsewhere, and felt it did not match Trachtenberg’s earlier Prey.

The sharpest objection came from Jarrod Jones in The A.V. Club. He granted that the action is kinetic and frequent, with strong effects and an energetic score, but argued that Trachtenberg has sanded off the creature’s edges, producing something frictionless and toy-friendly with low stakes. He found Fanning pleasant but generic, felt Dek lacks the primal danger of his species, and thought the film’s swipes at corporate power ring hollow given who made it.

Who is it for?

Critics suggest this is for viewers open to a lighter, character-led take on the franchise, and for anyone who enjoys an odd-couple adventure. Those who want the stalking terror of the original may side with Jones and Smith. It is rated PG-13 in the US and 12A in the UK, but Richards stressed that it remains full of killing, gore and brutal action, so it is not one for younger children. The Weyland-Yutani connection will interest fans of Aliens, and there is more on the sci-fi shelf.

The critical verdict

Most critics welcomed Predator: Badlands as a bold and surprisingly tender reinvention, with Dan Trachtenberg’s lively action and a standout turn from Elle Fanning at its centre. Several noted simple themes and patchy spectacle, and a minority, led by The A.V. Club, felt that making the Predator sympathetic removes what made it frightening. The overall view is a clear recommendation for anyone willing to see the hunter from the other side.