Predator: Badlands (Christian Movie Review)

With an uneven tone and surprisingly tame story, Predator: Badlands may not be better than previous films in the series, but it is certainly bigger, delivering an entertaining, action-packed, sci-fi spectacle.

About the Film 

The iconic predator is no spring chicken, having been on the hunt for nearly 40 years now. The 1987 original film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger is a cult classic in the sci-fi genre, but the series has been languishing ever since. At least, until new director Dan Trachtenberg revitalized the franchise with Prey (2022), arguably the best film in the series, but one that flew under the radar due to the pandemic and a straight-to-streaming release. Trachtenberg returns once again, this time with the chance to put his ambitious vision onto the big screen. With an uneven tone and surprisingly tame story, Predator: Badlands may not be better than previous films in the series, but it is certainly bigger, delivering an entertaining, action-packed, sci-fi spectacle.      

The Predator and Alien franchises exist in a shared universe (a connection front and center in Predator: Badlands). Yet, while Alien: Romulus (2024) sought to revitalize the aging franchise with a back-to-the-roots approach, Trachtenberg does the exact opposite, taking increasingly bold creative swings to subvert audience expectations. Prey distinguished itself by setting the action in the 1700s instead of in the future. Now, Predator: Badlands flips the script again, telling the story from the perspective of the Predator. Turning one of cinema’s most iconic villains into a sympathetic protagonist is a risky decision, and the results are somewhat mixed. 

Whereas the earlier entries in the series capitalized on more intimate, contained settings, Badlands goes big with a vast scope and sweeping imagery. The otherworldly visuals of the alien planet, outside of James Cameron’s Avatar movies, are some of the most impressive put on screen in recent years. It looks spectacular, even if the actual worldbuilding never feels as cohesive as Avatar’s Pandora. But this is a film clearly intended to be experienced on the big screen.

This is easily the most widely accessible film in the franchise—for better or worse. The established horror roots are entirely abandoned in favor of a full-blown sci-fi adventure—more akin to Guardians of the Galaxy than to the original Predator. This is the first film in the series not rated R. It’s not scary (or even very intense), and in the absence of any human characters (all the human actors portray non-human androids called “synthetics”), it lacks the series’ typical violence and gore. In fact, shockingly, Badlands even has less profanity than animated films like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. As a parent, I would have no concerns about watching this with my 10-year-old twin boys. Of course, whether a Predator movie should be accessible to 10-year-olds is debatable.   

Unfortunately, where the film falters is in its indecisive tone. Elle Fanning is an excellent actress, and she portrays two different synthetic characters in the film (including a surprisingly convincing villain), so the fault may lie more with the character and writing than the actress. But her primary character—a synthetic named Thia—almost single-handedly derails the entire film. Her bubbly personality and attempts at goofy comedy are intended to be endearing, but she instead comes across as agonizingly grating and obnoxious. We’re talking about “Jar Jar Binks” levels of annoyance. She’s joined by a cute alien sidekick that is clearly trying to conjure some of that bankable “baby Yoda” magic. When the film plays action and drama with a degree of seriousness and weight, centered on the Predator himself, it works well. However, the unrelenting intrusion of kid-friendly silliness prevents the story from maintaining that momentum.

Predator: Badlands is goofy, fun, and surprisingly wholesome—not words typically associated with this franchise. It is an enjoyable sci-fi adventure, even if it’s not a particularly good “Predators” movie. Abandoning the intimate and stripped-down approach that made Prey such a success is a bold decision that doesn’t entirely work, even if it provides enough crowd-pleasing, popcorn munching entertainment to satisfy audiences. Demystifying the iconic cinematic villain may prove ill-advised for the franchise going forward, but at least for one film, Predator’s heroic turn is an enjoyable ride.   

Strength and Community

Predator: Badlands offers some simple themes and messages that Christians can affirm. The Predator species is defined by strength and power. Although organized among clans, it is the warrior prowess of the individual that ultimately proves their worth to the community (“Yautja hunt alone!”). Dek, the film’s alien protagonist, is a skilled warrior, but a mere runt by the standards of his species and is driven to prove his strength.

His values are challenged by meeting—and reluctantly teaming up with—Thia (Elle Fanning). Questioning her desire to be allies, he says, “You could survive alone.” She responds, “Of course I could survive alone. But who would want to survive alone?” Later, she tells Dek about the wolf packs on Earth, and how the alpha demonstrates strength not by being the most successful killer, but by protecting the pack. Although he is initially unconvinced, he slowly comes around to seeing that strength involves more than just the ability to kill.  

The message that true strength is not found in individualism but in the context of community, echoes a biblical worldview. In scripture, it is written, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17), and “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up” (Ecclesiastes 4:19-12). Christian audiences may also draw parallels to Paul’s writing about the unity of the church body (Romans 12:4-5, 1 Corinthians 12:26-27).