Predator: Badlands (2025) Dir: Dan Trachtenberg
- Ridley Coote
- 7 hours ago
- 2 min read
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The prospect of a new entry into the 'Predator' franchise would, four years ago, been met with nothing but apathy from me, considering how poor the vast majority of the film's had been before that, with the exception of the classic original. But, with this film being directed by Dan Trachtenberg, who directed the two most recent films in the franchise, including the highly acclaimed 'Prey', which I loved, my feelings towards this newest film were much more enthusiastic.
The film was typified by its extremely cool soundtrack, which really got the heart thumping, and complimented the epic on-screen action brilliantly. As far as the cinematography concerned, I enjoyed the world and creature designs, as well as the majority of the shot selection, but I was ever-so-slightly underwhelmed by one or two action sequences, in which the camera moved in a slightly distracting way.
As far as the story concerned, I loved how this film pivoted between badass revenge story very wholesome found family story - it may not be the typical arc for a Yautja, but it is not the first time we have seen the legendary predator species team up with others in the name of survival; 'Alien Vs Predator', being the most well-known example. Even so, I was a little hesitant about the film initially, but by halfway through I was well and truly enveloped in the fun and the action. I could really see and feel the visual and writing style of Trachtenberg coming through.
Dimitrius starred in the film, and helped make his character both interesting and full of personality, something we haven't seen as much of in the franchise, to this point. I also thought he looked very smooth, in regards to his action sequences, another aspect of his performance which made his casting feel well-earned. Elle Fanning took a little while to grow on me in this role - this had a lot to do with her character having too much silly dialogue towards the beginning of her introduction, but once her character settled into the film, she really won me over. I also want to give a very quick mention to Rohinal Nayaran for their very endearing performance as one of the unexpected joys of the film.
Overall, I thought this was a ripping good time of an action survival film, which took the most fun aspects of the 'Predator' franchise and ran with them as far as they could. The story may not have been as driven as in 'Prey', but the action and the comedy of the film more than made up for it. I had such a good time watching this film, and, with a sequel teased at the very least, I will absolutely be keeping my eye out for more Dan Trachtenberg-led films from the world of 'Predator'.
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