No spoilers. These thoughts will be short, sweet, and to the point. If you’ve seen any or all of the Predator films, liked at least two of them or even disliked any of them, you should watch Predators: Badlands (Dan Trachtenberg, 2025). If you like sci-fi/fantasy action films, you should watch this film. If you’re neutral towards or very fond of Elle Fanning as an actress, you should absolutely watch this film in theatre.
I’ve seen more of Dakota Fanning‘s films than of Elle’s, but Predator: Badlands has motivated me to take a closer look at her filmography. She’s not just delivering her lines very well in playing two characters of opposite dispositions, but her physical performance is excellent. She makes having just a torso and a bit of synthetic backbone very real. This film is funnier than I imagined without being stupid. Aside from the limb-loss violence, it’s arguably a thematically wholesome film… which is also a reason that some Predator franchise fans may not love it.
I’ve avoided reading any reviews or discussions of the film because I didn’t want to know anything beyond what’s in the trailer. I’ve already delved into a reddit discussion of it and now can watch a dozen YouTube videos about references that the viewer may have missed. I might watch it again within the next week.
Original pic cred: IMDB (I like the German version of the poster more than the American)
Sitting Pugs: Sports Movies 