Outcast from his clan, a young Predator finds an unlikely ally and embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary. A film by Dan Trachtenberg, starring Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi.
PREDATOR
BADLANDS
Dan Trachtenberg
(2025)
A young Yautja named Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) has been training with his older brother Kwei (Mike Homik), who helps prepare him for his first hunt. Each Yautja must choose a target and bring back proof of the kill to earn their place among the clan and become a true Predator.
While scanning through planets, Dek spots Genna and chooses it as his hunting ground. Kwei disapproves of Dek’s decision, warning that it’s the home planet of the Kalisk, a creature so fearsome that even their father avoids confronting it. Determined to prove himself, Dek vows to be the first to kill a Kalisk.
Moments later, their father Njohrr (Reuben de Jong) arrives and activates a Laser Force Field, trapping Dek. He orders Kwei to kill his brother. Njohrr reveals he had previously commanded Kwei to kill Dek in his sleep, but Kwei disobeyed. He declares Dek weak and unfit to be a Yautja, insisting that only through his death can the clan’s honor be preserved.
Kwei defies their father and shatters the Force Field, using a mechanical tentacle arm to pull Dek back into his ship. He engages Njohrr in brutal combat but is quickly overpowered, losing his arm to his father’s blade. In his final moments, Kwei sets his ship on a collision course with planet Genna, Dek still aboard. Njohrr condemns Kwei’s love for his brother as weakness and decapitates him.
After crash-landing in the forests of planet Genna, Dek quickly realizes that everything on this planet is trying to eat him. While tracking the Kalisk, he encounters a damaged Weyland-Yutani synthetic named Thia (Elle Fanning), who offers to lead him to the creature in exchange for taking her back to her camp.
Dek refuses at first, insisting he works alone. He reconsiders after Thia saves his life and persuades him to see her as nothing more than a tool. Later, Thia explains that the camp was destroyed by the Kalisk in an attack that cost her both legs. Thia tells him she was separated from Tessa, another synthetic who fought to protect her when the creature struck.
Meanwhile, Tessa is recovered and brought to a Weyland-Yutani facility, where she undergoes repair and reactivation. The mother computer orders her to complete the mission, warning that continued failure will result in decommission. Tessa leads a squad of synthetic soldiers to track down Thia.
While hunting a Bone Bison in a Razor Grass field, they encounter a native creature also stalking the same prey. The creature joins them after saving Dek from a Luna Bug attack. Thia names it Bud. After they kill a Bone Bison, Bud spits on Dek, which irritates him. Thia suggests that Bud is marking him as part of her clan.
The next morning, Dek decides to leave the sleeping Bud behind and continues on with Thia. They arrive at the wreckage of the camp, where Thia finds her lower half and attempts to reattach it. She tells Dek to leave, revealing that her true mission was to capture the Kalisk and that she’s already called Tessa. If he stays, he’ll be killed. Dek realizes Thia has been using him from the start. In a rage, he ignites an oil spill, triggering a massive explosion to draw out the Kalisk.
The Kalisk appears and charges at Dek. Through the brutal fight, Dek discovers why the Kalisk is considered the ultimate apex predator. It possesses extraordinary regenerative powers, instantly regrowing any severed limbs. When Dek finally manages to decapitate it, the head rapidly reattaches itself to the body, and the creature overpowers him. Just as the Kalisk moves in for the kill, it hesitates, smelling something on Dek. Confused, it pulls back. At that moment, Tessa and her squad arrive, capturing both Dek and the Kalisk with freeze grenades.
Directed by American filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg and written by Patrick Aison, PREDATOR: BADLANDS is a sci-fi action film that follows a young Yautja cast out by his own father, who sees him as weak and unfit for the clan. Driven to prove his worth, the young Predator sets out on a perilous mission to hunt down one of the deadliest creatures in the universe.
Yautja, also known as Predators, are a extraterrestrial species in the Predator franchise. They are an advanced, spacefaring humanoid race known primarily for their cultural dedication to hunting. Yautja stand around 7’6″ tall and have distinctive physical traits such as dreadlocks and arthropod-like mandibles. Their society revolves around ritualistic hunting, where they hunt dangerous prey for sport, status, and honor rather than for survival. Young Yautja start as “Unblooded,” proving themselves through challenging hunts, especially against worthy prey like the Xenomorph. Successful hunts elevate their status within the clan, leading to ranks such as Blooded, Elite, Hunter, and even the rare Alpha or Ancient, revered almost as gods.
BADLANDS is the PREDATOR movie I didn’t know we needed. The story takes us down a fresh path, offering a glimpse into Predator culture where they live in primitive compounds (think MAD MAX) while still wielding their signature cloaking technology and advanced weaponry.
The action choreography is exhilarating, the creature designs are stunning, and the film boasts a powerful soundtrack paired with breathtaking landscape cinematography. It delivers everything you’d want from a Predator movie.
Elle Fanning gives a compelling performance as the Weyland-Yutani Corporation synthetics Thia and Tessa. That said, I can’t help but think how much more unsettling it would’ve been if they’d cast Dakota Fanning as Tessa opposite Elle’s Thia. The sister pairing would have added an extra layer of menace.
PREDATOR: BADLANDS premiered at the TCL Chinese Theatre on 3 November 2025. The film was theatrically released in the United States on 7 November 2025.
