The Predator franchise began with muscled-up, R-rated action, but Predator: Badlands makes it clear that Disney’s vision for the property is PG-13 sci-fi that feels more in line with Star Wars. 

Predator: Badlands shifts the perspective, giving us a protagonist Predator (or Yautja, as they’re called canonically) named Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi). Much like Prey, Dek is considered weak by his clan because he’s not a skilled hunter like his older brother, except in Predator world, weakness is brutally snuffed out, so his lack of skills could cost him his life.

As part of a ritual to prove his worthiness, Dek decides to hunt an unkillable monster feared by all the Yatuja. He lands on the creature’s planet—which might as well be space Australia with all the deadly nature—and stumbles upon a damaged Weyland-Yutani synth named Thia (Elle Fanning), who was sent to the world along with her robot twin Tessa before getting separated. 

The two team up, despite Dek’s insistence that Yautja only hunt alone, and soon they form a friendship. They’re even joined by a cute little CGI creature Thia nicknames “Bud” as they try to survive through various action sequences and monster attacks. 

If this feels more like a YA sci-fi story than a spine-ripping Predator movie, that’s because it is. 

The “I have to prove myself to my father” storyline and plucky robot friendship are far more tonally similar to recent Star Wars than anything we’ve seen in previous Predator or Alien movies. In fact, the whole film feels like it could have easily been a Disney+ Star Wars spinoff that was later retrofitted to be about characters from the Predator/Alien IP. 

This Disneyfication can feel jarring, especially for those of us who hold the original Predator film in such high regard, but if you’re able to accept the sanding down of all the franchise’s edges, you can still have some fun with Predator: Badlands. 

The pace is brisk, with a runtime under two hours and well-rendered action scenes. Some of the creature concepts are fun, and the world-building is enjoyable. From sentient vines to a field of razor-sharp grass, this planet is like a more violent version of Pandora from Avatar. 

The dynamic between our two lead characters mostly works, leaning hard on the familiar trope of the gruff guy learning sensitivity from the lighthearted girl. It’s an interesting choice to give personality and depth to a mandible-faced killer we’ve only seen collaborate with humans in brief moments like the so-bad-it’s-good Alien vs. Predator. While Thia isn’t technically human, her wide-eyed warmth and positive attitude make her the exact manic pixie dream bot to crack through Dex’s icy exterior with Marvel-style banter and lessons about the value of emotions.

While we may be a long way from the amazing original film, Predator: Badlands is far from the worst entry in the series. Generic and watered-down? Yes, but it has a coherent (if way too simplified) story and clear characters—and you can actually see what’s happening on the screen, unlike the abysmal Alien vs. Predator: Requiem. 

It’s kind of funny to think of Predator heading in a more family-friendly direction when the Alien franchise has maintained some edge and cachet with Alien: Romulus and the Alien: Earth series. It’s even stranger to think that both stories began with spine rips and chest bursters, and now we have Yautja telling jokes and adorable animal sidekicks for Disney to try to turn into the next Baby Yoda.