Streets will never forget how Dan Trachtenberg single handedly revived this franchise, unreal stuff!

Uzun zamandır, insanların tamamen devre dışı kaldığı ve yalnızca Predator’ların kendi evreninde geçen bir film izlemek istiyordum. Predator: Badlands bu isteğimi tamamen olmasa da tatmin edici bir ölçüde karşıladı. Hikaye tarafında çok derin ya da karmaşık bir yapı yok; konu oldukça sade ilerliyor. Ancak buna rağmen görsellik, yeni yaratık tasarımları ve aksiyonun temposu filmi ayakta tutmayı başarıyor. Özellikle Predator kültürüne ve dünyasına dair detaylar görmek keyifliydi. Film aksiyonu diri tutuyor, sıkmıyor ve göze hoş gelen sahneler sunuyor. En büyük hayal kırıklığım filmin tonunda yatıyor. Predator gibi vahşetle özdeşleşmiş bir ırkın bu kadar yumuşatılması, yer yer kahramanlaştırılması ve küçük şakalarla desteklenmesi serinin ruhuna ters geliyor. Daha karanlık, daha acımasız ve kanlı bir anlatım bu evrene çok daha yakışırdı. Badlands kötü bir film değil ama Predator evreninin ne kadar sert olabileceğini de hatırlatmıyor. Sonuç olarak Badlands, klasik Predator formülünden farklı bir anlatım denemesi sunuyor. Herkese hitap etmeyebilir ama evreni genişletme ve farklı bir bakış açısı deneme konusunda cesur bir film.

The movie and story itself is done well enough. But as a predator movie it feels out of place. This is essentially a quest movie where a boy goes on a tough mission to prove himself and makes new friends along the way. In my opinion, the predator creature ought to be left mysterious and evil, not personified into a caring family/friend unit. Apart from this movie, I've only seen the first two predator movies, so perhaps some of the other movies have already gone down this road. But to me it diminishes the "monster" aspect that we saw in the original movie. Nothing ruins a villain more than "they're not really bad, just misunderstood." Also (spoilers ahead) the prey, the Kalisk, is meant to be the unkillable beast that has foiled predators thus far. But when it is killed/captured, it's done rather easily by a non-predator using predator technology. It's kind of hard to believe this is the one prey that predators have not mastered even though their weaponry was already up to the task.

[English + French] Critic More detailed in English 🇬🇧🇺🇸 Predator: Badlands (2025) – Dan Trachtenberg. After a strong comeback in 2022 with Prey, the Predator comes back in 2025, this time as the main character. It is a bold choice: for almost forty years, the legendary hunter of cinema has never really been explored, always shown as a silent, deadly shadow. From the very first minutes, we are in a hunt led by Dek, our main character. Tribal sounds follow all the movie and fit perfectly with the tone of the movie, showing a hunter from a culture where hunting is a founding tradition. A training fight with his brother Kwei quickly shows the brutality and skill of this species, using weapons and the environment very efficiently, just like in the previous movies. The story is about Dek’s first hunt to rejoin his clan. It is simple, but it makes sense for the species. What really works in the movie is the setting: a hostile planet full of alien creatures, each one more dangerous than the other. The fauna and flora are creative and coherent, helping the audience feel part of the hunt. The special effects are very good. The Predator home planet, Yautja Prime, is shown with cliffs and dry landscapes of sand and dust. We can feel a rough, primitive way of life, far from the cliché of a highly advanced civilization. Only one shot of a fortified mountain shows a living place, making an interesting contrast with the ships and weapons of the Yautjas. Genna, the planet where most of the story happens, has forests, green plains, and big mountains, shown in wide shots that show the danger around the characters. The fauna and flora depend on each other, some species adapt to the environment or use other life forms to survive. Some creatures blend perfectly with the landscape, sometimes looking like rocks or plants. This makes the planet feel united, as if every animal and plant is part of the same fragile ecosystem where danger is the only rule. Some far textures are blurry, but it does not break the atmosphere. Trachtenberg’s direction is simple and classic: effective but without risk. Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi gives a performance hard to judge, his face hidden behind prosthetics that show only a cold look and stiff posture. Beside him, Elle Fanning plays an android with too much energy, mostly there for unnecessary dialogue. A nearly silent movie focused only on Dek would have been a more daring and interesting choice. The main weak point is the presence of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. At first, it is discreet, but it takes too much space in the story, hiding the first hunt and Dek’s motivation. Trying to connect Predator to Alien again, with a link to the weak series Alien: Earth, makes the story heavier and less primitive. The movie shows a Predator a little more human than usual, which sometimes softens his image as a cold and deadly hunter. This is probably because hunts are shown as sacred moments, where no emotion should appear in front of the prey. We see mostly one scene of a family dispute. This scene, simple but strong, breaks a little the distance we had with the creature, without making him less dangerous. It just gives a nuance: he is a being who, despite his violence, also lives in a social world with tensions and rules. In conclusion, Predator: Badlands is a good idea full of good intentions. The new planet is full of life and gives a fascinating hunting ground. Following the hunter’s point of view after forty years of fearing him helps us understand him better. He shows simply the logic of his own species: a being whose survival and honor are defined by the hunt. It is just a shame the movie feels it must connect to the Alien universe. 🇫🇷 Predator: Badlands (2025) – Dan Trachtenberg. Apres un retour en force en 2022 avec Prey, le Predator revient en 2025, cette fois en tant que protagoniste. Le pari est audacieux : depuis pres de quarante ans, le legendaire chasseur du cinema n’a jamais vraiment ete explore autrement que comme une ombre meurtriere, silencieuse et insaisissable. Des les premieres minutes, nous sommes plonges au coeur d’une traque menee par Dek, notre protagoniste. Des sonorites tribales accompagnent tout le film et s’accordent parfaitement au ton du film, montrant un chasseur issu d’une culture ou la traque est une tradition fondatrice. Un combat d’entrainement avec son frere Kwei illustre rapidement la brutalite et la maitrise du corps propres a cette espece, maniant armes et environnement avec la meme efficacite que dans les precedents films. Le scenario, centre sur la premiere chasse de Dek pour reintegrer son clan, est simple mais logique pour l’espece. Ce qui fait la force du film, c’est surtout son decor : une planete inhospitaliere peuplee d’especes extraterrestres toutes plus dangereuses les unes que les autres. La faune et la flore sont inventives, coherentes et renforcent l’immersion dans la traque. Les effets speciaux sont reussis. La planete natale des Predators, Yautja Prime, est montree avec falaises et paysages arides de sable et de poussiere. On y devine un mode de vie rude et primitif, loin du cliche d’une civilisation technologiquement avancee. Seul un plan d’une montagne fortifiee laisse entrevoir un lieu d’habitat, creant un contraste interessant avec les vaisseaux et armes des Yautjas. Genna, ou se deroule la majeure partie de l’histoire, offre forets, plaines verdoyantes et montagnes, sublimees par de grands plans qui soulignent le danger autour des protagonistes. La faune et la flore s’appuient les unes sur les autres, certaines especes s’adaptant a l’environnement ou utilisant d’autres formes de vie pour survivre. Des creatures se fondent parfaitement dans le decor, donnant a la planete une impression d’unite, ou chaque organisme contribue a un ecosysteme fragile ou le danger est omnipresent. La mise en scene de Trachtenberg reste sobre et classique : efficace mais sans risque. Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi livre une prestation difficile a evaluer, son visage cache par des protheses montrant seulement un regard froid et une posture rigide. A ses cotes, Elle Fanning joue un androide energique, surtout presente pour des dialogues dispensables. Un film presque muet, centré sur Dek, aurait ete un pari plus audacieux et captivant. Le point faible principal est la presence de la Weyland-Yutani Corporation. Au debut discrète, elle prend trop d’importance, eclipsant la chasse initiale et les motivations de Dek. Le lien avec l’univers Alien, notamment via la mediocre serie Alien: Earth, alourdit le scenario qui aurait gagne a rester visceral et primitif. Le film montre un Predator un peu plus humain que d’habitude, ce qui attenue par moments son image de chasseur froid. Cela vient sans doute du fait que les chasses sont sacrees, ou rien ne doit trahir la moindre emotion devant la proie. On voit surtout une scene de dispute familiale, qui casse un peu la distance avec la creature sans la rendre moins redoutable. Cela apporte juste une nuance : un etre qui, malgre sa violence, vit aussi dans un cadre social avec tensions et regles. En conclusion, Predator: Badlands est une bonne idee pleine de bonnes intentions. La planete est pleine de vie et offre un terrain de chasse fascinant. Suivre le point de vue du chasseur, apres quarante ans a le craindre, permet de mieux le comprendre. Il montre simplement la logique de sa propre espece : un etre dont la survie et l’honneur passent par la traque. Dommage seulement que le film se sente oblige de se raccrocher a l’univers Alien.

Warning!! This is NOT a documentary about the Predator Triton, at all!! 😡

A girl may dream, no?

I feel there's love in the air today!!

Yautja hunt alone 😠

Everyone's one until shit gets real!

When you're the predator daddy 🤌

🤤

I was expecting the same story again but this exceeded my expectations.Not sure on the actual predator design though it looks off to me. Still good movie.

I went to the cinema last night in Uxbridge (Greater London) to watch it with 3 work friends and the place was empty! Its only been out 4 days here. I LOVED it, I was entertained. It kinda reminded me of Guardians of the Galaxy 🤣 I would totally watch it again! It was visually phenomenal. I like all Predator movies though, even AvP so perhaps the bar is low. PREY & Killer of Killers was awesome too, Dan T is brilliant. My friends (one in 20's m, 30's m and 50's f - I'm in 40's) unanimously hated it!! They said it was worse than Aliens: Romulus - which was really terrible IMO!!! I kinda felt sad that not one of them liked the idea of a runt predator earning his stripes and making a family. 😊 I can't wait to find out where they go with this. 5 stars.

I needed time to process my feelings on this, as I'm very conflicted as a lifelong fan. First, I love the direct inclusion of weyland yutani to predators, just cementing the universes again... Now, what the actual fuck was this movie... I just don't know what to feel or think, but this was and was not a predator movie. This was a direct tie-in to promote Alien Earth and whatever predator stuff we get, plus Killer of Killers... As for Dek, I liked him, and I get that not ever is the same, but this was very contradictory, while still remaining decent enough for a PG-13 flick. I really just don't know...