Predator: Badlands follows Dek, a Yautja runt flung onto the lethal world of Genna, where he forms an uneasy alliance with Thia, a damaged Weyland Yutani synthetic. Their hunt for the regenerating Kalisk brings sharp set pieces, striking practical effects and a surprising emotional pull, helped by strong turns from Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster Koloamatangi. The hostile planet provides great visual texture and the film's buddy dynamic often proves engaging.
The trouble is that the script leans on familiar genre beats and reshapes the Predator into a more sympathetic figure, which clashes with the legacy of the original films. By the time Dek returns home to confront his father and claim his place, the film feels rewarding on its own terms yet oddly mismatched with the franchise it inhabits. Good, entertaining and heartfelt, but ultimately too far from the creature that once terrified cinema.
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