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Predator: Badlands’ Draws Divided Early Reviews Ahead of Friday Theatrical Debut

Trachtenberg pivots the series to a young Predator protagonist with understated Alien-universe links.

Overview

  • Predator: Badlands opens November 7 exclusively in theaters across IMAX, Dolby Cinema, RealD 3D, Cinemark XD, 4DX and ScreenX.
  • Early critiques praise the film’s scale, creature work and performances, highlighting Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as Dek and Elle Fanning’s dual synth roles.
  • Reviewers frequently fault the PG-13 approach for ‘bloodless’ violence, note uneven CGI and dialogue, and flag a tonal shift away from the franchise’s harsher horror roots.
  • The story follows Dek, a young Yautja outcast on the lethal planet Genna, who forms an unlikely alliance with a Weyland-Yutani synthetic named Thia during a hunt for the Kalisk.
  • Trachtenberg says Weyland-Yutani and synth elements are intentional, low-key connections to the Alien canon designed to expand the universe without a direct crossover.