--- title: "Predator: Badlands: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/predator-badlands/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/predator-badlands" critics_score: 75 critics_reviews: 12 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Predator: Badlands (2025): what the critics said Critics' score 75 from 12 reviews: 10 positive, 1 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics like it, and the spread is wider than the average suggests. The praise clusters around two things: Dan Trachtenberg’s decision to make a young Yautja the protagonist on a hostile planet, and Elle Fanning’s synthetic Thia, whose odd-couple partnership with the creature is named by nearly every review as the film’s source of humour and heart. The action gets steady approval for pace and gore, and several reviews single out the creature designs. The reservations gather on what the inversion costs. The AV Club finds the result safe and frictionless, sanded of the series’ nastiness; The Guardian argues that a sympathetic, vulnerable Predator stops being a Predator at all; The Times finds it flat whenever Fanning is off screen; Deadline, the lone outright dismissal, calls it lightweight and short on menace. Even the doubters credit the leads’ chemistry. Screen Daily, otherwise warm, thinks the themes are occasionally simplistic. ## Slant Magazine Rating 3.5/4. 5 November 2025. Trachtenberg delivers the most ambitious Predator film yet, with a young Yautja as fragile prey who forms an unlikely bond on a death planet. The inventive, heart-pounding action is secondary to the film's exploration of empathy and what it means to face death. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/predator-badlands-review-elle-fanning-dan-trachtenberg/) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich Rating B+. 4 November 2025. Trachtenberg challenges the franchise's core premise by centering a young Yautja runt as the protagonist and pairing him with a synthetic ally. Elle Fanning delivers an Oscar-worthy performance as the film's emotional core in this inventive, heartfelt entry. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/predator-badlands-movie-review-1235158691/) ## The Telegraph Rating 4/5. 6 November 2025. The critic calls it absurd fun and the craziest film in the franchise, praising its energy, gruesome thrills, and Elle Fanning’s sparky performance as the unlikely ally to the alien hunter. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2025/11/06/this-absurdly-fun-predator-film-is-the-craziest/) ## Time Out — Olly Richards Rating 4/5. 4 November 2025. The critic praises Trachtenberg's inventive approach of turning the Predator into the hero in a bloody buddy-movie setup with Elle Fanning as a synthetic ally. It highlights the propulsive, gory action sequences and how the film enriches the franchise without losing its fearsome edge. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/predator-badlands-review-2025) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 7 November 2025. Badlands upends the formula by setting the story on the Predators' homeworld and making a young Yautja the central character who bonds with a synthetic. Trachtenberg embraces the universe with clever action and a goofy, charming heart focused on toxic masculinity themes. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/predator-badlands-review-there-are-no-bad-predator-movies.html) ## Los Angeles Times — Joshua Rothkopf Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 12 November 2025. The film has a misshapen gait as a Predator movie but is enlivened by Elle Fanning’s fun, semi-stoned robot character Thia, who supplies humor, soul and a compelling new dynamic as she teams with the young Predator Dek. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2025-11-12/predator-badlands-review-elle-fanning-dan-trachtenberg-yautja) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 4 November 2025. The review describes the film as a consistently entertaining action-thriller that reconceives the Predator as an underdog hero on a quest, boosted by impressive effects, epic scope, and a taut electronic score. It notes the propulsive set pieces and emotional undercurrent but finds the themes occasionally simplistic. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/predator-badlands-review-the-iconic-sci-fi-villain-turns-hero-in-propulsive-instalment-of-long-running-franchise/5210585.article) ## The AV Club Rating C. 4 November 2025. The film flips the script by making the Predator the hero in a lore-heavy expansion that feels safe and frictionless. It sands down the franchise's edgy, nasty edges in favor of Star Wars-like sweetness and toyetic elements. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/review-predator-badlands-dan-trachtenberg-elle-fanning-dimitrius-schuster-koloamatangi) ## Empire — Nick de Semlyen 4 November 2025. The critic praises the film's bold shift to making the Predator the protagonist on an alien world, calling it big popcorn fun with heart and the most enjoyable entry since the original. They single out the winning odd-couple dynamic between the surly Yautja and Elle Fanning's synthetic for praise. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/predator-badlands/) ## The Guardian 4 November 2025. The critic finds the film disappointing because it humanises the Predator and makes the creature sympathetic and vulnerable, at which point it ceases to be the Predator. Elle Fanning’s charm keeps it from flatlining completely. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/nov/04/predator-badlands-review-elle-fanning) ## The Times 5 November 2025. The critic dislikes the schmaltzy attempt to reimagine the Predator as a sympathetic hero with a tragic backstory and finds the film depressingly flat whenever it focuses on the creature rather than the Elle Fanning subplot. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/predator-badlands-review-elle-fanning-0r75mcvgf) ## Total Film — Jordan Farley 4 November 2025. The review notes that die-hard fans may be disappointed by the changes but finds it a big swing that works as a fun, propulsive action-adventure. The critic highlights the fresh take and the odd-couple dynamic between the Yautja and Elle Fanning's synth as adding laughs and heart. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/sci-fi-movies/predator-badlands-review/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 4 November 2025. The critic hails it as one of the best movies of the year, praising its empathetic take on the franchise, character depth, and thrilling action. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/predator-badlands-review-dan-trachtenberg-elle-fanning/) ## /Film — Jeremy Mathai Rating 8/10. 4 November 2025. The critic calls it the most radical Predator film since the original, praising Trachtenberg and Aison for flipping the franchise's perspective to center on a young Yautja protagonist and his unlikely robot companion while exploring their culture and delivering humor and heart. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/2016872/predator-badlands-movie-review/) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime Rating 7/10. 4 November 2025. Trachtenberg continues to expand the Predator universe in inventive ways, making the franchise better than ever by giving emotional depth to a young Yautja protagonist. The film benefits from a charming two-hander dynamic between the lead Predator and Elle Fanning's synthetic character. [Read the review](https://collider.com/predator-badlands-review-dan-trachtenberg-elle-fanning/) ## Deadline — Damon Wise Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 4 November 2025. The critic finds the film lightweight and lacking menace, turning the Predator into a silly buddy movie with FX set pieces, though praising the leads' chemistry. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2025/11/predator-badlands-review-elle-fanning-dimitrius-schuster-koloamatangi-1236606321/) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 4 out of 5. 4 November 2025. The critic praises the chemistry between the diminutive Predator Dek and the chatty, broken synth Thia (Elle Fanning), hailing the film as an entertaining, pulpy adventure with strong performances, inventive creature designs, and solid set pieces under Trachtenberg's direction. They single out the unlikely two-hander dynamic and the fresh hero's journey for the Yautja as a welcome, if conventional, twist on the franchise. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/predator-badlands-review-sci-fi-movie/) ## Paste — Jesse Hassenger Rating 7.0. 6 November 2025. The film shifts focus to a Predator as protagonist on a deadly alien planet, sidestepping human victims in favor of sci-fi adventure and found-family themes. It excels in creature designs, pacing, and playful homages while softening the series' usual edge. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/dan-trachtenberg/predator-badlands-elle-fanning-dan-trachtenberg-sequel) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/predator-badlands.md