We’ve finally hit the moment where the Predator franchise isn’t just surviving — it’s thriving. With Predator: Badlands, Dan Trachtenberg has officially completed the trilogy no one saw coming and turned it into something legitimately exciting. This is the kind of sequel that feels both earned and essential, the rare chapter that deepens the mythos while reminding you why the original became iconic in the first place. It’s thrilling, weirdly tender, and so ferociously paced that I was surprised to realize it had a PG-13 rating — it never pulls its punches, it just bleeds green.

Set on the scorched alien world of Genna, the film follows Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), a Yautja “runt” exiled from his clan for being too small, too weak, and apparently too sentimental. Tasked with hunting the unkillable Kalisk to redeem his honor, Dek ends up forging an unexpected alliance with Thia (Elle Fanning, Maleficent), a half-destroyed synthetic left behind by her corporate team. One’s a predator in exile, the other a robot without legs — and yet their bond becomes the core of a story that isn’t afraid to get weird, emotional, and even a little beautiful.

It helps that Schuster-Koloamatangi is fully locked in. You don’t often talk about “performance” in the context of an actor buried under latex and VFX, but he brings a surprising level of nuance to a fully suited character. There’s rage in Dek, sure, but also sadness, loyalty, and a desperate need to be seen — and all of that is conveyed through body language and careful physical choices. You believe every growl. You feel every stumble. It’s one of those performances that reminds you how powerful a fully physical role can be when the actor brings more than just muscle.

And then there’s Fanning, who somehow manages to steal scenes from a Predator while playing two robots. As Thia (and her morally conflicted twin Tessa), she brings a mix of deadpan charm, simmering fear, and sci-fi swagger that’s just incredibly fun to watch. There’s a whole subplot about Thia getting her legs back that could have been ridiculous, but Fanning sells it with pathos and wit. The fact that she’s literally strapped to Dek’s back for half the film and still manages to give a layered, compelling performance says everything you need to know.

Visually, this is Trachtenberg firing on all cylinders. The design of Genna is tactile and otherworldly — think Mad Max meets Shadow of the Colossus. Cinematographer Jeff Cutter (who also shot Trachtenberg’s Prey) gives the planet a kind of dusty grandeur, full of brutal rock formations, black-sand valleys, and neon-hued alien nightmares. You never quite get your bearings — and that’s the point. This is a planet that wants to kill everything on it, and the film doesn’t let you forget it.

The action is kinetic but thoughtful, a welcome shift from the chaotic noise that bogs down so many franchise films. You can tell someone actually sat down and story-boarded the fight sequences — they have rhythm, escalation, and emotional stakes. When Dek and Thia go full feral to break out of the Weyland-Yutani base, it’s exhilarating not just because of the spectacle, but because we care what happens. Even Bud — their weird, slug-like sidekick — earns his stripes.

And while the film’s ending leans into franchise-building, it still hits emotionally. There’s a raw satisfaction in Dek returning home not just as a warrior, but as someone who finally understands what kind of monster he doesn’t want to become. The final reveal? Let’s just say it tees things up perfectly without cheapening what came before.

Look — we live in a time of endless IP mining, so it’s easy to roll your eyes at yet another Predator movie, especially when Predator: Killer of Killers (also spearheaded by Trachtenberg) arrived earlier this year straight to streaming. But Badlands earns its place by daring to be different. It reframes what we expect from this world — making the Predator the underdog, giving us a non-human lead worth rooting for, and using sci-fi tropes to explore ideas about identity, exile, and legacy. It may borrow a few genre blueprints, but the final structure is something bold, fast, and surprisingly soulful.

If Trachtenberg wants to steer this franchise into even weirder crossovers — and yes, the tea leaves hinting at the return to Alien vs. Predator are very much being read here — then I say let him. He clearly gets what makes this universe tick.  And if the rumors are true that Arnold Schwarznegger is in talks to return (at the same time Sigourney Weaver has confirmed she is also reading a new Alien script)…I wonder if worlds are about to collide…