A PG-13 Predator movie? How does that even work? And there are no human characters in the film? What about a sort of Amblin-style, almost coming-of-age storyline with a Yautja trying to find his place in his clan and the universe? Normally, I’d think that a Predator movie with some of those elements would not work in the slightest. However, Dan Trachtenberg is the Predator-whisperer and with Prey and Predator: Killer of Killers in his back pocket, Predator: Badlands only cements that fact.

The movie comes from Trachtenberg, who directs and came up with the story, while Patrick Aison wrote the screenplay. It stars Dimitrius Schuster-Kolomatangi as Dek, a young Yautja trying to impress his father to earn his cloak. He ends up being betrayed by his father and goes to Genna in a hunt for one of the most fearsome creatures in the universe, the Kalisk. Dek is the runt of his clan, and his brother, Kwei sacrifices himself to get him off the planet and to Genna.

That wound and the familial relations that Dek goes through in Predator: Badlands is the HEART of the film. It’s not just his family, though. While on Genna, he meets a Synthetic Weyland-Yutani android named Thia, who’s played by Elle Fanning. Thia is missing her legs, but she knows where the Kalisk is and can assist Dek in getting to it, in exchange for finding her legs. She has her own issues; she was partnered with another synth named Tessa, who was lost when the Kalisk attacked them. Tessa is also played by Elle Fanning, but in a much colder and calculating way.

As it goes along, Predator: Badlands focuses more and more on that family aspect while also adding in some of the most beautifully shot action of the year. In every sequence of the film, there are multiple shots and moments that are just jaw-dropping. Jeff Cutter, the cinematographer, really imbues this movie with so much style, and it even comes down to the different areas of Genna, where everything feels different from a shot compositional standpoint. The score from Sarah Schachner and Benjamin Wallfisch is also a major highlight, making every action scene, every moment, the triumphs and the failures, all feel major.

The only real detractor I can think of with Predator: Badlands, outside of the alpha male population whining about a Predator/Yautja having feelings and going through real problems, is that some of the scenes with a lot of digital effects or background digital effects, they can sometimes make everything look a bit fake on screen. The people on screen in the foreground end up really popping up off the background effects or setting. There are some sections in the third act that have this issue. That’s not to say that Predator: Badlands is an ugly film, it’s quite the opposite.

The landscapes and deadly greenery of Genna are a sight to behold, with tiny details from razor blade grass to new creatures that assist and also try to eat Dek and Thia along the way. This is one of the strongest parts of Predator: Badlands. The film looks beautiful and helps keep you immersed in the action.

All of these elements coalesce into a finale that is thrilling and brings together all the wounds and tribulations that Dek (and Thia) have gone through. It might be a familiar plot from a storytelling standpoint, but we’ve never seen a Predator film that’s like Predator: Badlands. Sure, you’ve seen a buddy journey movie with two strange, completely different creatures, but have you seen it with a Yautja trying to earn the respect of a father that will never respect him? Or how about a synthetic being trying to find meaning in her life while also connecting with a sister that might be evil?

Finally, Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi is absolutely smashing as Dek. He doesn’t speak a lick of English the entire movie, you’re left with subtitles for his lines, and he’s covered in a Predator suit, yet you can feel every emotion that he puts out. Humanizing a monster that we’ve known since 1986 as a killing machine that lacks empathy, emotion, and other human connection, is an achievement on his part. There’s also a bit of humor to the film that he brings to the character and those moments of levity are welcome in the otherwise action-centric film.

For those reasons and more, Predator: Badlands ends up as one of the best and most satisfying action films on the year and easily places itself among the best in the Predator pantheon. Dan Trachtenberg and the cast and crew on this film did wonders. This is the closest we’re going to get to a modern-day version of those classic 80s and 90s action films that brought together heart, emotion, violence, and made you feel uplifted when they were over.

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