Predator: Badlands’ early Rotten Tomatoes score revealed following first wave of reviews from critics

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Dan Trachtenberg recently gave the Predator series a much-needed boost. After a long string of underwhelming sequels, his 2022 film, Prey, which premiered on Disney Plus, successfully revived the franchise. It’s a streamlined action thriller that cleverly introduces the Predator to the Comanche people in 1719.

He continued this approach earlier in the year with Predator: Killer of Killers, another release that went straight to streaming. This installment featured three animated stories, each set in a different period of history, and also received positive reviews.

He’s back with a fresh movie that pushes boundaries once more. Predator: Badlands is unique because it tells the story from the perspective of a Predator—a young, exiled one named Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi). The film follows Dek after he’s sent to a distant planet where he unexpectedly connects with a human-like artificial being named Thia (Elle Fanning).

Has Trachtenberg now directed three successful Predator movies? Initial reviews suggest the answer is a definite yes.

Currently, the film Badlands has an 89% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 75 critic reviews. Many major publications, like Empire Magazine, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Time Out, and RogerEbert.com, have given the film positive reviews.

Despite generally positive reviews, some critics disagreed. For example, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film a low rating of two stars.

The film received a score of 69% on Metacritic, indicating that most critics generally liked it. This suggests the Predator series is continuing its successful comeback!

The Predator series began with the original film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1987. It continued with Predator 2 (1990), Predators (2010), and The Predator (2018), but none of these sequels were particularly well-received by critics. The two Alien vs. Predator movies, released in 2004 and 2007, also received mostly negative reviews.

The new movie subtly suggests we might see more crossovers between the Alien and Predator universes. This is hinted at by the character played by Fanning, who is revealed to be a synthetic human created by the Weyland-Yutani corporation, a key element from the Alien films.

The new film, releasing in UK cinemas this Friday, November 7th, tells the story of a young Predator who is exiled from his group. He teams up with a woman named Thia and together they face a dangerous quest to find a powerful enemy.

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2025-11-05 18:10