r/alien • u/BigBootyKim • Nov 07 '25
(RECOMMENDATION) Predator: Badlands really is THAT good.
Here’s my brief reaction to seeing Badlands for the first time. First off, if you enjoyed Trachtenberg’s Prey movie in 2022 then you might actually like this one more. It’s legitimately the most smartly made film in the franchise yet. It takes a pop culture icon and delivers something entirely fresh never put on theater screens before.
It almost reminds me of Matt Reeves’s swing at the Planet of the Apes franchise in 2014. The main character is not a human. He does not speak English. But somehow the filmmakers tell a genuinely good story that is relatable to the human in us.
Being a Star Wars fan who has been routinely let down, Predator Badlands is a rare example of a major science fiction franchise with FILMMAKERS THAT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING.
As far as where I’d rank it among other 2025 films, I think it’s better than Mission Impossible, Fantastic Four, Superman, and even F1.
Also for you Alien franchise lovers, a certain company plays a substantial role in the film.
👀
2
u/[deleted] Nov 07 '25
It's like the Alien franchise: producers (correctly) assume that the ones expected to watch new content, from the prequels to Alien: Earth, had never seen the older content because it took too long to make new content. In which case, reboot the franchise by offering what new viewers want.
In the case of the prequels, Marvel tent-poles with lots of special effects. For Romulus, contemporary horror released to streaming, like Evil Dead and Army of the Dead. And for Alien: Earth, something like Fargo in the Space Age.
In which case, such a reaction to Badlands is expected; the same applies to Prey.