'Predator: Badlands' Triumphs Over Critics With Killer Rotten Tomatoes Debut

Predator: Badlands already got some early positive buzz from social media reactions last week, but critics have now weighed in on the latest installment of the iconic sci-fi franchise. Although some fans were wary about Badlands straying too far from the formula, it seems it still manages to live up to the high expectations set by the most recent sequels.

As of this writing, Predator: Badlands has garnered mostly positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, with only a handful of critics handing it a negative rating out of 40 reviews counted thus far. A general rating is not officially present on the website, but the consensus is stellar so far for the third Predator project from director Dan Trachtenberg. Most of the reviews praise the film’s unique approach to the franchise formula, which focuses on a sentimental story centered on Yautja protagonist named Dek, played by Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi. MovieWeb‘s own review by Eric Goldman stated that Badlands takes the film series into a “wildly entertaining new direction.”

“This time, Trachtenberg takes a pretty notable big swing with a film that upends the standard dynamic in a major way from what we’re used to in a Predator movie. The end result is a hell of a lot of fun, shifting the series into more of a thrilling adventure vs. its usual horror vibes in a way that is ultimately quite satisfying and entertaining in its own right.”

Yes, it sounds like Predator fans will still be treated to the typical gore and violence they are accustomed to, but it seems Badlands leans into action adventure rather than horror. On this note, Bloody Disgusting says the film takes a “sharp detour into adventure, with its propulsive, creature-filled action matching the polarizing thrills of Yautja innovation.” Meanwhile, The Film District highlighted the film’s relatively light-hearted tone, which can sometimes resemble “the pilot of a vintage Saturday morning cartoon.”

“Between the wise-cracking sidekick, the adorable non-verbal pet, and the protagonist who undergoes personal growth, Predator: Badlands often resembles the pilot of a vintage Saturday-morning cartoon — but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

Not Everyone Loved ‘Predator: Badlands,’ but Mileage Will Vary

Elle Fanning hangs from a tree in Predator Badlands

While most critics have been overwhelmingly positive about Predator: Badlands, not everyone loved the bold new direction the film takes the franchise. As mentioned, the sci-fi action sequel jettisons most conventions about what a Predator film has been in the past 38 years. Instead of the titular beast hunting down a protagonist, the Yautja is now the hero, searching to prove himself by tacking down an even more formidable monster, alongside a half-destroyed android from the Alien universe. The Playlist was especially disappointed in how Badlands attempts to evolve the formula, but fails to be more than a “half-successful mutation.”

“A curious, half-successful mutation in the “Predator” bloodline, ‘Badlands’ wants to transcend the franchise’s primal instincts. Instead, it proves that sometimes survival means knowing what not to evolve.”

It sounds like a lot of the same things that the majority of critics found satisfying seem to rub others the wrong way. The genre switch-up has been appreciated by most reviews, but Deadline felt like the film loses steam because it features a Predator that no longer shares the “ruthless, unstoppable killing machine” qualities of his predecessors.

“The action scenes never seem to galvanize, and somewhere along the line the predator, once a ruthless, unstoppable killing machine, has simply lost its menacing mojo. It all seems a bit, well, silly.”

No matter the case, audiences will find out if Predator: Badlands lives up to the heights of the franchise when it hits theaters later this week.