‘Predator: Badlands’ a teaser for something bigger in Predator, Alien franchises

Image: 20th Century Studios

This took an unexpected turn as a possible direct sequel to “Prey,” but instead, what we have is a Predator going in a whole new direction, where he is the hero. The official teaser trailer for “Predator: Badlands” looks impressive; it has a high-end feel, comparable to one of the most recent big-budget sci-fi movies, “Rebel Moon,” but that is just one of its strong points, as this is the kind of movie that can either break or make a franchise into a whole new fanbase, or it could be a downgrade of it. It depends on what ultimately “Predator: Badlands” will be, but I am feeling optimistic about this one for sure.

Another feature is that it finally provides more world-building for the Predator alien race, focusing on what I can only assume is a lone Predator or an outcast from his tribe. Usually, it is humans or the prey who are hunted, but from what I could gather in the teaser trailer, this specific Predator is being hunted down on an entirely different planet far from his own. 

I, for one, feel that this sudden creative direction is one of the few remaining choices to take the Predator franchise into, which is to make him the one you want to root for to get out alive and with his mission accomplished by the time the last scene ends. But with these types of popcorn movies, they can go in all directions, and sometimes they will either leave you wanting more or, unfortunately in the case of the most recent Predator movies before “Prey,” they badly need to push the reset button on everything to find their way back to the glory years of the franchise. It was one of those break-glass-in-case-of-emergency scenarios that would put everything on hold when it came to creating new Predator movies until “Prey” was released and became a hit. But not with this one, is what I can sense because of what they are trying to achieve here, which is unheard of for them.

READ: ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ is shaping up to be fantastic

A few years ago, I can still remember when there were verified reports that “Predator: Badlands” would be set in World War I and that it would be similar to what happened in “Prey,” wherein another Predator comes down to Earth a few centuries later and commences his hunting, but this time it would be soldiers he would be targeting. Now, that has been scrapped, and they have opted for this bold decision instead, which might pay off in the end. However, that teaser crams a lot into it, requiring dissection, analysis, and figuring out how all the pieces fit in this upcoming movie, because this feels a lot more complex than any other Predator movie made.

I know of the Predator lore and its history because I saw all the movies when I was young, I read the Dark Horse comics, I collected the action figures, and I played the video games. So, all of these things come naturally to me when I write about it because I know what the Predator is all about, so whether that be in the ’80s, ’90s, 2000s, or now in 2025, one thing is for sure: as long as there is a Predator movie, there will always be people wanting to watch it. After all, there are fond memories of this for so many people from when they were young and growing up and getting to watch their first movie that featured a Predator, which, in most cases, so happened to have Arnold Schwarzenegger in it. 

Flashback, many years back, I remember those times when we wanted the Predator to remove his mask, as in the first two Predator films and the Alien vs. Predator movies.

With this Predator’s strange design, I think I would prefer him to put on his mask for a long duration of time because in that way he would at least resemble more a classic Predator, which will most likely happen at some point in the movie. Haha…. 

There is something off about how this specific Predator in “Predator: Badlands” looks; it appears to be a mix of animatronics, practical effects, and CGI, which, when combined like this, detracts from the rawness, edginess, and intimidating factor of the classic Predator design. In cases like this, it could have been the decision of the producers or the movie studio itself to enhance the Predator’s appearance with all the available means, but it does not look right any way I look at it from my perspective. 

This Predator does not look like any other Predator I have seen on the big screen. For one, what is it with his braids not hanging down? He looks like that woke clown Jojo Siwa! Haha…. He just looks weirdly unfit to be a Predator because he looks like an outcast from his tribe. But what appears to be recycled body armor, a lack of weaponry, and a very toned-down physique suggest that the design for the Predator here is intended to make him more human-like, more vulnerable, and almost a 180-degree shift from what we are accustomed to seeing a classic Predator look like, which is a standout alien design that is immediately identifiable to any movie aficionado. I do like that, though, they gave this Predator what looks like a reverse red lightsaber, which looks great as he is shown using it with great effectiveness near the end of the teaser trailer. That one was a solid addition to his arsenal, at least. 

On the other hand, in “Prey,” good God, that was a primitive, primal, almost Neanderthal version of a Predator. It was probably one of its earliest evolutions, thus its monster-like nature, but this Predator looks too “civilized” for lack of a better term. Haha….

However, as a whole, “Predator: Badlands” can still be a promising entry to the franchise if the storyline is great, makes sense, works, and is as impressive as its official teaser trailer. Never mind the weak Predator design, because, indeed, they are pushing the franchise further into big box-office territory with this latest foray that has the potential for greatness from what has been revealed thus far in the teaser trailer. This has successfully seemed to serve its purpose in convincing attentive moviegoers that this will be the beginning of something much bigger than anything previously done for a Predator movie. 

Why is that? One glaringly obvious addition here is that we have a Weyland-Yutani synthetic android, as portrayed by Elle Fanning. Why is this significant? Synthetic androids from that corporation have only existed in Alien movies. This is the greatest “teaser” for a potential crossover between the various tribes of Predator and the Xenomorphs from Aliens one more time.

With that still possibly happening a couple of years from now, when they have the Predators face off against the Xenomorphs again, I can’t help but still feel that “Predator: Badlands” could be a huge gamble on the part of the movie studio because this feels almost completely brand-new territory. The roles have been reversed here with the Predator being made the hero, and you get a lot of cinematic qualities, elements, and traits from past legendary sci-fi movies such as “Dune,” “Blade Runner,” and “Alien” because of how expansive, impressive, and immersive everything feels here. 

And it would be my lucky guess we’ll be seeing the Predator in a whole new, different light, for better or worse, by the time “Predator: Badlands” premieres. Until then, keep an eye out for this one because this might be the first piece to something far, far bigger, which might include another legendary alien species down the line.