Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) holding up Thia's (Elle Fanning) top half in Predator: Badlands.
Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for 'Predator: Badlands'"Trachtenberg! You son of a bitch, you've done it again!" Those emphatic and loving words will likely be spread amongst Predator fans everywhere when they see Dan Trachtenberg's third movie in the series, Predator: Badlands.
The bar was high following the filmmaker's exemplary work on Prey and Predator: Killer of Killers, but the 10 Cloverfield Lane director has managed to do it again with one of the franchise's most unique entries yet. Badlands is a film of many firsts for the Predator franchise, being the first film in the series to be rated PG-13, the first film in the series to not feature any humans, and the first film in the series to follow one of the titular Yautja as the main protagonist. That lucky Yautja is Dek — a young would-be warrior and outcast from his clan who is destined to become a fan-favorite hero, with his quest to avenge his murdered brother being one of the franchise's most compelling arcs. His journey alongside his plucky android companion Thia makes for an engaging story that comes together in a satisfying ending, and one that still charts a promising course for an exciting future. Dek Uses Everything He Learned to Save Thia and the Kalisk in the Climax of 'Predator: Badlands' After years of the Alien vs. Predator films being non-canon, Predator: Badlands officially merges the canonical worlds of the two with the introduction of the Weyland-Yutani corporation, and, surprise surprise, they're still evil. Instead of sacrificing unsuspecting crew members to study xenomorphs, this time the corporation is after the same mythical beast Dek is hunting, that being the virtually indestructible Kalisk. Following his confusion as to why the creature spared him and his capture by Thia's evil twin android Tessa , Dek is able to escape Weyland Yutani's clutches with the help of Thia. Unfortunately for Dek, Tessa stole most of his tech and gear from his ship, including the ever-iconic shoulder gun. Thus, Dek has to get creative, and he uses quite literally every bit of knowledge of the flora and fauna he's encountered on the planet Genna so far in order to create an impromptu organic suit of armor. He uses the tough hides of his earlier prey to fashion sturdy armor, harvests the paralysis plants and explosive caterpillars to create makeshift bombs, and even makes a new friend in a projectile-shooting slug who becomes a fitting substitute for his stolen shoulder gun. It's during this montage that Dek also stumbles upon Bud — the adorable ape-like creature whom he and Thia met earlier in the film — distraught at the Kalisk's nest. It's here where Dek finally realizes why Thia didn't recognize what species Bud was, as she is actually an infant Kalisk and the adult monster that he fought and Tessa abducted is Bud's mother. Now having a true understanding and respect for nature beyond merely killing for glory and sport, Dek uses his new gear and newfound bond with Bud and his shoulder slug to purge Weyland-Yutani's synthetic scourge from the planet. Dek Claims His Trophy and Avenges His Brother Dek's evolution from an arrogant wannabe killer into a vigilante defender of the innocent sees him quickly dispatch the hordes of Weyland-Yutani troopers with a keen level of patience and the deadly skill that the Yautja are so well-known for. However, even a Predator has trouble contending the the mechanized might of an evil mega corporation, with Tessa using a massive cargo loader to give herself a twisted version of Ellen Ripley's iconic finale in Aliens. The evil android more than crosses the line after Dek's slug companion sacrifices itself to save its new friend. Thankfully, Thia and Bud release the Kalisk, and the hulking creature is finally able to take down the soulless robot down for good... or so we think. After devouring Tessa, the movie throws one last curveball as the villain uses the cryo-bombs she stole from Dek to freeze and explode the Kalisk from the inside, ultimately killing the once unkillable creature. Before they can have time to mourn the loss, Dek, Thia, and Bud finally take down Tessa for good, with Bud avenging her mother by pulling the robot's head clean from her body. Dek may not have succeeded in his goal of killing the Kalisk, but the goal of any Yautja is not to kill a specific creature, but the apex predator of a specific hunting ground, hence why the Predator of the original 1987 movie waited until after Dutch and his team took down the guerilla camp to see if they were worthy challengers. Since Tessa killed Genna's most feared predator, that technically makes her the new apex, thus making her head a trophy even more worthy than the noble Kalisk. With his trophy in hand, that leaves Dek with only one thing left to do: Confront his father on Yautja Prime for killing his brother. Despite his prize, Dek's father is far too proud and arrogant to accept him as a son, leading to one final confrontation, where our hero proves once and for all that he is now the better fighter. However, it's bud who once again lands the killing blow by chomping Dek's father's head clean off, though it appears the young Kalisk has grown in the trip from Genna to Yautja Prime. Dek's Family Drama Isn't Over as 'Predator: Badlands' Ends With a Sequel Tease With Dek now finding a clan of his own in Thia and Bud, one would think his problems are over. However, a Yautja ship on the horizon signals the arrival of his toughest challenge yet. As the ship gets closer and closer, Dek reveals to Thia that there is only one this ship could belong to: his mother. It's a brilliant note to end on and one that undoubtedly sets up a potential return for Dek, and with Weyland-Yutani likely wanting revenge for the failed mission on Genna, perhaps Dek will travel to a corner of space where no one can hear him scream? 7 10 Predator: Badlands 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed PG-13 Action Science Fiction Adventure Thriller Release Date November 5, 2025 Runtime 107 minutes Director Dan Trachtenberg Writers Dan Trachtenberg, Patrick Aison, John Thomas, Jim Thomas Producers Brent O'Connor, John Davis, Marc Toberoff, Dan Trachtenberg, Ben Rosenblatt Franchise Predator Cast See All
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