The hunter gets hunted and then the hunted turns it around to be the hunter again until it is the classic, “you can’t beat join them”. Then the hunter outwits everyone using “Rambo” tactics. All of this plays out while a corporation interferes in an interplanetary showdown. Dex is a runt of a Yaunja, the species of the predators, and to prove his worthiness to be part of the clan he seeks out to kill and bring back the Kalisk on a brutal world of kill or be killed called Genna. An animal that even his fathers fears. The result is a solid roller coaster action that embraces the campiness of the sci-fi pulps and with pleasing results. 

It’s not really a secret that there is a Weyland-Yutani corporation synthetic  in play in this film. A company that is always at play in the “Alien” franchise lore.  Criss-crossing the predator and alien stories shouldn’t be a surprise, but uniquely the film never plays out how you think it will and comes off refreshing and familiar at the same time.  The film is never dull. The pace and crisp but slow downs at the right time. Elle Fanning playing A.I. synthetic Theia provides the exposition, comedy relief and an added layer to the single thought driven predator. 

A constant theme of challenging your pre-determined path and your clan is who you make it to be. The world building and designs are great and awe-inspiring. The story is a little too thin even for a pulp. But the overall creative vision and aesthetic is what makes the film. There’s a showdown at the end that would have been better served to be shown in more light but the effect world. Predator Badlands even pushing the perimeters of sci-fi pulps is just enforcing that they most certainly be wildly entertaining.  7/10