Predator: Badlands

2025 - PG-13 - 8/10 - What we were hoping this would be.
Why are so many movies afraid to fully transport us and dump us in unfamiliar and disorienting settings? Sure, you get your weird locations and aliens in superhero movies but it is always carefully grounded. From the jump, Badlands kicks you directly into the deep end. We are on a hostile planet, our protagonist is a species we have only known as an unstoppable killing machine, the only thing we see that is human is broken tech. Even without that grounding, relatable themes give this movie heart amidst the action.