The Lost Years
The sequels never really understood what made the first one special. Predator 2, Predators, The Predator - they all tried to go bigger, louder, bloodier. None of them captured that weird mix of horror, intelligence, and irony that made the original a classic. They were just monster movies with more budget and less personality.
By the mid-2010s, I honestly thought the franchise was done.
And Then Came Prey
And then Prey happened - and holy hell, what a comeback.
Dan Trachtenberg (the genius behind 10 Cloverfield Lane) completely flipped the formula. Instead of another military dude with a mini-gun, we got a Comanche warrior - young, vulnerable, smart, and resourceful - facing the same alien nightmare armed with nothing but grit, instinct, and a handmade spear.
It was everything a Predator movie should be: clever, stripped down, and tense as hell. It made the creature scary again.
Then came Predator: Killer of Killers, the animated movie that proved the universe could be explored in totally different ways without losing its edge. Both projects were smart, stylish, and full of confidence. And both came from the same mind: Dan Trachtenberg.
He gets it.
The Underdog Becomes the Hunter
Now he’s back with Predator: Badlands - and after this new trailer, I’m convinced he’s about to pull off the impossible again.
When the first teaser dropped, fans were skeptical. People said the new Predator looked “too small” or “too weak.” But now that we know the story, that criticism feels like a compliment - because that’s the point.
This isn’t a story about the ultimate hunter. It’s about a young Predator who isn’t that tough yet - who still has something to prove. He chooses to descend on one of the most brutal worlds in the galaxy, determined to kill the deadliest thing that lives there just to earn his stripes.
It’s such a simple, brilliant premise: the hunter becomes the prey to become the hunter again.
That’s pure Predator storytelling.
Why the Trailer Rules
The final trailer absolutely nails it.
The world design looks incredible - harsh, alien, and unlike anything we’ve seen in this series before. The creatures look imaginative and terrifying. The Predator design is perfect: leaner, meaner, and more primal. It feels like a step backward in evolution - less tech, more instinct.
And the action? Peak Trachtenberg. Clean, dynamic, and full of creative shots that tell a story with movement, not just noise.
After Prey, I expected something great. What I didn’t expect was something that looks this epic.
I’m All In
There’s something poetic about where the Predator franchise is right now. It started as a parody of macho heroism and then became a parody of itself - until someone finally understood that the real magic wasn’t the muscles or the guns. It was the game of survival.
And now, with Badlands, we’re seeing that game played from the other side.
If the trailer is any indication, we’re about to get a brutal, beautifully crafted return to what made this universe special in the first place - simple stories told with great design, intense direction, and respect for the creature at the center of it all.
Predator: Badlands hits theaters November 7, 2025 - and personally, I can’t wait to see it in IMAX.
If you need me, I’ll be rewatching Prey for the tenth time, waiting for that red laser to appear in the mist again.
