The full review embargo for 20th Century Studios and director Dan Trachtennerg’s Predator: Badlands has now lifted (you can check out our verdict here), and critics have been weighting-in with their thoughts on the next live-action entry in the long-running sci-fi action franchise.

Initial social media reactions were mostly very positive, and the reviews have followed suit. Badlands has been getting 3 and 4-star write-ups from the majority of outlets, although there are also a handful of negative verdicts.

Trachtenberg comes in for universal praise for trying something different and shaking up the usual Predator formula, and the lighter, buddy movie vibe was a welcome change for many critics. Others weren’t as won over by the more family-friendly approach, however, and some seem to feel that this Predator has been de-fanged to a certain degree.

Predator: Badlands is currently sitting at a very impressive 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 64 reviews. For comparison’s sake, Prey is at 94%, Killer of Killers is at 95% – the highest rating of the franchise – and the original Predator has a surprisingly low 65%.

Have a read through the reviews below, and we’ll continue to update as more are shared online.

The first reviews are in for #PredatorBadlands – currently it’s Fresh at 86% on the Tomatometer, with 51 reviews: https://t.co/W113xM6Mdb pic.twitter.com/NzYHBmLo8u


— Rotten Tomatoes 🍅 (@RottenTomatoes) November 4, 2025

“Predator: Badlands” rewrites the rules of the #Predator franchise with exhilarating, futuristic action and, more importantly, depth and character to spare.

Like John McTiernan’s 1987 “Predator,” #PredatorBadlands challenges regressive masculine values, TheWrap film critic… pic.twitter.com/mA3Qhbjw6N


— TheWrap (@TheWrap) November 4, 2025

‘Predator: Badlands’ Review: Elle Fanning Is a Lovable Robot BFF to the Sweetest Predator Yet in a Deft, Disarmingly Kindhearted Franchise Entry https://t.co/XPrORAhf91


— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) November 4, 2025

#PredatorBadlands is an “inspired new entry” in the franchise as director Dan Trachtenberg “finds fresh excitement pairing Elle Fanning as an ‘Alien’-style synth with a runt Predator with everything to prove.”

Read Variety’s review here: https://t.co/PsFjaqfKTi pic.twitter.com/38tgU2DTN8


— Variety (@Variety) November 4, 2025

Had fun with #PredatorBadlands, a movie that on paper sounds like a grumpy middle aged man’s joke pitch for a ‘woke predator’ movie (a Predator learns empathy from a girl robot!) that works better than it should. Mostly.

My @looper review: https://t.co/hnesyRj61E pic.twitter.com/MNL0M4mnWP


— Alistair’s Great Tweets (@YesitsAlistair) November 4, 2025

Set in the distant future, Dan Trachtenberg’s Predator: Badlands is a blockbuster action-adventure that flips the franchise’s formula on its head.

For the full verdict, read our 3.5/5⭐ review ⬇️https://t.co/QfJmYuzhEP pic.twitter.com/w0c6u9HL4G


— Total Film (@totalfilm) November 4, 2025

“The most fun Predator since the original.”

Outcast Yautja runt Dek journeys to a death planet to prove himself by hunting his biggest prey yet in #PredatorBadlands – in UK cinemas Friday.

Read the Empire review: https://t.co/GxdIA5rgot pic.twitter.com/rFat0Dtv9O


— Empire (@empiremagazine) November 4, 2025

Predator: Badlands is a total blast (i’m down for anything that feels like a live-action Scavengers Reign), and Elle Fanning is *fantastic* as a legless synthetic who’s just happy to be there. another killer installment from Dan Trachtenberg.

my review: https://t.co/5Ha7Dza8y9 pic.twitter.com/OG8S7oJEaW


— david ehrlich (@davidehrlich) November 4, 2025

Director Dan Trachtenberg takes his third crack at Yautja lore with Predator: Badlands, and this time the protagonist is the galaxy’s most notorious trophy hunter himself. It’s a pretty wild shift in perspective for the franchise, but one that Trachtenberg pulls off.

Read our… pic.twitter.com/hcgDTfjsXP


— IGN (@IGN) November 4, 2025

‘Predator: Badlands’ Review: The Extra-Terrestrial Killing Machine Loses Its Menacing Mojo In An FX-Heavy But Otherwise Lightweight Sc-fi Fantasy https://t.co/QpC98kwARa


— Deadline (@DEADLINE) November 4, 2025

‘PREDATOR: BADLANDS’ is the first movie in the franchise to have the Predator as the hero, but does it succeed?

Find out more in our review… https://t.co/lXXcRJdHia


— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) November 4, 2025

Predator Badlands Review: It’s Super Fun, but it’s also VERY PG-13 and Tame https://t.co/eDYCv36XEi pic.twitter.com/VOOCpPHXy4


— Arrow in the Head (@arrowinthehead) November 4, 2025

Predator: Badlands is helmed by returning director Dan Trachtenberg (Prey, 10 Cloverfield Lane) and marks the franchise’s highly anticipated return to the big screen with a story that expands and redefines the Predator Universe.

Set in the future on a deadly remote planet, Badlands follows a young Predator outcast (played by newcomer Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) who finds an unlikely ally in Thia (Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Elle Fanning) as he embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary.

Produced by John Davis, Dan Trachtenberg, Marc Toberoff, Ben Rosenblatt and Brent O’Connor, Predator: Badlands opens exclusively in movie theaters on November 7 in IMAX, Dolby Cinema, RealD (3D), Cinemark XD, 4DX, ScreenX and premium screens everywhere.