Predator: Badlands (2025) review

Tribe leader Njohrr (Reuben de Jong) of the planet Yautja Prime orders his son Kwei (Mike Homik) to execute his other child Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) because he's undersized and not proficient at combat, but instead Kwei sacrifices himself to save Dek, who takes off in a space shuttle and crash lands on the planet Gemma where he meets legless android Thia (Elle Fanning) and is determined to destroy the supposedly immortal creature known as the Kalisk in order to prove his worth to the old man.  While it's a bit bare in terms of a narrative - Dek learns about teamwork, friendship, loyalty etc. - and you'll find a richer story in a video game, Trachtenberg really is a solid action director, setting up constant obstacles for its heroes to overcome, between the razor-sharp "grass" to exploding plants to enormous creatures that devour everything.  Fanning's chatty robot helps compensate for Dek's taciturnity (he's in grief and angry), and Dek comes to realize that in life you can "create" your own family ... and then has his father's head bitten off.  Now that's a real ugly (and ruthless) mamma jamma.