Iconic frachise sequel which ‘surprised fans in the best way’ now streaming

The latest release in a classic franchise first spawned in the 1980s is now available for fans to stream at home.

A sci-fi action flick praised as ‘captivating’ and ‘the best action movie of 2025, hands down’, Predator: Badlands became a surprise smash hit upon its release in cinemas in November.

Starring Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, it was the ninth entry in the Predator film series, which kicked off in 1987 with the original film led by Arnold Schwarzenegger. 

But Predator: Badlands was praised for flipping the idea of the titular extraterrestrial species – also kown as the Yautja – on its head, reframing the creature as more of an underdog and less of an outright villain.

Schuster-Koloamatangi plays Drek, a young Predator who is cast out from his clan for being a runt and forms an unlikely alliance with Fanning’s damaged but wisecracking Weyland-Yutani Corporation synthetic.

Together, they embark on a journey to find and conquer the ultimate adversary on the ‘death planet’ Genna.

Unexpectedly humorous, while making sure to pack in plenty of action and special effects, the refreshing sci-fi movie has become the highest-grossing entry in the franchise’s 38-year history.

Earning $184.5million (£135.5m) worldwide, it surpassed the previous record holder, 2004’s Alien vs. Predator ($177.4m/£130.3m), while also charming a decent amount of critics to land an 86% Rotten Tomatoes score.

And when it came to fans, there was even more support as the film, directed by Dan Trachtenberg from an original story by him and screenwriter Patrick Aison, nabbed a 95% rating.

As of Thursday, Predator: Badlands was added to Disney Plus, just in time for some entertaining weekend viewing.

‘Great movie! I love seeing movies where there’s a hero and a good story and fully developed characters with fully developed relationships. It surprised me in the best way,’ enthused Gina on the Rotten Tomatoes platform, while it was also praised by other fans as ‘amazingly immersive’.

‘I need more of THIS exact movie,’ begged Lizz while other fans insisted they’d enjoyed it even more on second viewing.

Several also insisted it was ‘the best Predator movie to date’.

Predator: Badlands is the ninth Predator film overall, counting crossover films Alien vs. Predator (2004) and Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (2007), which follows scientists caught in the crossfire of an ancient battle between the two species, inspired by a concept in a 1989 comic book.

‘Predator: Badlands is the kind of audacious, whip-smart blockbuster filmmaking that we desperately need these days, where the unique vision of someone who obviously loves making movies is allowed to make the damn film,’ celebrated Fangoria’s review.

‘Bold, bizarre, and unexpectedly moving, it’s the kind of risk-taking sci-fi we don’t see enough of nowadays,’ mused HeyUGuys’ four-star reaction.

It was also praised as ‘ferociously fun’ and ‘the coolest film of the year’, while The Daily Beast’s review announced it as ‘a rousing start to what appears to be a grand new franchise future’.

‘The film simply wants to be the best version of a zillionth Predator installment that it can be. If it has to complicate – and, yes, soften – the branding to do that, so be it,’ argued The Hollywood Reporter.

Not every critic was thrilled with the franchise’s change in tone as represented by Badlands though, with The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw dubbing the film and series ‘a pointless but unkillable franchise that has started to eat itself’.

‘The sheer pointlessness of everything that happens subtracts the oxygen and even Fanning’s imperishable star quality can’t save it,’ he added.

After the 1987 first film, Predator 2 followed in 1990, starring Danny Glover and Gary Busey. Thereafter was a 30-year break before 2010’s Predators, led by double Oscar-winner Adrien Brody, 2018’s The Predator and Prey in 2022, which takes place chronologically before the previous movies.

Badlands was also not the first Predator film of 2025, with animated anthology movie Predator: Killer of Killers releasing first in June with Trachtenberg also at the helm too – as he was for Prey as well.

Predator: Badlands is streaming now on Disney Plus.

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