Savage Lands’ makes us root for the alien for the first time in the franchise

In times when franchises are repeated until they are exhausted, Predator: Wildlands stands out precisely because it is a blockbuster who understands the essentials: rhythm, clarity and purpose. The director Then Trachtenberg (Rua Cloverfield, 10) — which had already revitalized the alien saga with The Predator: The Hunt (2022) e Predator: Killer of Killers (2025) — now takes the franchise to entirely new territory: the home planet of the Yautja. Unlike previous entries, here there are no humans or soldiers trying to survive; what we have is an action epic starring a predator with the name Ten (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), an outcast seeking redemption in a culture that eliminates any sign of weakness.

The boldness of Trachtenberg is inverting the logic of the franchise. Since Predator (1987), the hunting alien has always been the invisible enemy; now, he’s the hero—or something close to it. Tenplayed with intensity and vulnerability by Cobbler Koloamatangicarries the weight of exclusion and the need to prove his worth to the Yautja clan. Your mission is to hunt the Kaliska virtually immortal creature, on a distant planet called Genna — and what begins as a journey of survival turns into a search for identity and belonging.

Visually, Wildlands It’s a total immersion. Filmed in New Zealand, the film combines natural locations with breathtaking practical and digital effects (there are at least three great action sequences that are worth a ticket to the best movie theater possible). In Genna, forests move, fauna reacts as if it were conscious, and each shot conveys the sensation of being in a living ecosystem. In this hostile environment, even for an imposing creature like the predator, Trachtenberg creates an allegory of the very nature of the Yautja — beings who live between honor and brutality, civilization and instinct.

It is in this scenario that the director truly expands the universe of the franchise, with an almost mythical vision of the clan and the possibilities that still exist in the lore of Predator. He delves into their codes and moral dilemmas, revealing contradictions that humanize the monsters. The conflict, this time, is more internal: the true enemy of Ten is its own past — and, in the shadows, the influence of Weyland-Yutani, a space exploration company recently mentioned in the series Alien: Earthwhich appears here not as simple fan servicebut as a definitive link between the universes of Predator e Alien. The connection may suggest future encounters, but Wildlands it doesn’t depend on it to work.

Without humans to guide the viewer’s gaze, Trachtenberg finds a new form of empathy: it makes the audience root, for the first time, for someone who has always been the villain. This turn gains strength with the presence of Thiaa talking and charismatic android played by Elle Fanning (A Complete Stranger). Created by Weyland-Yutani, Thia is a remnant of a mission in Genna and functions not only as comic relief, but also as an emotional and moral counterpoint to Ten. She is the one who awakens in the predator the ability to understand feelings and leadership, transforming this unlikely relationship into the heart of the film.

Previous attempts to renew the franchise — Predators (2010) e The Predator (2018) — stumbled precisely due to the lack of interest in their characters. Then Trachtenberg proves that what keeps Predator interesting is not the nostalgia or the humans, but the ability to reimagine this alien creature. Instead of recycling formulas, he makes us see the predator in a new light — not as a monster, but as a being who can redeem himself. In short, Predator: Wildlands is an action and adventure show that honors its mythology without being tied to it and that reaffirms Trachtenberg as the most inventive filmmaker this franchise has ever had.

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