How can you make a Predator, an alien big game hunter who always has technological superiority on his side a compelling protagonist? You make him the shame of his family with a serious chip on his shoulder, strip him of his toys and pair him with a chatty android. It’s so simple! Yautja hunter-in-training Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) lands on a planet with death by flora or fauna around every corner and reluctantly teams up with a legless Weylend-Yutani research Android (Elle Fanning) for survival. On balance, BADLANDS probably isn’t quite as refreshing and perfectly-conceived as Dan Trachtenberg’s previous Predator movies, PREY, and KILLER OF KILLERS but it’s still propulsive, the alien designs are cool and the action hugely creative. The mismatched dynamic between Dek and Thia is also a joy, their back-and-forth punctuating a splattery alien quest movie and providing some much-needed heart. Bring on the next one. SSP