A bug gets eaten by a bigger bug, the bigger bug gets eaten by a lizard, and the lizard gets run over by a space cruiser. Such is the way of life (and death) within director Dan Trachtenberg’s Predator universe, a hellish wasteland where every creature has cruelly adapted itself into being the ultimate killing machine, and every backdrop is worthy of being a widescreen wallpaper. Throughout each of the films in this decades-spanning franchise, the Yautja species have been the apex predators, ritualistically hunting for sport and honor. Humans often get in their way, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1987 original, Adrien Brody in the 2010 reboot, and a gang of annoying nobodies in whatever Shane Black was trying to achieve in 2018.

But what if the Yautja were at the bottom of the totem pole? That’s where we find Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) in Predator: Badlands, the runt in a litter where dying during training just means that you weren’t good enough to deserve to live. He at least has his older brother, who continually pushes him to be as strong as the rest of the pack. Their father views this as a lost cause, forcing Dek to leave their homeworld. His only hope of returning is to claim his trophy: the head of the unkillable monster named the Kalisk. This creature lives on the planet Genna, better known as the death planet. Ranging from the mightiest tree to the tiniest insect, everything is designed to deliver a gruesome death. Even the grass fields are made of blades.

Now with three films under his belt (this film, 2022’s Prey, and this year’s animated Predator: Killer of Killers), Trachtenberg has built a respectable world, which is quite the feat considering that this franchise hasn’t displayed any ideas beyond a big alien engaging in gory battle against unlikely enemies. Not being the top dog teaches Dek some humility, something he isn’t used to reckoning with. Aiding him on this literal and personal journey is Thia (Elle Fanning), a Weyland-Yutani (hint, hint) synthetic who needs some help after losing her legs to the Kalisk. Where Dek is stoic, Thia is jovial, always seeing the fun side of any situation. Losing the bottom half of her body makes it much easier to throw her, which is a lot more enjoyable than it sounds.

Also softening the machismo is a monkey-like creature with big, wet eyes. It becomes the third wheel of this rag-tag group, always looking to Dek as a role model. There are a few too many cutesy moments with the creature, all of them cloying at your heartstrings. It comes pretty close to Star Wars, specifically the Lone Wolf and Cub relationship of the Mandalorian and Grogu. Dek even wields an energy sword, complete with a red tint. But if I am going to accuse this film of ripping off another Disney property, then I also have to admit that it’s doing it better than the original currently is.

There’s still plenty of violence, packaged in a PG-13 rating because it’s all alien slime and synthetic limbs. The fact that a film like this, with its dismemberments and disembowelments, can attain that rating, while something like The King’s Speech and Eighth Grade get saddled with an R rating, tells us all we need to know about the board’s views on life. Kids can watch all the butchering they want, just as long as the blood is filled with neon food coloring. At least those kids will be greeted with some well-choreographed set pieces and a story that illustrates that the ultimate goal in life is not to vanquish everything in your path, but to forge a better one with those you care for.

With Fede Alvarez and Noah Hawley reviving the Alien franchise in theaters and on television with Alien: Romulus and Alien: Earth, respectively, and Trachtenberg steering Predator to its greatest heights, ‘70s/’80s science fiction creature features are back on the menu. If the two extremely lame and forgettable Alien vs. Predator films taught us anything, it’s that there’s got to be a better way to interweave two of cinema’s most iconic species. The ingredients seem to have all been pleasantly assembled; now let them fight.