When going to the cinema was popular, it was a means of escapism. It’s no wonder then that the sci-fi genre has been such a successful one commercially, after all, you can’t escape further than space.

In 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger followed up the success he had with such films as 1982’s Conan the Barbarian and 1984’s The Terminator, by starring in a sci-fi flick; little did he know that it would continue into a popular franchise without him – the film? – 1987’s The Predator.

This then is the sixth live action instalment of the franchise, and can be considered an origin story of sorts.

Having a bit of a spat with his brother on a planet is Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi). They are part of the Yautja clan, who usually have to prove themselves with the blood of their enemies, But Dek has proven to be somewhat of an outcast for not living up to his father’s high expectations.

He decides that he’s going to have to prove himself to his difficult dad once and for all, for taking down the creature Kalisk, that allegedly even his father fears.

So he takes off to its home, the death planet, to hunt it down and claim his trophy. When he arrives he comes across a synthetic – well, the top half of one – named Thia (Elle Fanning), who despite struggling from being separated from her legs, insists she can help Dek with his mission. Although not entirely convinced, he picks her up – literally – and they venture across the planet in search of the infamous Kalisk.

But the creature is not the only dangerous creature they encounter on their travels, and they just may need each other if they intend to survive.

American director Dan Trachtenberg is no stranger to the Predator universe, having directed 2022’s entertaining franchise member Prey, as well as the 2025 animated feature Predator: Killer of Killers.

This instalment is an interesting one, as it serves as a kind of origin tale, as well as works well as a spin-off take for the franchise, with the Predator Dek making his debut in the franchise.

Another first is that we are privy to their language, which thankfully comes with subtitles, as we hear their dialogue as they interact with everyone, marking the appearance of their understandable voice.

And although it is a Predator film, its main theme is very much family orientated; the crux of it all is that he wants his father’s recognition and feels he has to go to great lengths to prove himself to him. You then have him meeting Thia, which is spiky at first but then builds into a friendship. And Thia herself has relationship issues, with female doppelganger Tessa – also played by Fanning – who she goes on to refer to as a sister. And there’s also a cute sidekick creature Bud, that just wants to be accepted and loved.

Even though it has these themes, it’s not exactly an Ingmar Bergman film - Dek is a predator after all, so must wield his weapons as he fights for justice.

An interesting element is the casting of Fanning, who has quite a varied CV for roles in a variety of films, but this makes her debut playing not one robot but two. It certainly makes an interesting juxtaposition to Sentimental Value, which she also made last year, that was more like a Bergman film. It does give her an opportunity to show her more playful side in a far more commercially-orientated project.

And as a standalone feature it works well enough, as it gives context to this alien breed, who have been mostly voiceless up until this point, making them more relatable, finally.

Its biggest weakness is perhaps its attempts at humour, that it doesn’t quite pull off, but it makes up with it with the charming bond that develops between the three explorers.

To be honest, it’s still not as appealing as its biggest nemesis, the Alien franchise, which it’s shared two spin-offs with (as well as Weyland-Yutani Corp company, which runs through the veins of both the Alien franchise and the recent Alien Earth TV drama, and features heavily here), but it’s certainly an interesting and entertaining direction for the predators to explore.