There's this funny fad in Hollywood of turning iconic villains into sympathetic — or even heroic — figures. "Wicked" turned the evil Wicked Witch of the West of "The Wizard of Oz" into a misunderstood protagonist of a now two-part adapted musical. Disney has done the same with "Maleficent" and "Cruella." I mean, they made a "Venom" trilogy based on one of Spider-Man's top foes for crying out loud!Enter "Predator: Badlands," 20th Century Studios' revival of the action/horror franchise featuring the Predator — the seemingly indestructible alien fighting machine made famous for duking it out with Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1987.In "Badlands," the Predator isn't the villain. It's Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), a Yautja who is perceived by his warrior clan as being weak — mostly because he's quite smaller in stature compared to his brother and father. While his brother attempts to strengthen Dek's combat skills, he is as good as dead in his father's eyes.‘FRANKENSTEIN’ REVIEW: GUILLERMO DEL TORO'S VISUALLY STUNNING MONSTER ADAPTATION SEARCHES FOR A PULSE Determined to prove himself, Dek vows to hunt the ultimate trophy: the Kalisk: the legendary apex predator — a massive, lizardy lion-gorilla-type creature with tentacles and a regenerative body.Crash-landing in the Kalisk's planet of Genna, Dek comes across Thia (Elle Fanning), a synthetic humanoid from the Weyland-Yutani Corporation — yes, the same company from the "Alien" series (teasing a future crossover, obviously) — who is trapped in a vulture's nest. She knows exactly where Kalisk is (it's with her legs, which it tore off) and she offers to show him the way. In a universe where it's kill or be killed, Dek reluctantly carries Thia on his back, thinking of her as an essential "tool" to survive the deadly terrain.Meanwhile, Thia is hoping to reunite with Tessa (also Fanning), another synthetic she was separated from in the Kalisk attack who she views as her sister. She explains to Dek that she and Tessa are elevated synthetics and were programmed to feel sensitivity and emotion. Yautja aren't exactly known for being very sentimental, so the concept is quite foreign to Dek. All he knows is showing strength and surviving. At one point, Dek casts doubt that Thia can survive on her own, to which she replies, "I can survive on my own, but who would want to survive on their own?"'BUGONIA' REVIEW: A TWISTED TALE IN THE CURRENT AGE OF CONSPIRACY THEORIESThe odd pairing of Dek, a rough, stoic creature, and Thia, a sunny and overly-chatty humanoid, gives "Badlands" an unexpected road trip buddy comedy energy (Fanning certainly provides comic relief, ironically giving one of her most lively performances playing a robot). How else would they be able to lighten the mood when they're avoiding needle-exploding plants, razor grass fields and an array of monsters trying to kill them?"Badlands" marks the sixth film in the "Predator" franchise, not counting the two "Alien vs. Predator" films. Unlike its R-rated predecessors, "Badlands" is only rated PG-13. That is likely due to the fact that no humans die in this film (there aren't any). But there's plenty of alien carnage to go around.Director/co-writer Dan Trachtenberg, who previously helmed the franchise's commendable 2022 installment "Prey," does an excellent job at creating an entire universe to explore and bringing intensity to what otherwise is a fairly simple narrative. The alien landscapes are mesmerizing, and the visual effects were out of this world (no pun intended). But if you want to see Trachtenberg's best work, look no further than the criminally underrated "10 Cloverfield Lane."‘GOOD FORTUNE’ REVIEW: A RAGS-TO-RICHES SATIRE WITH WINGS"Predator: Badlands" is a solid popcorn flick that has successfully given new life to a decades-old sci-fi franchise. While it doesn't reach the must-see threshold, Trachtenberg's take on the Predator is action-packed fun and offers a promising future for Dek and Thia."Predator: Badlands" is rated PG-13 for sequences of strong sci-fi violence. Running time: 1 hour, 47 minutes. In theaters now.