Predator: Badlands Review
The Predator franchise has been going for almost 40 years, a franchise in which humans encounter an alien race known as the Yautja, whose only purpose is to go after those they deem the strongest. Throughout the franchise, we’ve had films in various settings from jungles and cities to time periods that range from 841 to 1942. Dan Trachtenberg decides to take us to another setting, which has yet to be explored, with an alien planet, and this time, having the story follow a Yautja as its protagonist instead of it being a human warrior.
Dan Trachtenberg stepped in during the production of Shane Black’s The Predator to create a standalone movie in the franchise titled Prey, and since then, he’s created a second film in the franchise called Predator: Killer of Killers and has now brought us his third movie for the franchise, Predator Badlands. Although the Predator franchise seemed to be losing its appeal, Trachtenberg has demonstrated that it is possible to produce three distinct and unique films that still expand upon the mythology established by the original Predator (1987).
Predator: Badlands has a similar theme to Trachtenberg’s last two movies in the franchise, with its main character being the underdog and proving their worth to their people. It might feel repetitive going over the same story threads, but the franchise has never once put a Yautja at the forefront of their story, and Badlands finally allows for the audience to dive deeper into their ways of living and how a younger Yautja may be affected when they end up being the weakest in their clan. They’ll have a lot more to prove than everyone else, and that may even mean life or death.
Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), an unusually short Yautja, sets out on a journey to hunt down an unkillable beast known to have slaughtered many Yautja before him, but he’s determined and focused, and although he’s traversing new terrain that’s out to kill him with every stop, he doesn’t allow that to halt his journey, as he has to prove to himself and his father, Njohrr (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), that he’s worthy of being accepted into the clan and that he’s capable of hunting down his prey.
The character is strong-willed, and that showcases throughout the entire film as we get to witness Dek go on his own odyssey that involves him evolving as a character and confronting new and unforeseen relationships that are usually unknown to his people. He builds his own clan over the course of Predator: Badlands, and it’s a beautiful and emotional story that Dan Trachtenberg and Patrick Aison have put together.
Predator: Badlands is nothing short of greatness, from its stunning and creative creature design to its detailed world-building that transports you to a whole new terrain that’s full of danger at every corner. It features some of the best hand-to-hand action choreography that the franchise has to offer, with arguably some of the best leading performances that match Amber Midthunder’s performance as Naru from Prey.
It has been the year of dual performances, and Predator: Badlands delivers two dual performances with firstly Dimitirius Schuster-Koloamatangi as Dek and his father Njohrr, two drastically different-sized Yautja,s in which Schuster-Kolamatangi portrays both of them so well with his voice performance, allowing the audience to feel the emotion of each character through their tone.
Elle Fanning steals scenes as both Thia and Tessa, Weyland-Yutani androids who are sent to the planet to hunt down the Kalisk; she balances both the humour as Thia and the seriousness that the dedicated Tessa brings to the screen as she tries to get the job that MU/TH/UR (Alison Wright) has assigned completed. They’re two leading performances which complement each other extremely well and overall bring a compelling and gripping story to life.
This film is the first movie in the UK to have a 12A rating within the entirety of the franchise, and at first glance, this might put a lot of audiences off, as the enticing part of a Predator movie is the violent kills throughout the film. There’s nothing to worry about, as although Predator: Badlands is a 12A, it doesn’t remove that DNA from the franchise; the film is gruesome, brutal and as violent as any other Predator film that came before. Thankfully, Trachtenberg removing humans from the movie and replacing them with alien species and the Weyland-Yutani androids helps keep that younger age rating while still retaining what fans love so much about the Predator franchise.
Predator: Badlands continues to break the boundaries of what the franchise is capable of as Trachtenberg switches from the usual action/horror and delivers a movie that expresses its sci-fi/fantasy adventure storytelling. Does the film feel more family-friendly? Yes, its humour can sometimes make it feel like you’re watching a movie that’s had thousands of notes given by Disney, but the humour never takes away from the heartfelt, impactful story that involves Dek trying to find his place in a society that doesn’t accept him.
The movie can’t help but include a few jokes sprinkled here and there, as they need to cater to all members of the audience, and that’s one thing Badlands gets right: it offers something for everyone, whether you’re a hardcore Predator fan, an Alien fan, or a parent taking their kid to watch their first Predator movie.
Dan Trachtenberg takes major swings by going down a route that involves making the film feel more family-friendly, and while it may make for some confusing sequences during the final moments of the third act, he arrives with a movie that delivers on all of its fronts. It doesn’t help that the inclusion of a small alien creature named Bud (Rohinal Nayaran) might sometimes make it feel like you’re watching an early preview of The Mandalorian and Grogu instead of a Predator movie, but thankfully Trachtenberg smartly ties everything in to the overall message and story of the movie, ensuring that Bud’s involvement with the movie is greater than you’re first led to believe. He’s not just a way to market toys; he’s an emotional centrepiece of the story that allows Dek to understand the true meaning of being part of a family/clan.
Predator: Badlands is an ambitious movie that lands as it tells a story about family and bonding. It’s yet another Predator film that’s self-contained but teases at the greater future that Dan Trachtenberg has been building over the course of these three films. It’s the weakest out of his movies, yet he still delivers a phenomenal action movie that will give you some of the greatest action sequences you’ll get to witness in a Predator movie. With striking visuals, a compelling story and excellent performances that have Fanning and Schuster-Koalamantangi both bring their A-game with their dual performances, Predator: Badlands is a film worthy of giving Dan Trachtenberg the keys to the franchise.
★★★★
In cinemas on November 7th / Elle Fanning, Dimitrius Schuster-Koalamatangi / Dir. Dan Trachtenberg / 20th Century Studios / 12A
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