Predator: Badlands

Predator: Badlands is the first Predator film since 2022’s Prey. It is also the second Predator-related media released this year. Hulu’s animated anthology film, Predator: Killer of Killers, is now streaming. All three titles were directed and/or written by Dan Trachtenberg. Badlands follows Dek, a young Predator who yearns for his father's approval but struggles to escape the shadow of his bigger and older brother Kwei. Their father, viewing proud Yautja lineage as something reserved for only the strongest, sees Dek as weak and useless—wanting him dead to preserve the family’s honor. Dek’s perceived weakness, being the runt, drives both his father’s harsh stance and Dek’s desperate need to prove himself. However, Kwei believes Dek deserves a chance to prove himself, hoping Dek can live up to his family's legacy. Predators choose their prey. Dek, eager to earn his father's respect and prove he’s not only a worthy warrior but also superior, selects Genna—a planet with a low survival rate. Dek chooses the Kalisk as his target, a predator believed to be unkillable, in an attempt to demonstrate his own fearlessness. When Dek’s father kills Kwei, Dek’s drive turns to vengeance, and, after surviving and escaping to Genna, he must now capture the Kalisk both to prove himself and to avenge his brother. The Yautja are a proud and stubborn race that hunts alone. Dek tries to prove himself by surviving the perils of Genna. He reluctantly saves Thia (Elle Fanning), a damaged synthetic, hoping she can guide him. Thia says she's searching for her sister, Tessa, and knows where the Kalisk is, motivated by the desire for reunion. Dek brings her, unaware that he and the Weyland-Yutani Corporation pursue the same prey for their own ends. Badlands is a lot of firsts for the Predator franchise. It’s the first time a Predator was named in any film. It is also the first time a Predator is a protagonist. The Yautja language was created by Britton Watkins, who was recommended by Paul Frommer, the creator of the Na’vi language for Avatar. Dan Trachtenberg is eager to build a new Alien vs. Predator film or franchise, but wants to do it right. Predator: Badlands includes Easter eggs connecting those two cinematic universes and one more. Badlands features pulse rifles from Aliens. The Weyland-Yutani logo on the back of Thia’s eyes resembles Andy’s eyes in Alien: Romulus. Dek’s armor and weapon preparation before the final battle is an homage to Amber Midthunder’s in Prey, which was already a nod to Dutch’s prep before the last battle in the original Predator. Tessa uses a power loader similar to the one Ripley uses to fight the Alien Queen in Aliens. A Harvester skull from Independence Day is visible on Kwei’s trophy wall. Badlands runs a tight 107 minutes and is nearly nonstop action. Influences include Frank Frazetta, Terrence Malick, films like Shane (1953), The Road Warrior, Conan the Barbarian, The Book of Eli, Clint Eastwood westerns, Jaws, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and Star Wars; video games such as Shadow of the Colossus, Half-Life 2, Uncharted, God of War; and the comic book character Drax the Destroyer. Genna is so deadly that Dek is surrounded by wildlife and otherworldly creatures out to kill him. Predator: Badlands channels Mad Max: Fury Road, letting non-stop action lead until the credits. Emphasis on the Yautja language (a universal translator allows characters to hear their native tongue), brutal action, and animals in the storyline give Badlands an ambiance similar to Genndy Tartakovsky’s animated epic, Primal. Badlands has more visual effects shots than any other Predator film. The film credits several VFX studios, including Weta Workshop and ILM, for bringing this visual powerhouse to life. The film looks incredible, thanks in part to its breathtaking cinematography and nearly flawless visual effects. Each action sequence blends creativity, intense violence, and masterful CGI. Every battle is unforgettable, like when Dek cuts a bone bison in half in slow-motion with his plasma sword. The film skirts its PG-13 rating through violence, avoiding an R-rating since almost all onscreen blood is green from predators or white from synthetics. The only flaw in Predator: Badlands is its straightforwardness and lack of depth. However, this film doesn't need complexity. It's easily one of the year's best action movies. Trachtenberg references past franchise films without simply repeating stories. You're invested in Dek, Thia, and Bud (a native creature bonded to Dek), and you notice almost every Easter egg. Yet, the story still feels fresh. Wherever Predator goes next, it promises a new journey for fans. Savage, badass, and brutal, Predator: Badlands is the most action-packed Predator film yet. See this one in theaters for the best picture and sound—it’s worth every penny.

“Dek” is the runt of the “Yautja” clan so his militaristic father has asked his elder brother “Kwei” to get rid of him. Luckily, his brother isn’t so brutal and so with an impossible task on his hands to prove his worth, “Dek” manages to escape to a planet where he seeks to make a trophy from the menacing “Kalisk”. Thing is, this place is riddled with all sorts of flesh-eating monsters and plants so his own survival chances aren’t especially high until he encounters the top half of synthetic “Thia” (Elle Fanning) who is quite hot on keeping him alive and who agrees to work with him to achieve his task. It turns out, though, that she and her mission doppelgänger “Tessa” are on this world for a similar reason and him getting back home is not in their plans, let alone home with a creature that has impressive regenerative powers. What chance the young “Dek” can achieve his task, or perhaps even better - do something his tribe never do and learn to cooperate and maybe even make friends? Now it is fractionally better, but for the most part this really just reminded me of Adam Driver’s “65” (2023) as the whole premise of the “Predator” - the menacing and all-conquering alpha hunter - is abandoned in favour of this great looking but derivative story of survival with fangs against critters and plants that could have caused a stir in “Star Trek” in the 1960s. By flipping the established plot on it’s head like this, Dan Trachtenberg is almost asking us to sympathise for “Dek” rather than hide behind the sofa, and this manages to disappointingly humanise him - albeit monosyllabically - and reduce any sense of menace to a bare minimum. Sorry, but I was underwhelmed by the whole thing.