Predator Badlands
Review by Mark Woodring
After successfully rejuvenating the Predator franchise with Prey, then expanding its universe with the animated film Predator: Killer of Killers, director Dan Trachtenberg’s clear love for the property has led us to the newest iteration, this time with a twist:
Predator Badlands.
**NOTE: this post may be updated with audio once we actually have the chance to talk about it. Until then, you can read Mark’s review below. Remember, though, you can listen to all our discussions of this and every other movie directly over on ACAST. Stay tuned.**
107 Minutes, Rated PG-13
Written by Patrick Aison, Jim Thomas, John Thomas
Directed by Dan Trachtenberg
Synopsis:
A young Predator outcast from his clan finds an unlikely ally on his journey in search of the ultimate adversary.
Let’s get the easy stuff out of the way: Predator Badlands takes the bold (risky?) leap to deviate from the traditional format of the franchise in which the Predator travels to Earth to hunt humanity. Instead, Predator Badlands tells a story similar in many respects to Trachtenberg’s Prey, in which a young, underestimated would-be warrior seeks to prove themselves against an arguably unbeatable foe in order to protect/avenge those they love.
This one change has the potential to derail the entire underpinning of the franchise’s audience, but does it?
Taken in a vacuum, I would have to say, No, it doesn’t. Although we don’t get the usual plethora of Yautja (the name of the Predator’s race) technology as it runs around killing, the action pieces are really well done, beginning with the fight between Dek and his brother Kwei in a massive cave complex, which establishes the clan-based hierarchy of Yautja society, as well as the narrative of Dek being the weak “runt” who should be culled to strengthen the clan.
So decrees Dek’s FATHER, of all people, further illustrating the brutality of the Yautja people and explaining their savagery as hunters.
Escaping to Genna, a world filled with death for all who visit it, Dek attempts to slay the “unkillable” Kalisk, a creature so fierce even Dek’s father fears it.
On a world designed to kill as much as any Predator ever was, Dek is forced to reconcile Yautja culture (“Yautja hunt alone”) with his need for assistance in order to survive for any length of time.
Cue the appearance of Weyland-Yutani synthetic Thia (Elle Fanning), who was damaged and left alone for over two years until Dek frees her and uses her (a “tool,” which he feels better having around than a partner/companion/friend) to hunt the Kalisk to its lair.
I don’t recall if Predator: Killer of Killers identified the link between the Predator franchise and the Alien one, but Predator Badlands plays out like Trachtenberg’s next project can/will be a more enjoyable Alien vs Predator feature than has been presented in the past.
As Dek’s journey continues, his outlook on both his situation and the Yautja culture change.
And the “unkillable” Kalisk? That is a 99% accurate representation.
As I said earlier, in a vacuum, Predator Badlands is a pretty good movie, so I can mostly forgive the change of narrative format.
I have a slight problem with the fact that Hollywood continues to try to rehab villains/monsters into sympathetic protagonists, which they are doing with Dek, and it’s a trend I wish would stop. Thia is a much more sympathetic character, one who does some questionable things which can at least be justified because SHE’S A SYNTHETIC, designed to follow orders (albeit one who learns to finally thing for herself).
I do have more of a problem with the high volume of comedy. Elle Fanning’s Thia is a non-stop chatterbox of comic relief as she tries to steer Dek along, and while comedy has always been a piece of the Predator franchise going back to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s original film, with it’s pithy 1980’s one-liners so typical of Arnold’s early work, in Predator Badlands it oftentimes borders on overwhelming the action.
Again, this is a pretty good movie, but I can’t rate it as Great.
Predator Badlands is in theaters this Friday, November 7, and stars Elle Fanning.
And remember, if the BEST thing you can say about a movie is that it’s “visually stunning,” then they’ve done something wrong.
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