Predator: Badlands
review Bobby Blakey
Ever since the original Predator film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1987 the now iconic creature has spawned numerous films, comics and merchandise. I am a massive Predator fan and love all the films despite issues with some of them, but these stumbles also seemed to end the franchise. In 2022 10 Cloverfield Lane director Dan Trachtenberg took the reins and reignited the franchise with Prey and the animated feature Killer of Killers earlier this year.
Now he is back once again with the next live action feature Predator: Badlands starring Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, but does he bring something special to the franchise once again or is this a hunt not worth going on?
Predator: Badlands follows the future on a remote planet, where a young Predator, outcast from his clan, finds an unlikely ally in Thia and embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary.
I know some have complained about the look of this new young Yautja or as we all have to come to know them as a Predator. This is easily explained in the first few moments of the film and works perfectly for the direction and have no fear there are plenty other Yautja that have the look you want to keep you happy.
The bigger concern was could a Predator lead the film as opposed to just pop up from time to time to kill. I know some like to complain about getting a back story ruining the mystery of these aliens, but with the already established lore of them being intelligent and having honor all the way back to the original film there was clearly more there so hell yeah, I want to see more, and we get just that. The entire plot of the film hinges on the hunt and finding the honor of the clan but getting to see and understand how they get to that point is a great place to give us that lore.
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Getting a PG-13 rating on a Predator film may also seem concerning, but rest assured it didn’t affect this film in any way. What is missing to make it get this rating? There is no bad language like the usual F bomb’s getting dropped left and right and since there are no humans in the film there is no human blood hence no R rating. That doesn’t lesson the amount of action and carnage because it is nearly nonstop from the opening sequence with plenty of characters and creatures getting chopped up, beheaded, blown up and any other type of brutal killing you can think of.
I was surprised by how much humor and heart was here that might annoy some, but I think it added to the tone and gave it more heft to the actions and consequences in the later story elements. Being in an alien world they do introduce a wide range of alien creatures that delves this film into a full-on sci-fi actioner as opposed to the blood-soaked horror nature we are used to, but it works for the story they are telling. Some of the creatures were a bit silly to me but still work fine and never took me out of the fun of this new place for the franchise.
While it is not necessary to see any other film in the franchise to dive into this one, I think it is important to see all that has been established before. The bigger universe created here offers plenty of possibilities should they get the chance to explore it complete with the final scene promising yet something else new we must see in the world of the Predator, and I cannot wait.
Trachtenberg is three for three with the Predator thanks to taking big swings to do something new and they work. I hope he gets to keep bringing more stories in both animated and live action to us because every hunt has been one, I would love to go on again.
Decide for yourself and check out Predator: Badlands in theaters now from 20th Century Studios.