As a predator film, Badlands may seem to have lost its horrible way from the earlier films in the
franchise, but it has found a way to tell a better story. The Predator franchise already had good
recent showings under the direction of Dan Trachtenberg, with Prey (2022) and the animated
Predator: Killer of Killers earlier this year, and Predator: Badlands is no exception.
Badlands has good action, less gore, and a PG-13 rating that can appeal to wider audiences.
It’s not a film about battling to save humans from something worse than themselves. None of
the characters are human. Dek (played by Dimitrius Koloamatangi) is a young, runt Yautja on a mission to prove himself. He hasn’t yet lived up to the fierce, ruthless hunter model. On a hostile planet
where there are equally fearsome predators including the local flor and fauna, Dek makes an
unlikely alliance with Thia (played by Elle Fanning), a broken synth. On a quest to find and claim the
planet’s top predator, Dek also finds himself on a journey of self discovery.
The film may suffer from predictability at times, and while Dek is still fearsome, he’s a less scary
predator. Badlands offers a unique perspective from the previous predator films, though, with a
Yautja as the main character. It takes a deeper look at their nature, beyond their battle craft,
examining themes of strength, purpose and family. The plot is stronger than the other pre-Trachtenberg Predator films, and maintains a high level of action, cool alien tech, and sci-fi appeal.
Despite a few cliche moments, there is good character development, easing the way for Badlands to take the Predator franchise in an interesting new direction.
Movie release dat November 7th. Rate this film (3/4) 🍿
