Predator: Badlands
For a while, the “Predator” franchise felt like the ugly stepsister to “Alien”- try as filmmakers might, there really didn’t seem like much people could do with the franchise, other than variations on John McTiernan’s 1987 original. Three years ago, Dan Trachtenberg brought the franchise back with “Prey.” Debuting on Hulu, the film basically is another variation on the original, but its setting- 17th Century America with Native American protagonists- and the film’s energy set it apart of the films since that original, and it was a hit with fans. This was not a franchise I ever really thought needed a strong voice leading it, but Trachtenberg- who also did “10 Cloverfield Lane”- is proving to be just what this franchise needed. He delivers again with “Predator: Badlands.”
Part of what’s made Trachtenberg’s entries in the franchise so strong- including the animated anthology (“Killer of Killers”) he helped make earlier this year- is that he not only is coming up with compelling ideas for each film, but deepening the lore of the titular creature in a way no one else really has. We’ve not just seen different versions of the Predator monster- for my money, one of the most iconic in movie history- but have seen him pull from comics and other mediums to worldbuild. We’ve also gotten human characters that feel like worthy opponents to it, as well. In “Badlands,” he even did something I truly hated in one of the earlier films, but in a way that brought things together thematically in an interesting way. How other people feel about Ridley Scott’s return to the “Alien” franchise, I feel about Trachtenberg’s tenure with the Predator.
“Badlands” puts us in the perspective of the titular creature. Specifically, a young Yautja warrior named Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) whom we first meet as he is in a remote area of their planet with his brother, Kwei (Mike Homik), preparing for his first hunt. Dek understands his physical limitations, and wants to show their father, Njohrr (also Schuster-Koloamatangi), that he is a worthy warrior. Njohrr, however, wants him dead, not expecting much out of him. Kwei protects Dek, and sends him on his way, sacrificing his own life. Dek arrives at the planet of his hunt- Genna- but it is perilous, and he gradually loses many of his weapons. He does gain assistance from Thia (Elle Fanning), a synthetic from the Weyland-Yutani company who was on the planet to investigate the wildlife. Maybe they can help one another off this planet.
Over twenty years ago, the first of two really bad “Alien vs. Predator” movies came out. I disliked it more than its sequel, 2007’s “AvP: Requiem,” in part because of two choices it made- one was the PG-13 rating, the other was a narrative choice that seemed- to me- to go against the Predator mythos as I was familiar with it. “Badlands” does both of those things here, and yet, they work like a charm. This film’s PG-13 doesn’t feel like a defanging of the franchise because the violence is still brutal, it just doesn’t happen to involve any actual human characters. As for the other part, with the Predator teaming up with another character (especially one it should be hunting), it fits into the larger thematic ideas of Trachtenberg and Patrick Aison’s story (Aison wrote the screenplay). In Dek, they are telling a story of a character whose sense of self has been eviscerated, and finds themselves discovering it again not just through the hunt, but connections with Thia- who hopes to reunite with another one of her own- and Bud, a small creature on the planet. Like “Prey,” “Badlands” finds ways to connect this franchise with its legacy while also telling a wholly unique story that builds the lore of the franchise.
I wouldn’t put “Badlands” up with “Prey” and McTiernan’s OG, but this was definitely a great addition to the franchise. Trachtenberg is successfully worldbuilding in ways that tease us for future storytelling possibilities, as well as delivers kickass action sequences. He and cinematographer Jeff Cutter make the best-looking film in the franchise since the original, and composers Benjamin Wallfisch and Sarah Schachner add another strong score this this franchise’s legacy. And dare I say we have great work from the film’s leads? Although wrapped in a creature suit, Schuster-Koloamatangi brings the physical and emotional connection to Dek that is necessary for this story. And Fanning has some wonderful moments as Thia, especially as she is trying to connect with Dek. They make a great team, and anchor a film that I truly cannot wait to see where it leads next.
