Film Review: Predator: Badlands

The Predator film franchise has been around since the 80s and it has always tried its best to feel distinctive and separate from other science fiction franchises like Star Wars and Alien. Saying that, later on in the 90s the Alien and Predator franchises merged into one in what was an arguably decent attempt at creating a horror-infused mega space franchise. A lot of fans of the series know that the Predator franchise suffered after these team-up films, and films such as Predators and The Predator didn’t meet fan expectations. Then the Disney and Fox merger happened which placed the franchise under the custodian of Disney, and the term “Disney-fy” came out and people were worried the studio were going to destroy the series. Luckily that didn’t happen, and that is in thanks to filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg.

During the pandemic Trachtenberg released a film on Disney+ called Prey, and you’d be forgiven to think this was an original film until a Predator turned up halfway through the story. The unique direction and creative spin on the franchise awarded Prey as the best the series had produced in a long time. Earlier this year we had the fantastic animated hit, Predator: Killer of Killers, which put a lot more emphasis on the Predators than the humans and again this was a big hit too. Now, Trachtenberg has the credibility to pull off a big Predator blockbuster film for cinemas with Predator: Badlands. This long explanation probably feels redundant but these points are important to consider when discussing the latest film.

Predator: Badlands feels a little like Disney is attempting to marriage the Alien and Predator franchises again. One of the protagonists is a synthetic android called Thia, played by Elle Fanning in a dual role, and the corporation behind the manufacturing of these Synths is Weyland-Yutani, who are dominant in the Alien franchise. Thia teams up with a young Predator who wants to prove his worth by hunting down and killing an “un-killable” beast on a remote planet where Thia is found. It turns out Thia and Tessa, her sister so to speak, are also hunting down the creature for different reasons. The film sees Dek, the young Predator, and Thia team up on an adventure in a harsh environment to slay the beast.

The world-building in this film is highly creative, with tendril-like aliens, to razor-sharp grass and plants that explode, the world feels alive and rich and it feels very alien in the best possible way. Dek utilises his skills to traverse these Badlands and he learns a very important skill along the way thanks to Thia. There are no human characters in the film and that allows the filmmakers to create new and inventive ways to showcase the action. There are some truly stand-out action scenes which feels like they’re ripped directly from a video game, which is very high praise and also makes complete sense considering Trachtenberg is a big gamer. The result is a film that feels like a natural progression for the franchise and gives the future a bright look for future Predator films.

There are a few small issues with the film. There are some unnecessary comedic moments that feel like they don’t fit with the tone and vibe of the film. Elle Fanning delivers a fantastic performance but can sometimes come across as annoying in parts too. Fans of the franchise may feel like this film deviates too much from what the original films work but yet again there is only so many times you can tell the story of humans being hunted and putting the Predator as the protagonist seemed like a genius way of subverting expectations and keeping the story fresh. The end result is quite possibly the most entertaining Predator film in the franchise so far.

★★★★☆

4/5

Final Verdict:

Predator: Badlands works on so many levels. The detail and creativity of the world within this film is so distinct that it manages to re-evaluate the franchise. Filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg understands the lore and the characters of this world so much that it feels like the next stage and evolution of the franchise. Having a Predator and an Android team up to hunt a beast is an idea that works so well, even if certain parts feel a little redundant, but the result is a sci-fi action blockbuster that deserves to be seen on the big screen and it sees a warm welcome back for the Predator film franchise.

Thanks for reading today’s blog!

Alex Murray, the Head of Eyesight Productions