4.0 out of 5.0 stars
The return of the uber-popular action-thriller “Predator” franchise brought a lot of strong questions from audiences: How can the franchise reinvent itself after so many lackluster titles in the past? Is there any variety in the story that the franchise can find for yet another sequel?
These were important questions going into the Nov. 7 release of “Predator: Badlands,” directed by the same mind behind franchise spinoffs “Prey” and “Predator: Killer of Killers,” Dan Trachtenberg. Both of these films came with critical success for the “Predator” franchise and marked a turning point for fresh content. Thankfully for audiences, “Predator: Badlands” continues that streak of good faith.
The film takes a massive turn from the other films, following the perspective of the Predator species through the eyes of Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), a young man from the Yautja tribe desperate to prove himself to his brother, father, clan and the rest of his world. Dek travels to a distant planet called Genna — full of death and destruction — after his brother, Kwei, dies at the hands of their father. He goes to this planet to hunt the Kalisk, a beast of Yautja legend, and kill it in order to regain his reputation and find the means to avenge his brother’s death.
Having the audience follow the story through the eyes of a Yautja, as opposed to the human protagonists of the other films, is a fascinating change that fits perfectly into the message at play throughout the franchise. The cycle of violence always involves someone hunting another, and it can only be broken through becoming something more than what’s on the surface through character evolution. For the older “Predator” movies, this would involve the protagonist becoming a smarter and more ruthless hunter than the Yautja hunting them. Having the main character already start at the point of “ruthless hunter” and having them grow in a different kind of understanding — strength through companionship, not survival — is a fascinating twist that made Dek a very interesting character.
Dek meets up with an unlikely duo on his hunt that play major roles in his character development. An android named Thia (Elle Fanning) forms a bond with Dek after he saves her from an angry monster. The two clash back and forth on their views of family and the weaknesses of familial bonds. The third member of this unlikely group is a Kalisk offspring named Bud (Rohinal Nayaran), the son of the animal that Dek is hunting. Both Thia and Bud help Dek come to an understanding on the importance of connection and how even though the strongest creatures can survive alone, they do not have to.
The visual effects throughout the film are superb. The VFX team’s most remarkable accomplishment, through an hour and a half of sweeping alien landscapes and creature designs, is their ability to make Dek feel incredibly human. Dek’s visual effects capture emotion incredibly well across his face, even with half of it being a set of mandibles. His eyes fixate and adjust like a human would, allowing for a wide range of expression during Dek’s more character-driven scenes.
Bud is another alien who feels flooded with strong emotion through his otherworldly facial features. The visual effects help ground the film for the audience. Instead of looking at aliens they can’t relate to, they see the innermost, complex emotions of living beings doing their best to live and learn.
All of that is not to say that the other visual effects aren’t fantastic. The landscapes of the dangerous alien world are all richly different across several planetary biomes. Forests with deadly vines, fields of alien grass sharp enough to cut through skin and treacherous mountains home to flying monstrosities cap off an exciting atmosphere for our main character’s action setpieces.
The action in this film is another positive notch on the wall for the franchise’s continuous growth. The Predator’s movements and adaptability throughout long fights makes every combat scene exciting and complex. The cast of android villains that try to take Dek down are all competent fighters in their own right, providing a challenge in every encounter. Dek uses elements of the planet to his advantage, drawing on his near-death experiences throughout the film to become the ultimate hunter. This closely resembles the final act of every other predator film, only this time it’s a Predator itself undergoing the arc, further solidifying the aforementioned message of becoming stronger through life-threatening trials.
This film is a very strong addition to the “Predator” franchise. Despite the unknowns going into a movie centered around sci-fi aliens and worlds, the character work, visual effects and action set pieces do more than enough to get audiences invested and solidify “Predator: Badlands” inclusion in this storied franchise.
