Predator: Badlands Movie Review
Following the critical acclaim and audience excitement that came from filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg’s reinvigoration of the Predator franchise with the phenomenal Prey and animated anthology Killer of Killers (both of which went straight to streaming), the director finally has his chance to expand the universe on the big screen, and Trachtenberg does not waste that opportunity with Predator: Badlands.
On the planet Yautja Prime, home of the Predator species, Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) longs for the approval of his father, despite being considered the weak runt of their clan, something that often results in being mortally culled. Forced to escape his home planet to avoid death, Dek lands on a planet full of deadly creatures with the intent to hunt and kill the Kalisk, an apex predator, and return its head in the hopes of his father’s acceptance.
During one of Dek’s many battles faced on this journey, he encounters Thia (Elle Fanning), a legless Weyland-Yutani synthetic with an oddly bubbly personality, who offers to help Dek get to the Kalisk in return for help finding her dismembered legs. As the unlikely team battles and endures their way through the dangerous terrain, the beasts become the least of their concerns as a greater, smarter threat stands in their way.
Tratchenberg’s expansion of the Predator universe over these last three projects have solidified the idea that simply putting this apex killer in different worlds with different prey and just letting the action tear loose is an amazing idea. Watching Dek, who even considered as a runt, absolutely rip his way through the beasts he encounters, is exciting as hell. The set-pieces in this action packed ride are stylistic and riveting, with Tratchenberg showing his confidence as director by moving the camera so dynamically around the brilliant choreography and vibrantly computer-generated world.
Predator: Badlands is also surprisingly full of humour and heart. Fanning’s optimistic and bubbly performance as the android Thia plays off of the stoic and seriousness of Dek entertainingly well. The unlikely duo archetype is utilised perfectly for the narrative, but it’s the chemistry between Fanning and Schuster-Koloamatangi that really brings it all to life. The heart at the core of the film is driven by both Dek and Thia’s personal journeys that lie underneath their goals. The absolutely outstanding practical make up that makes up Dek’s alien face are simply outdone by the piercing and human emotion that shoots from his eyes. Dek is a character going through an immense amount of inner pain, and that is seen through his eyes, and propels the narrative along, and is also something different for the Predator series – making the hunter more human.
The seamless combination of action, humour and heart leads to a rapidly-paced experience. Badlands does not take a second to breathe, constantly ramping the intensity to a climatic battle that is exciting, and will also make fans of the franchise(s) giddy with certain easter eggs and callbacks. But, the rapid pace can also lead to some underdeveloped narrative threads that don’t always fully connect the dots in a satisfying way.
However, with all of the vibrant fun and relentless action that Badlands contains, it’s hard to deny that this is a great time at the movies, and an exciting expansion of this universe.
Predator: Badlands is in Australian cinemas November 6
