Directed by Dan Trachtenberg, Predator: Badlands is set in the future following a young Predator, named Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), who has been cast out by his clan and now embarks on a treacherous hunt on a remote planet in order to prove himself to them. On this journey he finds an unlikely ally in Thia (Elle Fanning), a Weyland-Yutani android, who is willing to help him search for an unkillable beast.
Dan Trachtenberg single-handedly revived the Predator franchise in 2022 with the release of the phenomenal film Prey, and then earlier this year he delivered an incredibly awesome animated anthology installment, bringing the series to a new medium that no one expected but welcomed nonetheless. Now he is back again for a third time with a far more ambitious entry compared to what has come before for the big screen, with a new story on a new world from the perspective of a Predator, aka Yautja, for the first time ever. Did lightning strike a third time? It absolutely did!
Predator: Badlands delivers a truly amazing and emotionally compelling epic that departs from the franchise’s repetitive formula and offers a refreshing story that the series was in dire need of. I have waited for a Yautja led film for so long and this film was a dream come true, one that also had many unexpected surprises that honestly make it my new favorite in the franchise with its incredible characters, investing story, layered themes, phenomenal action and spectacular effects.
Similar to Prey, the main cast of this film is very small in comparison to the large ensembles of previous installments but proves to be absolute powerhouses that make this action-packed story extremely compelling and emotionally investing. Leading the charge as our lead character is Dek, who is brought to life through a phenomenal and dedicated performance by Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi in his first ever blockbuster role. Dimitrius wears the full on practical Yautja suit but also does the motion capture performance for Dek’s face to give us one of the most emotionally expressive Predators we have ever had in the series that you feel immediately attached to due to the incredible performance and captivating journey the character goes on.
His journey begins with an intense opening that establishes the brutal laws of his culture and the dangerous mission he undertakes that has personal, familial motivations behind it, leading us to see Dek evolve from a lonely runt of a hunter into something much more as he finds his own path as well as finds his own unlikely clan after being labeled as weak by his original clan. Dimitrius beautifully gives us an underdog that is a ferocious badass and a protagonist that you root for through the entire film.
Other Yautja featured in this film, like Dek’s brother, Kwei, and Dek’s father, Njohrr, are also performed amazingly by their respective actors who give amazing physicality and commanding presence to each of their characters.
With the obvious absence of humans in this film, we get Weyland-Yutani Synthetics in their stead, with the main two of this film being Thia and Tessa, both played by Elle Fanning. In a year full of fantastic double performances, Elle Fanning is added to the list with her wonderful dual performance as these sister synths with similar programming and objectives but polar opposite personalities. As Thia, she is a bright and bubbly individual who has both humor and heart, making for an interesting travel companion for our leading Yautja, who initially sees her as a tool for his hunt. But she proves to be more than just a tool to him as she challenges his clan’s beliefs and his perspective as a lone hunter, making her a valuable friend to have after being unable to gain any form of compassion from anyone before, including his own father.
As Tessa, she is a cold and calculated synthetic that is dedicated to completing her primary objective by any means necessary, similar to Ash from Alien. She proves to be a worthy antagonist for Dek and his mission as well as a great modern representation of the inhumanity of Weyland-Yutani corporation in their goal to “build better worlds”. Elle Fanning delivers both performances perfectly, showcasing her underrated range as an actress and making for two great opposing characters.
The alien planet of Genna acts as a character of its own, with all of its highly lethal wildlife and plant life at every corner featuring uniquely designed beasts that are brought to life through a visually stunning mix of practical effects and CGI. The most impressive amongst them is the legendary Kalisk that has been deemed to be invincible by all, but Dek intends to be the one to slay it. This creature proves to be as menacing and powerful as it is built up to be, but there is far more to the Kalisk than just being a plot device that I found to be very surprising and awesome.
Another creature that ended up being an unexpected surprise was a small but strong little guy named Bud, performed incredibly well by Rohinal Nayaran. At first I was convinced that Bud was inserted into the film as your typical cute animal sidekick but just like the Kalisk there is a lot more to him than it seems that gets revealed over the course of the film and honestly proved to be a wonderful addition to the film rather than a forced comedic add on.
The story’s main premise is centered around the runt of a Yautja family trying to prove himself by going to the most dangerous planet and hunting an unkillable beast, which seems pretty straightforward for a typical Predator story, but as the narrative progresses it becomes much more than that. This is a different and bold film from past installments, where Dan Trachtenberg takes the series from the survival horror genre into an emotionally investing epic that is on a grander scale. This film still maintains the hyper-violent and action-packed roots of its predecessors but it also injects some new ideas, investing themes, and creative expansions that offer something truly refreshing and amazing after years of repetitive missteps.
And as much as I loved Prey and Killer of Killers for its contributions, I think I loved this film more in comparison for how different it was, how powerful the themes are, and the unexpected directions it takes. This film wonderfully captures the beauty of connection, resilience, and found family while also expanding Yautja lore, leading to excellent world-building as well as potential set ups for the future of the series that clearly involve a new attempt at crossing over with the Alien franchise.
But this is by no means a set up film for another film as it is still its own standalone Predator story that is focused on the entire time and never loses its emotional or thrilling impacts all the way through. You assume this film is going in certain typical directions but it doesn’t, especially when it cleverly establishes clues and pieces that all come together in a wildly fun and f**king awesome third act that brings everything together and delivers an immensely satisfying conclusion.
Like its predecessors, this installment’s action is relentless, thrilling, and unapologetically brutal even when there are no humans involved. Don’t let the PG-13 rating put you off as this film has the same amount of badass violence and gore that previous entries have had, but it’s just against aliens and synthetics. This film also features outstanding fight choreography, all done mostly practical and shown in its full glory thanks to stellar cinematography and visuals that are enhanced through IMAX. Every frame of this film oozes with beauty, making this one of the most visually pleasing Predator films since Prey, and given that it was primarily filmed on location in New Zealand a lot of the surroundings are all natural and not artificial despite what some people may think on first glance.
There are a large amount of practical effects and sets used for this film that make the worlds on screen come to life but there is also a certain amount of stellar CGI mixed in with the practical effects to make it look even better and more fluid. Additionally, the sound design is great even including a selection of archival sound effects from the Alien franchise that are added to the Weyland-Yutani tech in this film, which will appease fans of those films immensely.
But the one sound that truly dominates this film is the intense and epic score by composers Sarah Schachner (Prey) and Benjamin Wallfisch (Killer of Killers) that certainly assaults the senses in IMAX but is truly so damn good and incredibly fitting for the film in its loud and proud moments as well as its slow and somber moments. Next to the music in Prey and the original, this is my favorite score of the series.
Dan Trachtenberg has not only been able to reinvigorate new life into the Predator franchise but was also not afraid to take it in new and bold directions, especially for its grand return to theaters after a several year long hiatus. He has been labeled as the creative king of the series and after three incredible installments back to back he rightfully deserves the crown. One thing for certain is that he has given me my new favorite Predator film of the entire lot and I believe everyone needs to see this film on the biggest screen possible, whether you are a longtime fan of the series or not. I’m going to give Predator: Badlands an A+ = 100.
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