‘Predator: Badlands’ Review: The Predator Becomes The Protagonist In Dan Trachtenberg’s Third Straight Strong Franchise Entry

Weakness is a death sentence for the Yautja, known better to us Earthlings as the Predator. There hasn’t been a lot of time for vulnerability, or even personality, for the assassination-rabid aliens in past Predator films. Each of the previous films in the franchise, both the good and the bad ones, at least start with the Predators as the antagonist to various humans trying to survive. There are times when the Predator begrudgingly becomes an ally to the human heroes, particularly when Xenomorphs pose a much more deadly and acidic threat in the present moment. But in the past, when characters played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny Glover, Boyd Holbrook and Amber Midhunder came across a Predator, there has been no time for reasoning or sympathy. It’s either survive or get cut to pieces by their slicing laser scope. 

Predator: Badlands is the first Predator film to not only feature a Predator protagonist, but no humans whatsoever. It’s all Predators, androids and monsters in director Dan Trachtenberg’s latest franchise entry. Making his third Predator film in three years (2022’s Prey and this year’s Predator: Killer of Killers), the filmmaker is clearly trying to find different and unique ways into the formula that was loudly established in John McTiernan’s 1987 original. Nearly 40 years later, a franchise that has straddled the line between adult sci-fi and R-rated horror for almost the entirety of its existence embraces another new skin; PG-13 action adventure blockbuster. While still packed with plenty of violence, grotesque creatures and perilous situations, Predator: Badlands is easily the most accessible “all-audience” movie of the franchise, with more emotion than any of the other entries combined, plus a surprising amount of humor and heart that matches the vulnerability of the lead character. 

Despite these warnings about the Predator: Badland’s attempts at emotion, those worried that this is a soft movie that forgets what makes the Predator such a cool and iconic character can leave those worries at the door. The film starts with several action beats and keeps its foot on the gas. We meet Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, impressive behind makeup and prosthetics), the runt of his Yautja clan, clashing swords with his brother Kwei (Mike Homik) on their home planet. Despite extensive training, their father sees Dek as a lost cause, only worthy of execution. In a hail mary attempt to save his life, Kwei sends Dek away to Genna, a deadly jungle planet home to an unkillable alien known as the Kalisk. Dek’s only chance of returning to the clan is to bring the Kalisk’s head home on a spike. 

Think of Genna as a much more dangerous Pandora. The entire planet is alive, and the Kalisk is the queen monster. Every single organism that Dek faces poses a threat. There are entire fields of knife-shaped grass, thousands of paralyzing spike-shooting plants and exploding bugs crawling around every corner. Dek has to grow up fast to survive, and he gets an unlikely assist from Thia (Elle Fanning), a severely damaged android who knows how to find the Kalisk. With just her top half intact, Dek reluctantly straps Thia to his back, with the two building a very unorthodox partnership and eventual kinship through their journey. 

It is being made no secret by the Predator: Badlands marketing that Thia is property of the Weyland-Yutani corporation, once again pulling the Predator franchise into the orbit of the Alien franchise. That’s a topic for another day (or is it?). As the first prominent female android in either of these iconic series, Trachtenberg and screenwriter Patrick Aison get another chance to pay tribute to a familiar franchise idea in a different way. Fanning is pulling double duty here, contrasting the eager and compassionate Thia with her cold-blooded, T-1000-like “sister” Tessa. Between this film and the brilliant Oscar-contender Sentimental Value, this is a big weekend for the younger Fanning sibling to showcase her immense range as an actor. If you think Trachtenberg passes up a chance for her to act against herself ala Michael Fassbender, you don’t know your Davids from your Walters. 

Thia and Tessa are part of an army of androids who have been dispatched to Genna. Their threat to Dek allows Predator: Badlands to rack up a big body count without actually spilling any blood. That’s why the PG-13 rating isn’t worth fretting about, as there are plenty of limbs and heads lost through the film’s runtime. These beats do get a bit repetitive towards the middle, as there’s only so many times you can see Dek challenge a new kind of creature or decapitate an android. Also, for all of Trachtenberg’s skill as a storyteller, the staging of the action could use a little bit more flair. You can tell the choreography has been well-thought out, but the integration of the effects I think led to a more static approach in the camerawork, which robs some of the scenes of their full crunching impact. 

Badlands could end up being the first Predator movie for a lot of intrigued teens. It feels like a movie made for a director who grew up with the original but couldn’t actually see it. The bond between Thia and Dek is legitimately sweet and gives the film an emotional backbone that I really did not expect. There’s even a blue primate-esque sidekick that Thia nicknames “Bud”. He at first seems manufactured to sell toys, but then proves to play a crucial role in the narrative. Bud is Predator: Badlands in a character; seemingly soft and sweet, but actually vicious behind its exterior. The movie doesn’t feel as fresh as Trachtenberg’s previous two Predator outings, but it certainly gets the blockbuster basics right, and that makes the film worth hunting for while it’s out in theaters.

Predator: Badlands opens in theaters Friday.