At a time when sci-fi flicks seem to be getting more and more obsessed with visual fireworks over the story, it’s quite a feat for Dan Trachtenberg to pull off a perfect balance of both in Predator: Badlands. Coming off the back of the unexpected hit that was Predator: Prey – which toned things back to focus on a far simpler – but no less gory – plot – Trachtenberg decides to double down on this winning formula, and breathes fresh air into the franchise by turning its core element on its head: here the Predator ceases to be the bad guy, instead being the main point of interest in the story.
In Badlands, Dek (played by Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), a youngblood from the Yautja clan, is forced to head out on a journey to Genna, a planet teeming with life – including an alien beast known as the Kalisk, which just so happens to be thought of as unbeatable – and prove himself to his people. But that’s not his only problem: the place is also home to a bunch of other terrifying creatures, which leaves Dek no choice but to team up with Thia (played by Elle Fanning), an android from Weyland-Yutani – the same outfit that’s played a major role in the Alien franchise – who just so happens to be in a few pieces courtesy of a previous run-in with the aforementioned Kaslik.
From the original 1987 with Arnold Schwarzenegger right through to Prey in 2022, the Predator franchise has always been pretty much a slasher-flick on steroids. The sci-fi setting allowed the directors to get a bit more creative with the action scenes, from the jungle to the mean streets of LA, but at the end of the day, it was always the same story: the Predator rips people apart, only to meet with a grisly demise at the hands of the human protagonists. With Badlands, Trachtenberg flips that on its head and makes the Predator the star of the show, teaming him up with an unlikely partner in crime (or in this case, crime-fighting) to create what’s basically the most entertaining buddy-cop flick of recent years.
The fact that Dek is the main man in the story lets Trachtenberg and co-writer Patrick Aison delve into some bits of the franchise that we’ve never really seen before. We already knew the Yautja were a bunch of warrior-types trying to be the best predators out there – but in Badlands, we get a glimmer into how their society actually works, which is kind of refreshing. And unlike the Predators of old, Dek actually has a personality to speak of, rather than just being a mindless killing machine – which makes the journey out of this particular jungle all the more fun to follow.
This experience is rounded out beautifully by Thia, brought to life with incredible skill by Elle Fanning. And as an interesting side note, Fanning is one of my absolute standout favourites in the film, playing another android – Tessa – who’s got a pretty sizeable role in the story. The thing that really makes her shine is that these two androids, Thia and Tessa, have such distinct personalities – and that’s precisely what lets Fanning really push herself to bring them to life on screen, and she knocks it out of the park on both counts. The buddy-cop vibe of Badlands works incredibly well, and in my opinion, the undeniable chemistry between Fanning and Schuster-Koloamatangi is a huge part of that.
The work of the production team also really helps elevate the whole experience of watching this new chapter in the saga. From the protagonist’s look, which is straight out of Alec Gillis’ playbook (the mastermind behind the classic monster from the original film), to Weta Digital’s construction of a genuinely immersive futuristic jungle, the result is a visual spectacular that’s reminiscent of Star Wars – the kind of thing that could really get people talking about this franchise, which just a few years ago seemed like it might be on its last legs.
If The Hunt was what rescued Predator from its creative slump, then Badlands is the real crowning jewel – a sequel that has everything going for it in the hands of Dan Trachtenberg. And the beauty of it is that he manages to avoid going all out with the sci-fi spectacle and instead focuses on making this new film feel like a genuinely credible next step for the franchise. The result is a sequel that really opens up some pretty interesting possibilities for the Yautja on the big screen, whether or not Dek is part of the mix.
