Since Schwarzenegger dared go toe to toe with a ruthless killing machine back in 1987’s original Predator, the Yautja have been known as the ultimate big game hunter. Constantly evolving their tactics and weaponry their only goal is to hunt and kill with honour, or be killed in an honourable way. Beginning with Prey, director Dan Trachtenberg has shown his deeper understanding of the Predator lore, utalising the Yautja to highlight societal norms of honour, duty and resilience often seen as a blessing and/or a curse and build upon them proving once again that your own ingenuity is often the key to survival.
Predator Badlands keeps the heart stopping action, brutality and massive set pieces of its predecessors but its tone takes a very noticeable shift. Core elements remain linking to past Predator and Alien entries but it is the addition of humour and silly moments that cause you to stop and take note that this is going to be something a little different.
Dek is a youngling, still to earn his place within his fathers clan and the acceptance that comes with it. Already tarnished with the reputation of being the smallest and therefore the weakest, Dek must prove to his father and the rest of the clan that he is worthy by travelling off world on his first solo hunt. Being head strong and angry with the station given, Dek chooses to hunt the deadly Kalisk, a fabled deadly creature all Yautja including his father know and fear. Dek travels to the distant planet of Genna filled with determination and a borderline unhealthy obsession to retrieve his trophy and earn a place at his fathers side.
The planet of Genna has other plans for Dek, before he even steps foot on its surface. A surface where everything has evolved to kill, from flora that shoots debilitating darts filled with a paralytic if you get too close to it, mammoth trees hiding even bigger creatures that will devour anything in their path, or razor sharp grass down to the smallest bug waiting to explode in fiery rage Genna is a place where even the greatest hunters will be tested, let alone Dek on his very first. The team have crafted a beautiful and increasingly hostile environment where each step is a fight for survival. Beautiful vistas showcasing the dense unpopulated planet are highlighted by something, often multiple things, being eaten or stalking its next prey.
Dek’s luck begins to turn, meeting the almost annoyingly cheerful Weyland-Yutani synth Thia, her incessant questions are an instant source of distain but reluctantly agrees to help her. Thia has been severely damaged in an earlier run-in with the Kalisk missing her entire lower half but not her sunny disposition. Dek may want to complete his mission alone but realises quickly that utalising Thia as the tool that she is greatly increases the chance at both surviving a little longer. Both leads are complete opposites and yet rely on each other heavily, Dek a solo warrior has been taught from birth that empathy and emotions are a weakness while Thia has been designed with feelings, specifically so she can better connect with the local creatures and a need to be part of a team making her feel incomplete without others.
Surprisingly Predator: Badlands local M rating doesn’t hinder its action or content. From the very first moments you quickly understand that you are in for a brutal and visceral trip into the world of the predators. There are some light hearted moments that are aimed at the younger audience but they never cross the line into absurdity keeping the core feel and pacing intact. There is no slow build, action is a constant feast for the senses, bombarding you with massive action set piece after massive action set piece. Each time you think you can slow down and take a breath Badlands kicks into gear again throwing another deadly fight at Dek forcing him to use every bit of training and new found ingenuity to try and survive and earn his fathers respect.
At the core of Predators: Badlands is a story of finding one’s place on your own while trying to evolve from the ways of the past and meld them with new ideas and influences that you’ve been exposed to along your own personal journey. It is a subtle nod to personal growth and surprisingly well intertwined within the action centric focus proving again that Trachtenberg really knows the source material and wants to grow the Predator franchise into something more than a one trick pony. Elle Fanning is amazing in dual roles as Thia and her “sister” Tessa tying back to Weyland-Yutani but adding a much needed balance to Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi in his portrayal as Dek. Playing a character so heavily hidden behind prosthetics and CGI has its own set of challenges but Schuster-Koloamatangi’s mannerisms and delivery shine through brilliantly giving Dek much needed depth to what is originally a very one dimensional character.
Predators: Badlands is a sheer feast for the senses and refuses to let you stop and take a break from the get go. Its beautiful scenery and world building hide a landscape full of brutality and non stop action with a surprisingly well rounded story settling itself somewhere between the humanity of Prey and animated action of Killer of Killers.
Predators: Badlands releases in Australia on 6th November and to do it justice you need to watch it on the biggest, loudest screen possible.
