Predator: Badlands

You’ve got to give the Predator franchise some props for constantly trying different things.

Like its titular hunters, it’s sneakily crept up on its competition in the action film genre and is getting to become a really strong franchise as a whole. This despite the respective films not exactly tying in to each other.

Predator: Badlands is another striking addition and really goes for originality, putting a Yautja (the official name for the ‘Predator’ species) in the lead role.

This is a pivot to hard sci-fi with no human characters, most of the dialogue spoken in a subtitled alien language and a Dune-esque ‘epic’ soundtrack and visuals.

There’s always danger when putting a villain in a lead role. Often, the bad guy is exciting precisely because you don’t see them that often. They don’t need to have depth of character. They can show up, often look very cool and kick ass.

Showing them ‘doing normal things’ and having to actually lead the story is a tricky challenge but Dan Trachtenberg does a great job here. He introduces us to Dek, a ‘runt of the litter’ type out to prove to his clan that he is worthy.

He travels to a ‘death planet’ to kill a seemingly unkillable beast all after a pretty startling family feud opening.

Once there, he teams up with half a synth (a Weyland-Yutani synth no less, could Trachtenberg be pushing for another Alien link up?) and action ensues.

It doesn’t really let up. There’s some fantastic creature design, some great set pieces and some plot decisions which simply work.

It’s not a film trying to be more than it is and it does what it does very well.

For fans of the series, it makes a wonderful addition. However, it’s fair to say that for anyone more casual or only familiar with the original, it is a bit of a pivot and the language and the tone won’t appeal to everybody.

Is it better to tell the story from the human side with a predator hunting them? Whilst it’s been done to death, I’d argue that the original, Predators and Prey are superior but points definitely awarded for trying something new.

The widening of the lore (which this year’s Killer of Killers also did brilliantly) really could lead to excitement in the future.

A franchise in good hands, daring to be different, striving for more, indulging in geeky sci-fi and catering to its audiences. For Alien and Predator fans, get to the cinema (in Arnold’s voice).

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