[7]
Director Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane, Prey) leads the Predator franchise in a bold new, character-driven direction with Predator: Badlands. Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi stars (under digital makeup) as Dek, the film’s title hunter, a runt whose ruthless father tries to kill him before he escapes to prove his worth. He sets out to kill a monster so fierce, even dear old dad fears it. That creature lives on a planet so hostile, both flora and fauna are constantly on the attack. Dek finds aid in a legless android (Elle Fanning) who offers to help him find his deadly prey if he’ll help her get back to her android ‘sister’. Along the way, the two pick up a third traveler — a fierce but loyal critter that’s a cross between a pit bull and a gorilla that Fanning dubs “Buddy”.
As you can probably already tell from this synopsis, Predator: Badlands is not your father’s Predator movie. The Predator characters (Yautja in the universe’s nerd lore) are somewhat diminished as unstoppable adversaries by Trachtenberg’s efforts to explore their relationships and inner psychology. Fans of classic Predator will balk at the humanization of the alien icon and the film’s frequent humor. But how many more times could the franchise rinse and repeat with the Predator portrayed as a soulless monster? If you’re willing to permit the franchise to evolve, you may enjoy a fun, more compelling storyline about surrogate family and loyalty.
Trachtenberg is somewhat like his Yautja warrior — bucking cold tradition in favor of something a little more meaningful. I had stopped caring about Predator movies a long time ago, but this one has possibly reignited some interest. I’m not always a fan of reinventing or deconstructing a franchise, but in the case of Predator: Badlands, it may be a solid step toward franchise longevity.