Predator: Badlands – Review

History will likely remember Predator: Badlands as a small handful of live-action Hollywood films with no human characters in it, and fans will not have it any other way.

After six feature length films in which the alien Yautja – technologically superior extraterrestrial species – visit Earth to hunt human prey for the thrill of the chase, director Dan Trachtenberg, who directed the last two outings, 2022’s Prey and 2025’s animated Predator: Killer of Killers, turns the narrative to focus on a young Predator attempting to earn his honour, by hunting and killing the one thing that even his father fears – the unkillable Kalisk.

In doing so, he pops open the lore of the franchise by introducing elements that fans have long speculated upon, some which were touched on via the wider Predator expanded universe that covers comic books, novels, and video games, though some fans might find issues with what he’s exposing.

But if you’re a fan of the Yautja, and have grown tired of humans, young, old or female taking on and defeating these alien alpha hunters, then this movie is for you. In an effort to track down the Kalisk to restore his honour and seek revenge for his older brother, young Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, Red, White & Brass) finds himself stranded on the treacherous planet Genna, where just about anyone, or anything, can kill you. Considered to be the runt of his family, his skills, which weren’t even enough to defeat his brother in combat, are tested as flora and fauna, each deadlier than the one before, attempt to have him as their next meal.

Marooned without his shoulder cannon, helmet and other familiar weapons, Dek only has his formidable plasma sword and one other tool at his disposable – the badly damaged synthetic or synth life form, Thia (Elle Fanning, Maleficent, Mary Shelley), herself a victim of the deadly Kalisk.

And therein lies the first surprise – just as Prey occurred in the distant past, circa 1719, Predator; Badlands takes places in the far flung future because Thia is not just any android – she’s an advanced Weyland-Yutani creation. Yes, that’s the same unscrupulous megacorporation from the other popular Alien franchise, both of which are now properties of Disney. Built with a capacity for emotions and empathy, to better understand the deadly creatures of Genna, she wants the same thing as Dex, except that her instructions are to bring a Kalisk back to Earth, because as established in the Alien series, the 24th century Weyland-Yutani corporation is constantly on the hunt to study and exploit deadly alien creatures.

Except this is not intended to be a crossover film. It’s a little bit of fan service to fans of both mega franchises, but is in no way a recognition of both earlier Alien vs. Predator films, which are considered by fans to be separate entries from both main franchises. Here however, Weyland-Yutani’s inclusion is rather natural and while androids that behave and react more efficiently and effectively than humans are nothing new in popular sci-fi, those who love the Alien series already know what the synths are capable of. The nature of the film also somewhat links to Predator: Killer of Killers, setting up future sequels that could tie things back to the earlier films, and both franchises.

And in giving the Yautja a full language, designed especially for this film, the film gives us slightly more than what we should know about the species – honorable creatures who hunt and kill with pride, and who won’t blink and eyelid with honour killings when faced with the stench of shame. Aside from a group of regular synths, who speak with an artificial approximation of human behaviour, as well as Thia’s ‘sister’, Tessa, also played by Fanning, the film features no humans in supporting or background roles at all.

But we also don’t need humans because this is Trachtenberg’s chance to let loose, and not present humans with loopholes and weaknesses to exploit, to show how a man can possibly defeat a Predator. In fact, the first alien on Genna that tries to kill Dek can probably take down Dutch (from the original 1987 film, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) before he takes his first step towards running for his chopper.

To his credit, Trachtenberg does away with most of Dek’s advanced weapons, leaving the young Yautja and his survival instincts to take over as he attempts to survive. Where the film slightly gets too clumsy is that every foe or danger that Dek encounters and defeats becomes his weapon against the synths. How can a planet so fraught with dangerous elements survive its very own existence?

The other thing that fits this film, but not the franchise, is the use of humour, mainly by Thia. Yes, she’s not human and might be programmed to liven the moment with her emotions, but there are plenty of jokes in this film, spilling more guts with laughter than with mindless maiming. Most of the one liners and jokes land, even if they do seem somewhat indulgent, to the point where even Dek makes one. Damn it Dutch, see what you did with your catchy one liners that set such expectations all those years ago? The Predator is supposed to be one ugly motherf***ker, not a funny one.

Given that there are no humans in this film, it could have used a bit more decapitations, ripping of (artificial) skull and spine from a synth’s body, and some alien creature’s chest bursting wide open, all while synthetic fluid and guts spill all over the place. Instead, we have a film about  a reject from a hunter species on an alien planet with an android, protecting an alien child – that certainly reminds us of another Disney property, The Mandalorian.

Even as the Alien franchise seems to have gone through a successful revival in recent years, it’s great to see Predator do the same, under the guidance of Trachtenberg. While the lore isn’t as deep when compared, he’s clearly taking things in a new direction that honours the past, and opens up the future and in this third outing, he’s definitely killing it.

HSALS

Hsals needs more space in his house, and more money in his bank account to pay for all the toys, collectibles and other geek related items that companies are churning out. Free-time? Girlfriend? Who’s got time for those?