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When taking over an iconoic franchise, there is little room for error. There is even less room when following up the Award Winning Film that rebooted said franchise. Sequels rarely live up to the original and when you’re 8 films deep, well, we’re usually talking about straight-to-DVD or, for the kids, straight to streaming, which was actually the case for the Award Winning and previously mentioned, Prey. Dan Trachtenberg, yet again, answers the call and proves that he was the one to usher the Predator franchise into the future with his action packed sequel, Predator: Badlands.
Predator: Badlands follows Dek, portrayed by Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, as he seeks to take his spot among his tribe and earn his fathers approval. To achieve his goal, Dek sets out for the planet Genna, a varitable death trap that would give Australia a run for it’s money, to kill the most dangerous of all game, the unkillable, Kalisk. Fighting through plants and animals hellbent on killing him from the moment he steps foot on the planet. Dek finds an unlikely ally in a Weyland-Yutani synthetic, famously of the Alien franchise, Thia, played by Elle Fanning doing double duty, but more about that later. With Thia strapped to his back, Dek battles through the elements and time as he must kill the Kalisk before Weyland-Yutani takes his mark.
This film, simply put, is gorgeous, which should come as no surpise as Trachtenberg’s previous work on Prey was stunning. The cinematography and locations pull you into the film before the first Yautaja word is uttered. It’s simply breathtaking and irresistibly awe-inspiring. Trachtenberg’s attention to detail when it comes to underdog is exemplory. Keeping in mind that this is the first Predator film to portray the Yautja as the protagonist and hero and, to this point, the predator has been close to unbeatable, Trachtenberg had a sisyphean task ahead of him. Choosing to break the Yautja down, make him a runt, and giving him an uphill was absolutely the right and ONLY choice. It gave me hope. I believed in him. I wanted him to win. YOU will want him to win. That is a testament to the brilliant and earnest characters that Trachtenberg creates. They have a heart and tenacity that makes them endearing. From scenery to storywriting, Predator: Badlands is a well-paced, well-shot, and well-told marvel.
As important as beauty is to a film, so is a cast. The Predator: Badlands cast was clearly up to the herculean task before them. Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi gives Dek the heart he needed to a believable protagonist. He made him formidable, but tender. Schuster-Koloamatangi was at his absolute best when he had to bring humor to a humorless being. That’s no small ask and he nailed it. The true shinig star of this film, however, pulled double duty. Elle Fanning was tasked with playing two identical synthetics with not so identical personalities. Thia is more human-like, caring and sweet. Tessa is cold and calculating, reminiscent of Michael Fassbender’s David from Promethius and Alien: Covenant. Fanning crushes both roles with Yautja like precision. Schuster-Koloamatangi and Fanning are the true heartbeat and soul of what make Badlands special. Here’s to hoping we get at least one more team up!
For all of it’s beauty, there were times that Badlands did feel kind of clunky due to CGI use. It’s nothing gamebreaking, but there are moments when it can take you out of the film for just a moment. In a film that utilizes a TON of CGI, it’s important for it to be consistent and there were a few times that it was apparent that CGI was being utilized.
Predator: Badlands serves not only as a worthy addition to an iconic franchise, but a brilliant successor to a revolutionary film. It stands as a testament to hardwork and the beauty of storytelling. Badlands is worth more than one trip to Genna and here’s to hoping even more of the universe.
Rating: 8/10
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