THE STORY – A young Predator outcast from his clan finds an unlikely ally on his journey in search of the ultimate adversary.
THE CAST – Elle Fanning, Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi & Michael Homick
THE TEAM – Dan Trachtenberg (Director), Brian Duffield & Patrick Aison (Writers)
THE RUNNING TIME – 107 Minutes
The third entry in filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg’s rehauling of the “Predator” franchise, “Badlands,” is undoubtedly a film not aiming to break the mold that “Prey” and “Killer of Killers” helped cement. After years of the series slowly losing its identity, Trachtenberg’s biggest contribution was scaling it all back. While it may sound simplistic in terms of its approach to storytelling, Trachtenberg amplifying the gore and carnage that audiences gleefully subject themselves to is what has long-time fans eager to return. The idea of plunging a Yautja into different historical periods to unleash hell proved effective in both of Trachtenberg’s previous efforts, although the formula would eventually need tweaking to avoid a sense of staleness. Here, the Predator himself is the protagonist. While Trachtenberg’s depiction of the hero’s journey may not be the most inventive, it mostly delivers an entertaining experience, even if the allure of his vision for the franchise is beginning to fade.
In the Yautja code, they must show no weakness. The Yautja are friends and prey to none, but a predator to all. In the eyes of Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi’s Dek, to become a Yautja by name is all he desires. His status as the runt of the family gives him a chip on his shoulder as Dek travels through the vast, Terrence Malick-coded landscapes, often sparring with his brother Kwei, played by Mike Homik. Despite his dedication to the code, his standing with his father, Njohrr, the clan leader, is nonexistent, leading to Dek’s unplanned exile from his home world. Stranded on the lush planet of Genna, he must adapt to its hostile terrain and even break the traditional rules of what it means to be a Yautja to bring back the Kalish, a monstrous-sized MacGuffin, and reclaim his place among his people.
Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, who delivers a dual performance as both Dek and Njohrr, is given a tedious task by Trachtenberg: to grasp the audience’s emotional investment in a creature we’ve long perceived as the enemy. There’s a subtlety in the evolution of Dek’s emotions that Schuster-Koloamatangi conveys efficiently through his physicality, which is often hidden beneath a stunning display of prosthetics. We spend time with Dek as the various elements of the planet (explosive fauna, poisonous reptiles, and volatile weather) make his quest increasingly difficult. That’s why the inclusion of Elle Fanning’s Thia, a Weyland-Yutani synthetic missing the lower half of her body, serves as the perfect foil for Dek’s perception of life. Fanning adds a needed shift in energy with Thia’s bubbly, optimistic nature, which leads to amusing comedic exchanges between the unlikely pair as she’s strapped to his back, much like Yoda was to Luke on Dagobah. Fanning’s versatility as a performer is showcased throughout, as she also plays Thia’s synthetic duplicate, Tessa, whose more calculated demeanor aligns with her programmed mission to fulfill her master’s desires.
Schuster-Koloamatangi and Fanning’s chemistry makes the dynamic between Dek and Thia especially engaging, selling their growing friendship and helping audiences look past what is ultimately a paint-by-numbers narrative. Themes of siblinghood and found family are deeply ingrained in Brian Duffield and Patrick Aison’s screenplay for “Badlands,” giving this the most sentimental heart of any “Predator” film so far. That emotionality is only explored on a surface level, as Trachtenberg’s focus remains on scope and spectacle. His direction here feels the largest of his career, evolving from smaller-scale encounters, such as the Yautja fighting fur trappers in “Prey,” to massive showdowns, including a climactic battle between a towering monster and a synthetic-operated mech. Trachtenberg’s growing ambition with scale occasionally works against him, however, as some CGI-heavy sequences become visually chaotic and challenging to follow.
Three films in, “Predator: Badlands” is starting to show the limitations of Trachtenberg’s approach. What began as a refreshing reinvention is now edging toward the streamlined formula of a franchise more concerned with setup than payoff. The third-act set pieces feel oddly weightless, the cute alien creatures check a box, and the inevitable post-credit stinger drains some of the joy from an otherwise entertaining solo outing. It’s still a fun, ambitious entry, but it’s hard not to feel that the thrill of the hunt may finally be wearing thin.
