Predator: Badlands review – One of the best blockbusters of the year
Although director Dan Trachtenberg made the excellent Prey, my expectations were quite low for Predator: Badlands because the previous eight instalments in the franchise had been OK or less than OK. So I was completely surprised by how entertaining this was. One of the best blockbusters of the year!
The previous Predator films depict the titular alien as a villain, but Badlands flips the script and makes him the protagonist of the piece. We follow a runt Yautja called Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) who is sent to another planet for his own safety, otherwise he’ll be killed for being weak. He ends up on the dangerous planet of Genna, where he meets a Weyland-Yutani synth with no legs named Thia (Elle Fanning). She needs to find her sister Tessa and Dek wants to slay a renowned beast to prove his strength, and they team up to help each achieve their goals.
The film opens with Dek and his family on his home planet speaking Yautja, a language created for the movie. It was solid enough, but my interest perked up significantly when he arrived on Genna – where all creatures and plant life seem designed to kill – and again once the delightful Fanning showed up. She is fantastic, and her performance makes the film as fun and entertaining as it is.
Thia is bubbly, chatty and a ball of energy. She’s clearly thankful for the company after being on her own for so long. Naturally, the grumpy, grieving loner Dek doesn’t enjoy her energy and positivity – and having this chatterbox strapped to his back is less than ideal – and this chalk-and-cheese dynamic is what makes the film so great. Despite their differences, they become more than allies – they become a found family, along with a creature who has tagged along for the ride.
Previous Predator films have been adult horrors but this is a 12A/PG-13 and more of a sci-fi action film with a lighter tone. It’s much funnier than I expected. I laughed a lot! The action setpieces are also excellent, except for a messy sequence at the end, and the landscapes are jaw-droppingly beautiful. I was really impressed with the cinematography, although some shots made me think of Dune and Star Wars.
Badlands is an entertaining blockbuster that shows one of sci-fi’s most iconic villains as we’ve never seen him before. Longtime franchise fans may be disappointed with this bold new direction but I respect Trachtenberg for doing something different and interesting. Move over Superman and Marvel, the contender for blockbuster of the year has arrived.
In cinemas from Friday 7th November. Streaming on Disney+ from 12th February