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