Predator: Badlands Is Best Enjoyed Knowing This Beforehand

Predator: Badlands is out in theaters now, and before fans of the franchise head out to see it, there is something worth noting in how the latest movie tackles the iconic horror character.

The latest entry in the Predator franchise takes a fairly big departure from how previous Predator movies have operated. Instead of the movie painting the Yautja (the race of the titular Predators) as terrifying hunters tracking down humans, Badlands instead shifts the focus fully onto the Yautja themselves.

The movie follows the story of Dek, a runt Predator that travels to a planet known as Genna to hunt down an unkillable predator known as the Kalisk to prove his worth to his clan.

What makes Predator: Badlands different than past movies?

While the shift in POV is drastic enough for a Predator movie, Badlands goes a step further by almost removing all aspects of the horror genre that Predator has traditionally been known for. Instead, director Dan Trachtenberg almost leans into the complete opposite tone for the movie. Upon landing in Genna, Dek meets Thia (played by Elle Fanning), a Weyland-Yutani synthetic that becomes his tool of sorts as he moves to find the Kalisk and prove his worth as a Predator.

What follows is almost more of a buddy comedy movie than a traditional sci-fi horror movie, and in a completely good way. Fanning and Dek’s chemistry in the movie is one of its strongest points, and the humor in the movie happens infrequently enough that it does generate some big laughs when the jokes do occur. The movie still features a ton of action, a staple in the Predator franchise, but doesn’t really shy away from completely taking the iconic character and putting it in a unique scenario.

This isn’t the first time Trachtenberg has done this, either. While 2022’s Prey did stick pretty closely to the sci-fi action horror movie that most Predator films are, it was a major departure to set the film in 1719 and featured very sparse dialogue throughout.

Much like Badlands, the result worked, and Trachtenberg has become a beacon of hope of sorts to fans of the Predator franchise. Despite the change in tone, Badlands has also received major praise, even if fans might not be used to seeing their favorite badass hunter in this light.

Source: Comingsoon.net