The Only “Bad” In Predator: Badlands Is in the Title

Predator: Badlands is the newest movie in the Predator franchise, and I really hope it won’t be the last. The movie released earlier this month, so while this review may be a little delayed, the movie is still in theaters, and I would highly recommend checking it out. Badlands is unique amongst the other movies in the Predator franchise because it isn’t about a group of humans trying to survive against a Yautja, but instead follows a Yautja as he embarks on his first hunt to prove himself in Yautja society. It’s an incredibly unique premise, and I think it nails the execution.

SPOILERS FOLLOW

The movie follows a young Yautja named Dek, beginning with him on his homeworld of Yautja Prime as he spars with his brother Kwei. Kwei, a full-fledged Yautja accepted by their clan, instructs Dek on how to go on a hunt to prove his worth to their clan so that they can accept him. But before Dek can leave, their father arrives and orders Kwei to kill his runt brother who’s a disappointment to the clan. Kwei refuses and fights his father, ultimately sacrificing himself so that Dek can escape. Dek ends up traveling to the planet Genna in pursuit of the fearsome Kalisk. After crashing, Dek must fight off some of the endemic life before he encounters the damaged synthetic android Thia in a creature’s nest. The nearby predator attacks Dek and paralyzes him, but he is able to lend Thia a weapon, allowing her to save him. Thia says that she can help Dek find the Kalisk since she has seen it, and in the process, he can help her get back to her Weyland-Yutani expedition team (and find her legs). The two travel together, overcoming more challenges on the planet and encountering another friendly creature that Thia names “Bud.” Dek and Thia eventually reach the remains of where the Kalisk attacked, and Thia reveals that her team is also after the Kalisk, so Dek should leave if he wants to survive. Angered and betrayed, Dek successfully draws the Kalisk out and battles it. The Kalisk possesses incredible regenerative abilities, even surviving decapitation. Dek and the Kalisk fight until Tessa, the other synthetic android in charge of the expedition, arrives with a team of other synths. The team had been exploring the planet on the trail of Thia, and they found the crashed Yautja ship and took some of its weapons. Tessa restrains the Kalisk and Dek with cryo-bombs, and prepares them for transport back to Earth, or wherever Weyland-Yutani wants them to go. While traveling, Tessa proves herself to be a cold and calculating android focused only on the mission and extracting information from her specimens, denouncing Thia as defective and ordering her imprisonment. Realizing that she’s being cast aside, Thia works to free Dek, and he escapes the convoy. Dek spends some time preparing, including reuniting with Bud who he now realizes is a juvenile Kalisk. Dek and Bud attack the Weyland-Yutani research outpost, successfully freeing Thia and the Kalisk, and killing all of the androids in the process, even if the Kalisk ultimately does perish. Now that his hunt is concluded, Dek travels back to Yautja Prime where he confronts his father and demands a cloak as proof of his abilities. His father orders some of the Yautja to kill him, so Dek fights back, eventually killing his father and taking his cloaking device. Dek prepares to leave with Thia and Bud on his ship as another ship, this one belonging to his mother, appears on the horizon.

Badlands is an awesome movie. The premise of it following a young Yautja on a hunt to prove himself in his clan is a really, really unique concept, and the movie executes it beautifully. One of the most intriguing elements of the movie is seeing Yautja culture get more and more developed. For example, Dek doesn’t speak English. Why would he? He’s an alien warrior who hasn’t encountered the language before. He spends the entire movie speaking his native Yautja language, so all of his dialogue is subtitled. That’s really cool. Learning a little bit more about Yautja culture and clan dynamics is awesome, and I can’t wait to see how it impacts later movies in the franchise.

Aesthetically and visually, the movie is incredible. Everything looks really well-done and believable, and the use of practical effects definitely helps. The creature designs are all awesome and really help to nail Genna as this inhospitable jungle planet. I’m always a big fan of monsters, and Badlands nails each and every one. Dek and the other Yautja look fantastic as well. Another element that’s always interesting to see is the Yautja tech and weapons they employ. Dek is no different, though I can’t deny that it is a little disappointing seeing some of his cool equipment in the very beginning, only for him to lose it a few minutes later. It makes sense in terms of the narrative, but it would’ve been cool watching him hunt with the laser bow he uses in his first scene on Genna. Regardless, his tech is really cool and fun to watch, especially the laser sword that seems to be unique to his clan.

The characters and plot itself are all strong. Dek and Thia have an interesting dynamic that isn’t uncommon by any means (the stoic and brooding guy and the upbeat and positive girl), but it works so differently this time around because the stoic character isn’t human. Of course Dek is going to come across as blunt and awkward and unfeeling. He’s an alien from a different culture, so the way he views and processes the world is different from the way a human would, so his actions and personality work really well in the film. He does undergo some character development as he grows to rely on others and trust them in his hunt. In the beginning, he wants to do it all by himself, even allying with Thia because she presents herself as a tool that can be useful in his hunt. By the end, he willingly chooses to risk his life to save both Thia and the Kalisk. Thia and Dek have some great conversations in the movie, and you can see how it shapes him as a character. Similarly, Thia’s upbeat positivity contrasts nicely with Dek’s brooding stoicism, and her journey parallels his beautifully as she realizes that the company views her as a weak, defective liability and intends to dispose of her as such. The characters have a surprisingly level of depth and development that you wouldn’t expect from them at first.

The action is great. All of the fight scenes are a treat to watch. Combat choreography is super fun, and the incorporation of genuinely interesting Yautja technology and battle techniques only elevates each fight to new levels. It’s also worth noting that the fights are fairly graphic. Dismemberment is very common, but it’s ok because none of the things getting dismembered are human. Badlands is rated PG-13, and I firmly believe that it’s because none of the characters are actually human. If there were any and the blood was red, I guarantee that Badlands would’ve ended up rated R. Regardless, the rating of the movie definitely doesn’t detract from it or make it lesser by any means. It strikes me as the kind of movie that did exactly what it wanted to do and didn’t sacrifice any of its personality to save a rating.

The soundtrack is also fantastic. It uses a lot of earthy, guttural sounds like Mongolian throat singing as reigning motifs, and it just works. It fits the tones and vibes of the movie in a way that I don’t think any other genre of music would.

SPOILERS END

Predator: Badlands is probably my favorite movie in the Predator franchise thus far. While I do need to temper that judgment with the admission that I have yet to watch Predator (the original one), Predator 2, The Predator (the bad 2018 one), or either Alien vs. Predator movies (at least in their entirety), of the ones I’ve seen, Badlands stands out as the best. It’s a very rare movie that I walked out of after it ended and can say with confidence that I enjoyed every second of it. I honestly don’t even have any nitpicks about it. The narrative is tight and engaging, and it respects the viewer’s intelligence enough to leave some things implied, foreshadow twists, and create character parallels without bluntly beating you over the head with it. Sure, a character may make a comparison or explain something in a line, but it all feels natural and is never forced. It’s a great movie, and one that I would definitely recommend checking out. I really hope that we see more movies like this in the Predator franchise in the future.