“Badlands” takes the Predator in a whole new direction

Until recently, the Predator franchise was in a bad place. Since 1987's "The Predator," there hasn't been a good Predator movie, and that doesn't include the two Alien vs. Predator movies, which are terrible. Then in 2002, "Prey" was released, and it was incredible. Director Dan Tractenberg revitalized the franchise and has become the shepherd of the Predator franchise.

In "Predator: Badlands,” Dek (Dimitrios Schuster-Kolomatangity) is an outcast from his clan. In an attempt to get back in, he goes to a deadly planet to kill its most fearsome and deadly killer.

This is the first time in the franchise where the Predator, or Yautia, is the hero. Dek is smaller and weaker than others in his clan. His father sees him as a disgrace. All Dek wants is to be accepted and earn his place. While on Genna, he encounters a Wayland-Yutani android named Theia (Elle Fanning). Quick point of reference: Wayland-Yutani is the evil corporation from the "Alien" franchise. Theia, who was ripped in half by the very creature Dek is there to kill, offers to help him. She was part of a team sent to the planet to capture the creature, but the creature destroyed the entire team. Dek reluctantly accepts her help because, while Yautia are solo hunters, they do use tools to hunt. Theia is just another tool for Dek to use to achieve his goal.

One complaint I have heard is that the movie is too funny. This boils down to many of Dek and Theia's interactions. Theia brings a lot of levity to the movie when she shows up. She has more of a personality than Dek; he does, after all, come from a culture that prizes strength and killing prowess over all else. I will admit that this has more moments of humor than the others, but it worked for me. Dek’s rigid, stoic personality is going to bump up against Theia's lighter one, and that will inevitably lead to humor. As an audience, we need these moments to make the characters more relatable. The Predators and androids are the least relatable characters in their respective franchises, so moments of levity help the audience connect with them.

"Badlands" is an absolute blast. It does away with the typical formula of a Predator coming to Earth and killing people. It takes a look at the culture these creatures come from and makes him the hero. Tratenberg has 'another Predator movie planned, and if the rumors are true, it is going to link "Prey," "Killer of Killers," and "Badlands". Considering the quality of those three, the next should be great.

8/10

Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong sci-fi violence

1h 47m