Predator: Badlands

I love the original Predator film and who doesn’t. And the love was never just about our favorite muscle man Arnold. I actually loved the creature. For its time, it was an incredibly inventive design. Its imposing presence almost dwarfing Arnie, the sophisticated weaponry that shredded everything in an instant, the invisibility cloak, and finally the iconic face reveal. That film became the foundation for everything that followed.

But I never quite enjoyed the sequels and reboots. In fact, I skipped a few. Of the ones I did watch, I liked the first AVP (2004) and the more recent Prey (2022). Alien vs Predator was a lot of fun and gave us exciting backstory about the species and their hunting rituals. I wish that franchise had expanded further. Prey was a genuine surprise, placing a Predator into what felt like the 17th or 18th century and letting it collide with an entirely different kind of conflict. A terrific idea executed with finesse.

Badlands comes from the same team that made Prey, so the expectations were high. It is set centuries later in a dystopian future, and for the first time ever, a Predator is the protagonist. The film is under two hours and wastes no time. The opening minutes are terrific and hit you with great urgency. Our hero Dek is a young Yautja (their species name) who is about to be eliminated for being weak and is seen as a disgrace to his clan.

But Dek is a spirited fighter and refuses to accept this fate. After a great action sequence and a dramatic escape, he sets his plan in motion. He will travel to a dangerous planet and hunt a Kalisk, supposedly the most lethal creature out there. If he returns with its head as a trophy, he will redeem himself. The rest of the film follows this quest. The world Dek enters is full of wildly imaginative creatures and some humanoids.

Some help him, some become terrifying obstacles. Elle Fanning plays two humanoids, Tessa and Thea, and she brings a great presence to both roles, clearly having a lot of fun. The name of the company which has sent these humanoids to this planet is Weyland-Yutani Corporation (a company from the Alien franchise). This link clearly shows that the future Predator films could very well merge into the Aliens saga.

The creature design in Badlands is one of the most inventive I have seen in recent years. The Kalisk is nothing like the usual giant dragon or T-Rex derivative. I am tired of seeing Godzilla clones. This is something entirely new. And beyond the Kalisk, Dek encounters several fascinating species, each creatively designed. The action choreography is another major win. The sequences are sharp, never overlong, and consistently entertaining.

Visually, the film is stunning. From its landscapes to its tech to its creature work, it feels fresh and original. Dek himself is the most human-like Yautja we have ever seen. His proportions are closer to ours, and his emotional journey is surprisingly affecting. You can see him change as the story progresses. The ending is satisfying yet leaves a wide window open for Dek’s story to continue, and I genuinely hope it does. I have always been a fan of the Predator creature. But after this film, I now have a unique individual to root for, Dek.