Cast:
Elle Fanning (Thia / Tessa), Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi (Dek / voice of Njohrr / Apex Predator / Father), Reuben de Jong (Njohrr / Apex Predator / Father), Mike Homik (Kwei; Stefan Grube as voice), Rohinal Narayan (Bud), Cameron Brown (Smyth), and Alison Wright (voice of MU/TH/UR) Directed by Dan Trachtenberg (#784 - 10 Cloverfield Lane)
Review:
Predator (1987) came onto the scene when its writers Jim and John Thomas wondered, "What would it be like to be hunted by a dilettante hunter from another planet the way we hunt big game in Africa?” It ended up being more than that of course, as one does when having John McTiernan as a director and the fact that yes, it was far more than just an "macho" action movie because most importantly: it was a movie that dealt with one creature setting out to find a worthy opponent (i.e. a thinker besides just shooting at what moves) that would actually engage with the environment and scenario given for a meaningful battle. The follow-ups that have followed in the wake of a movie that is now rightfully seen as an action/sci-fi/horror staple have been, well, distinct: Predator 2 (1990) was the last of the series with the Thomas brothers writing it and I really have to re-consider why I didn't care about it back when I saw it years ago. We do not speak of Alien vs. Predator or its equally dumb follow-up. Predators (2010) had a variety of actors to choose from for an interesting focus on a planet of killers being hunted down...and landed on Adrien Brody, the weakest possible choice (I will die on that hill). The Predator (2018) apparently nearly killed the franchise before the streaming circuit saw a variety of films from Dan Trachtenberg in Prey (2022) and Predator: Killer of Killers (2025); I didn't have time to see those two movies on Hulu, sue me.* But we are here for the movie bold enough to be in theaters with Badlands, which was written by Patrick Aison and Trachtenberg. Made on a budget of $105 million (the most expensive film of the franchise), the movie has so far made its budget back in its release to theaters this month. Nice to be in theaters, eh?
It may interest you to know the MPA considers violence of synthetic robots and alien creatures such as the Yautja (okay, I don't remember when they got that name, but obviously it wasn't going to be "Predators") to be worthy of a PG-13 rating, which amuses me when you consider the amount of things that get churned down to doom. This was a fun movie, if you could tell by my statement. It is a solid middle-tier effort in a series that really just benefits from just enjoying the hunt and the surroundings. The rule of the jungle is at hand here with a fairly likable group of people to see through it all, as opposed to going with merely the tried-and-true method of honorable warrior stuff and instead finds a fun adventure in creature-gazing. It helps to have Fanning there to deliver most of the audible lines (to us, anyway, since the Yautja communicate through subtitles, which I'm sure nobody would complain about) in a double role that lends her the chance to have some fun in showing the two sides of synths: ones who like playing with others and ones that, well, like to serve MU/TH/UR (which, maybe is a bit of a spoiler alert, goes better when one has legs to stand on, apparently). Will some have a point in not caring for some of the moments of, uh, humor? Maybe, but what is so damn bad about having a movie with a little bit of buddy humor for a series built on just doing whatever it wants? You want Predator (1987)? Then go watch Predator. Schuster-Koloamatangi proves worthy enough to provide the physicality required for a movie that invites you to consider a "runt" predator and be on its side in seeing Dek get back home. Amidst the spilling of non-human blood every now and then is a pretty nice locale to see the action take place, figuratively and literally (blade grass anyone?). I would venture to guess that another Predator movie with these filmmakers would be an enticing one. As a whole, Predator: Badlands is a solid movie fit for consideration among the usual suspects of adventures with its own type of blended pairing that happens to have a few visual interests to go along with a sense of charm and engagement for the spirit of what it means to really hunt.
Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.
*At least Trachtenberg did 10 Cloverfield Lane. Also, why the hell couldn't they just do another Cloverfield follow-up? I'm still not over The Cloverfield Paradox just being dumped.
NEXT TIME: Turkey Week Six looms this Sunday.
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