Predator: Badlands

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While the 'Predator' movies have existed for quite some time now, it wasn't until I checked out 'Badlands' that I gave any real thought to any sort of background to the Predator species. I just lumped them in with the Xenomorphs of the 'Alien' series as another alien species without questions like "where do they come from?," "what makes a Predator a Predator?" or "what is the Predator species called?" Bearing in mind that this is the first of three Dan Trachtenberg 'Predator' titles I saw, it was all new to me with 'Badlands'.

Truth be told, I wasn't sure what to expect with this, considering its Canadian PG rating. To me, this was kind of like what it would have meant for 'Deadpool' if it ended up being rated PG, considering the Predator I'm used to is a horrific icon who skins his victims and hangs them from trees. Luckily, however, that baddassery of the Predator is surprisingly still alive and well here, and its lore is expanded upon, complete with the Predator's species name: the Yautja, which writers Patrick Aison and the aforementioned Trachtenberg clearly did some homework on, considering the term comes from 1994 expanded universe lore.

This particular story focuses on a Yautja named Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), who is considered weak and seemingly unworthy to take his place among his clan. In order for a Yautja to prove their worth, they must go on a hunt, claim a trophy, and bring it back. Dek, knowing how he's seen by others, decides to go after an apex predator located on planet Genna (known as the "death planet") called the Kalisk, which is a creature feared even by Dek's father, Njohrr (Reuben de Jong, but voiced by Schuster-Koloamatangi), guaranteeing him a high rank among his clan.

When Dek arrives on Genna, he finds himself faced with a living planet where everything is out to kill him, from creeping vines to razor grass to giant creatures, but he remains determined to find his trophy. Although the Yautja are meant to hunt alone, he stumbles upon a Weyland-Yutani android (hello 'Alien' tie-in) whom he reluctantly teams up with, named Thia (Elle Fanning), whose entire crew was wiped out by the Kalisk while on a mission to study the flora and fauna of the planet; androids being necessary to face the dangers of the planet.

As the film unfolds, Dek and Thia teach each other about deeper aspects of their lives, and it often results in some pretty humorous material, with Dek being the stubborn, blood-lusting Yautja he is. Still, in a bit where Thia teaches Dek about the nature of wolves, I have to say, it felt pretty fitting. Meanwhile, a real threat looms over them in the form of Weyland-Yutani, which recovers and repairs another android named Tessa (also Fanning), who will stop at nothing to retrieve her sister and complete the unfinished mission, ultimately seeing Dek as a threat and something new for them to study.

Although I feel like some of the more old-school 'Predator' fans, such as myself, might find this a little jarring compared to what they're used to, I still saw a lot of quality in this movie. I enjoyed seeing the Yautja develop here, as the film provides a bit of background without being the whole movie. At its core, it is still a 'Predator' movie set on another planet, involving a great hunt. To those wondering about that PG rating, it still has its fair share of blood and gore, but when the violence doesn't spill red, human blood, one can get away with a lighter rating. Everything that gets wounded here is either an android or some sort of creature.

What makes me appreciate the film even further is the complete lack of the human element. Although the androids still convey human emotion, the fact that this takes place in a world where the Predator we all know and love can take on bigger, badder things than human beings is a sigh of relief, considering they're supposed to represent the ultimate hunters. With a strong imagination behind much of the flora and fauna of planet Genna, I really have to credit this for much of its creativity. I wasn't sure how I felt at first, but the more I think about it, the more it grows on me as I realize the Predator's universe tends to be pretty unexplored.

4/5

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