Dan Trachtenberg made a splash a couple of years ago with his version of Predator called Prey, which aired on Hulu exclusively. He created a Predator Film that longtime fans of the franchise could be proud of. And word of mouth drew new fans to the franchise. 20th Century Studios was so excited by the ratings and popularity that Prey had received that they greenlit two more Predator projects. Killer of Killers is an anthology animated movie that aired exclusively on Hulu like Prey did and Predator Badlands, a new live action film for the big theaters. Once again, it was written and directed by Trachtenberg himself. As he did with Prey, Trachtenberg did a terrific job once again, building out the world of the Predators and connecting it to existing IP that film and sci-fi fans will recognize instantly. 

Dek (Dimitrius Koloamatangi) is a young Yautja, as they are called by their people.This is actually the name of their race. Not Predators as we the viewers of the films commonly call them. He has failed at a task and is facing death at the hands of his brother Kwei (Mike Homik). It is their way. To cull the weak. Their father insists on his death, but Kwei doesn’t want to kill his brother, so he sacrifices himself at the hands of his father instead. Dek ends up going on a mission to a planet called Genna to film a creature called the Kalisk and bring its head back to show he’s worthy of being alive and still part of the family. Once he gets there, he realizes everything is out to kill and eat him alive. While fending for his life in a field of poisonous Dart plants, he rescues a Weyland-Yutani synthetic droid who is caught in a vulture’s nest. Thai (Elle Fanning), as she calls herself, explains that the young Yautja needs her help to navigate to dangerous landscape and get to the task of killing the Kalisk and gaining his honor once again of his family back home. It’s easier said than done, though, as there is death knocking at every door they try to open on their journey.

Trachtenberg builds the world or the Predators,  as we know them, out even further than he did in the past with his previous films. Viewers of this movie learn more about the warrior ways of this race of people. That goes hand in hand with why this young Predator is so dead set on finishing his mission despite such overwhelming odds. He gets a little help,as he says from his wolf pack. The synthand an alien creature who he befriends on their journey. Using Weylund-Yutani as a protagonist is a great way to connect an already existing IP that 20th Century Studios have set up in previous films and streaming shows. They play a huge part in Alien Earth that aired on Hulu in the past few months. Fanning also plays a more sinister synth who is the sister of Thia named Tessa. Her programming is a bit different from Thai’s, though. She has more madness to her method of how she goes about getting things done. This causes a big problem for the group who have assembled in the course of the picture.

As the years have progressed, the technology of filmmaking has progressed naturally as well. One of the things about this franchise I have loved is the practical effects that go along with the creature effects in the various films. In the beginning, in the original, there was more makeup and hairstyling involved with creating the creature, and now there is more CGI and visual effects that help bring these creatures to life. Especially in the world of Genna. There are so many computer generated creatures in this movie that in past Predator films. The preface of Badlands should give viewers an idea of how dangerous the planet is. Even the grass is dangerous to the touch. Tree creatures that try to choke and kill, flying taradackle like birds, snake-like creatures that spit acid, and the Kalisk are just a handful of the dangerous things that try to kill and eat the film’s protagonists. Not to mention an army of Weyland-Yutani synth druids.There is danger at every turn of this movie, and all the creatures look incredible and are equally visualized on screen. 

This picture is a relatively serious action adventure horror, but there is more to it than meets the eye as they say. As Transformers fans know by now. There is a comedic nature to this movie. Just when things are going bad or grim for the main characters, the third little creature who I won’t spoil much about does something or gives viewers something to laugh about. He is a cute little blue-green guy who spits on another to show that they are connected in a more substantial way. This little guy added a nice element to the film that was very different from the main sci-fi/horror tone it seemed to be going for. I think viewers will get a kick out of this guy and genuinely fall in love with him throughout the course of the movie. Like I did.

One of the things that get lost in films of this nature is the acting performances. Sure, we all remember Arnold giving us all the amazing lines in his various movies of the years. “Get to the chopper” was actually in Predator 2, not the original. My favorite line is from Jessie “The Body” Ventura’s character, “I Don’t Have Time To Bleed,” which ultimately became the title of his memoir. The actors who play the creatures get no satisfaction as Rodney Dangerfield so eloquently put it so many times over the years. Elle Fanning is very good in dual roles in the film, but it’s Dimitrius Koloamatangi who steals the show here as Dek. Even though he doesn’t speak English, the sub-tiles speak for him, and he’s fantastic. At first, he has a standoffish attitude, but as the movie progresses, he starts to come around. Especially his relationship with one of Fanning’s characters, Thia. They developed a nice bond with each other. These relationships that are formed in the course of the film add a heartwarming aspect to it that I didn’t expect I’d find in a sci-fi/horror Predator Film.

Predator Badlands was a pleasant surprise in more ways than one. First, it was a fun road trip movie with good banter and a heartwarming friendship between a synth android, a Yautja warrior, and a little blue-green creature. You couldn’t tell me before seeing this movie. I love all of these characters together as much as I did. I’m shocked how much I genuinely cared about these characters and the mission they were on. The combination between the visual effects and the practical effects was amazing in the picture. The makeup and hairstyling are on point. Even the score was very good here. The real honest to goodness thing that I got out of this film is once again that Trachtenberg has expanded the world around the characters of the Predators, Yautja, in new and amazing ways. He is legitimately the man to keep building this world out even further. I heard a Samurai Predator Film is in the works, and I can’t wait for that now. This is such a surprise for me in so many ways. I can’t believe how much I loved this movie. Hopefully, audiences will love it as much as I do when it comes out this weekend. 

4 ½ stars

Dan Skip Allen