I did not care for 2018’s The Predator, to say the least.
I disliked it so much that I did not watch Dan Trachtenberg’s Prey for a while, even though I heard it was good.
Once I finally gave in and watched the film, I highly enjoyed it and was left anticipating his next installment in the franchise.
Well, I recently saw Predator: Badlands in theatres and, I have to say, it is definitely my favorite since the original Predator.
Departing from the series’ usual formula, the main character is not a human being hunted by the Predator, but the Predator himself.
Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Kolomatangi), is a runt among his fellow Yautja, so decides to prove himself by travelling to the most dangerous planet in the galaxy, where he plans to hunt down the supposedly unkillable Kalisk.
Going into the movie, I was wondering if it could succeed in making me sympathize with the alien, considering how often we see them hunt humans in the series.
Well, the movie succeeds in spades, with the opening ten minutes doing an excellent job investing you in Dek’s story.
Due to a combination of writing, CGI, and the actor’s performance, Dek is one of the best Predators of the franchise.
His journey is not one he can undertake alone, however, for he quickly realizes he must team up with the stranded and damaged android Thia (Elle Fanning) to survive.
Fanning does a great job with her performance as well, and her connection with Dek is fun to see grow throughout the film, creating a lot of good humor.
Granted, this comedy does sometimes stray a bit too far towards the quippy humor Disney has long overused, but it does not quite crosss the line into obnoxious.
This is honestly the only issue I had with the film.
The action is fantastic, especially with the CGI, which never drew me out of the movie.
Some may be concerned about the lowered rating, but this is only because there are no human characters in the movie.
There is still a lot of carnage candy to enjoy, rest assured.
Along with this, the soundtrack is also stellar, adding to the film’s intense action sequences and emotional beats.
It is the growth of Dek in his hunt that is the true beating heart of the movie, however, and the ending made me excited to see his story continue.
Overall, Predator: Badlands is a hell of a lot of fun.
While the original Predator is still the best film of the series by a mile, Badlands is also an easy second place.
Now, I just have to find the time to watch Predator: Killer of the Killers.
THE REVIEW MONSTER 