Predator: Badlands Hollywood Film Review, Picks And Piques, Johnson Thomas
Hollywood Film Review
Johnson Thomas
A fresh new take on the iconic antagonist
Predator: Badlands (2025)
Cast: Elle Fanning, Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, Michael Homick, Rohinal Nayaran, Reuben De Jong, Cameron Brown. Voices: Stefan Grube, Alison Wright, Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer.
Director: Dan Trachtenberg
Rating: * * *
Runtime: 106 min.
#20thCenturyStudios #LawrenceGordon #DavisEntertainment #ToberoffEntertainmentProduction #TSGEntertainment
Dan Trachtenberg’s follow-up to ‘Prey’ is a surprisingly mild-mannered franchise entry in the ‘Predator’ series. There’s not much room for crushing brutality, grimness or gore here because the story is about building bonds with the unlikeliest of allies. The iconic sci-fi villain is an underdog hero here.
Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), a young Predator monster, who is ordered to be killed by his domineering father Yautja chieftain Njohrr, is spared death by his elder brother Kwei (Mike Homik). Kwei sends Dek to the “death planet” Genna where every being is a killer and even the grass, branches of trees and luna-bugs are treacherous. Dek has to find his path through the deadly flora and fauna - a task that no one has succeeded in before. En route he meets up with a legless female android Thia (Elle Fanning) and they adopt a cuddly monkey-like creature. There’s another ruthless synth Tessa(Fanning again) in the mix, who has been tasked with capturing the Kalisk and bringing it back to the Weyland-Yutani corporation.
The story is told from the Predator’s point of view. The half-pint of his clan of intergalactic trophy hunters, Dek becomes an unlikely hero when he manages to slay the Kalisk, a fierce creature that intimidates even his father.
From the moment Dek touches down on the planet, we get relentless, slick sci-fi action embedded with some incredibly cool moments. When Dek meets Thia, the film takes an unexpected turn, with the tone and tenor changing to that of a buddy comedy. Patrick Aison and Brian Duffield’s script gets inventive in creating funny moments that get the audience involved.
Predator: Badlands has terrific FX heavy set pieces, action beats, is consistently entertaining and has colorful violence. The bits of violence and dismemberment are not bloody. Instead of blood red we see milky white, green, purple, orange substances oozing out of the varied creatures and synths. Arms are lopped off, skulls are crushed, brains pierced and cut-off legs do kung fu on their own. The action is both funny and propulsive.
Badlands, unexpectedly, has an endearing arc. It seeks to challenge outmoded, cliched representations of masculinity in cinema. The journey is pure joy. The unlikely hero learns lessons about friendship from a half-bodied humanoid/synth and a cute CGI animal.
Unlike previous Predator movies, this one has an emotional depth that is searing. Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi makes Dek humanistic - lending him rage, humour and a vulnerability that gets you onto his side. Elle Fanning in the dual role of Thia/Tessa, polar opposites, is effortlessly distinctive, nuanced and empathetic in both roles. It’s a winning performance that could garner awards come awards season.
This film is visually impressive. The CGI is seamless. Trachtenberg’s inventive helming sets it apart from earlier Predator issues. The world building is fresh and the treatment is endearing. The older fans of Predator movies may be disappointed but it’s also likely that a fresh new surge of young blood will keep the franchise going.
Johnsont307@gmail.com
Johnson Thomas
A fresh new take on the iconic antagonist
Predator: Badlands (2025)
Cast: Elle Fanning, Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, Michael Homick, Rohinal Nayaran, Reuben De Jong, Cameron Brown. Voices: Stefan Grube, Alison Wright, Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer.
Director: Dan Trachtenberg
Rating: * * *
Runtime: 106 min.
#20thCenturyStudios #LawrenceGordon #DavisEntertainment #ToberoffEntertainmentProduction #TSGEntertainment
Dan Trachtenberg’s follow-up to ‘Prey’ is a surprisingly mild-mannered franchise entry in the ‘Predator’ series. There’s not much room for crushing brutality, grimness or gore here because the story is about building bonds with the unlikeliest of allies. The iconic sci-fi villain is an underdog hero here.
Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), a young Predator monster, who is ordered to be killed by his domineering father Yautja chieftain Njohrr, is spared death by his elder brother Kwei (Mike Homik). Kwei sends Dek to the “death planet” Genna where every being is a killer and even the grass, branches of trees and luna-bugs are treacherous. Dek has to find his path through the deadly flora and fauna - a task that no one has succeeded in before. En route he meets up with a legless female android Thia (Elle Fanning) and they adopt a cuddly monkey-like creature. There’s another ruthless synth Tessa(Fanning again) in the mix, who has been tasked with capturing the Kalisk and bringing it back to the Weyland-Yutani corporation.
The story is told from the Predator’s point of view. The half-pint of his clan of intergalactic trophy hunters, Dek becomes an unlikely hero when he manages to slay the Kalisk, a fierce creature that intimidates even his father.
From the moment Dek touches down on the planet, we get relentless, slick sci-fi action embedded with some incredibly cool moments. When Dek meets Thia, the film takes an unexpected turn, with the tone and tenor changing to that of a buddy comedy. Patrick Aison and Brian Duffield’s script gets inventive in creating funny moments that get the audience involved.
Predator: Badlands has terrific FX heavy set pieces, action beats, is consistently entertaining and has colorful violence. The bits of violence and dismemberment are not bloody. Instead of blood red we see milky white, green, purple, orange substances oozing out of the varied creatures and synths. Arms are lopped off, skulls are crushed, brains pierced and cut-off legs do kung fu on their own. The action is both funny and propulsive.
Badlands, unexpectedly, has an endearing arc. It seeks to challenge outmoded, cliched representations of masculinity in cinema. The journey is pure joy. The unlikely hero learns lessons about friendship from a half-bodied humanoid/synth and a cute CGI animal.
Unlike previous Predator movies, this one has an emotional depth that is searing. Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi makes Dek humanistic - lending him rage, humour and a vulnerability that gets you onto his side. Elle Fanning in the dual role of Thia/Tessa, polar opposites, is effortlessly distinctive, nuanced and empathetic in both roles. It’s a winning performance that could garner awards come awards season.
This film is visually impressive. The CGI is seamless. Trachtenberg’s inventive helming sets it apart from earlier Predator issues. The world building is fresh and the treatment is endearing. The older fans of Predator movies may be disappointed but it’s also likely that a fresh new surge of young blood will keep the franchise going.
Johnsont307@gmail.com
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