Predator: Badlands Review
It’s been seven years since the last theatrically released Predator films, but the third Predator film to be released this decade. What did I think about this movie? Is it another banger for the franchise or a disappointment? Let’s talk about it!
NOTE: Before I get into this review I feel like it’s important to discuss my thoughts on the franchise as a whole. I’ve seen the original Predator a couple of times now and it’s fantastic. I love that movie. I intended to watch, review, and rank the entire franchise with this film releasing but time got away from me and I wasn’t able to get all of them watched. I’ve seen a majority of the film, but there’s still some blind spots. That’s my perspective going into this film, I’m not a mega Predator fan.
The Review
This is a film that I was very curious about because I wasn’t really a fan of the trailers. Something about them didn’t really click with me as a movie to get excited about. The early reviews came in and they were extremely positive. Right now the film is 86% with 142 reviews counted. Scores will trickle in throughout the weekend but a Rotten Tomatoes score in the mid to high 80s is likely. I’m probably going to be in the minority with what I’m about to say but this film didn’t work for me. There’s moments and ideas in here that are rather interesting but in terms of the characters, the rating, the connections to the Alien franchise, and the overall approach of the film didn’t work for me.
Right out of the gate the thing to talk about with this film is the perspective of the movie. This movie is very interesting because it’s told from the perspective of the Predator. This is the first movie in the franchise where the Predator isn’t the antagonist but rather the protagonist. This is the ninth film in the franchise so doing something different with the franchise makes sense and is probably a smart idea. But when you’re taking the Predator, one of the great movie creatures of all time and making them sympathetic and somebody you can root for, it doesn’t make them scary. I don’t want to humanize a Predator, that’s a concept that I can’t get behind. The first half of the movie has us learning about the Predator’s daddy issues and him sitting around a camp fire having and bantering with Elle Fanning’s character. It takes one of cinema’s great monsters and turns him into this relatable underdog and I don’t want that from a Predator. I was hoping they’d find a way to still make him threatening and scary and I never felt like they did. It always felt like there was something missing in this film and I think that’s a scary creepy Predator that you felt dread around.
The other thing here is I think the PG-13 rating really hurt the film. When this film was announced to be PG-13 a lot of people, reasonably so, were concerned and frustrated that it wasn’t rated-R. I think the PG-13 rating makes sense for the movie because there’s no humans in the movie. Basically there can be alien blood and guts sprayed everywhere but since it’s not red human blood it can’t be considered rated-R because of the MPAA’s guidelines. With there being no humans in the movie it also means there’s no need for there to be nudity or language. But at points it can be very violent, limbs are cut off at points. I feel like the franchise is missing something when it’s not rated-R. This felt most obvious as you move into the third act and we get this big out battle and you have the Predator and Elle Fanning’s character battling a bunch of robots and they do some cool and creative kills that as they were happening I was thinking to myself “these would’ve been so much cooler if there was blood spread everywhere.” The action in a Predator movie would’ve been much more exciting and thrilling if human blood was there but since they’re robots and trying to tie it into the Alien universe, it means that they had to cheat and take away some of the aspects that makes Predator movies fun in the first place. The original 1987 movie has some gnarly images of spines being ripped out and I love that for nearly 40 years they did a bunch of violent images that hold up well to this day. Because the film is PG-13 and there’s no human characters in the movie it feels like a water down version of Predator. This film doesn’t really feel like a Predator film. The basic setup and vibe of the film feels like The Mandalorian. You have this loner warrior fighting all of these weird and wild creatures with the help of cute comedic sidekicks. That’s the plot of several episodes of The Mandalorian and that’s the plot of Predator: Badlands. When The Mandalorian was great, it was some of the best Star Wars we’ve gotten in the last 20 years, but just because something worked over here doesn’t mean I want it to happen in a different franchise, especially in a franchise where it doesn’t work as well.
For me, the best thing about this movie was Elle Fanning’s character or characters. When she’s the good Waylon synthetic she’s very fun and charming, she brings some levity into the mix. But when the best thing about your Predator movie is the fun quirky side character that’s not a good sign. The best thing should be the action or the Predator himself. Even saying Elle Fanning’s character is the best thing about the movie I think even shows how much I didn’t really care for this movie.
Final Thoughts: Based on the reviews I’ve seen so far, it seems like I’m in the minority on this film by not liking it all that much. To be clear, I didn’t hate the movie. If I had to rewatch it I wouldn’t hate it. But everything about it created a movie that didn’t provide the experience I want from a Predator film. I’m very curious as to what the general reception for this film is going to be this weekend, I can see Predator fans either really enjoying or not enjoying this movie.
The Score: 7.8/10 (C+)
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