Predator: Badlands
Film
Believe it or not, Predator: Badlands is Dan Trachtenberg's third Predator film and even more incredibly, his second this year. His entrance into the universe came with 2022's sensational Prey, which jump-started the whole idea of putting the fearsome alien killer into different environments, against more interesting adversaries. Playing like a much more fleshed out version of 2010's Predators-another badass movie I thought punched above its weight class-Prey was more minimalistic in its setting but started a greater exploration of the Predator. Earlier this year was Trachtenberg's Killer of Killers, also serving as his entry into animated feature direction, which took the idea of Prey and put it into three different temporal environments. The predecessors of Predator: Badlands have shown the director's love and admiration for the universe of Predator as he continues pushing the envelope and asking the hard hitting questions like, "how fucking sick would it be if the Predator fought X, Y, and Z?" Turns out, as seen in the epic, badass, and incredibly entertaining Predator: Badlands, it would be oh so sick.
Taking a slightly different narrative approach from the previous Predator films by making the Predator, or Yautja, the protagonist, Predator: Badlands immediately sets itself apart from any prior film. Admittedly, I was hesitant with this implementation, and increasingly so as Trachtenberg introduces us to Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), a young Yautja who's sparring with his brother to prove himself to his clan. Their chummy brotherly banter, at times, felt a little too cute, especially for the premier killer alien that's been at the top of the food chain for decades now. But, of course, I should've had more faith in Trachtenberg, as the subversive filmmaker he is. The vibe of Predator: Badlands is quickly rerouted into the badass action film it's meant to be as Dek is shipped off to the "Death Planet" to hunt the unkillable Kalisk. It's a whirlwind of a prelude, but it grips the audience unlike anything we've seen before. Demanding your attention with intensity of action and the narrative intrigue of following the Yautja for the first time.
Dek's presence on the Death Planet is where Trachtenberg really lets loose. His world-building is unbelievably swift, most often deployed through informative dialogue from the Weyland-Yutani android Thia (Elle Fanning), a tactic resembling how Denis Villeneuve navigated the dense world of Dune by utilizing recordings played by Timotheé Chalamet's Paul Atreides. Trachtenberg's inspiration from Dune resonates immediately as Predator: Badlands opens with sonic similarities to Villeneuve's films right before the camera glides over the barren desert of Yautja Prime. But Predator: Badlands doesn't need a "Part One" to set up the action as Patrick Aison's screenplay is completely devoid of bloat. In fact, Predator: Badlands is a lean, cutthroat film that rips at a break-neck pace, following Dek across the killer landscape of the "Death Planet". Fighting various inhabitants of the planet along with villainous Weyland-Yutani androids led by Tessa, played terrifically by Fanning in dual roles, the thrills of Trachtenberg's film are endless, and a complete blast to watch.
Not to mention the visuals of the film are stunning. While some of Dek's movements might be rendered erratic at times, namely some jumping scenes early in the film, the marriage of makeup, prosthetics, and visual effects is mesmerizing on-screen, allowing the iconic Predator look to be a sharp piece of the film's intimidating aesthetic. Yet it isn't all grisly action and cut-throat alien killing. In fact, Predator: Badlands might just be Trachtenberg's most playful film. There's a strong comedic element at play, namely in the interactions surrounding Thia, and the comparisons of Dek to the Guardians of the Galaxy character Drax may be impossible to avoid. But Trachtenberg's taut direction, the sumptuous visuals of the fight sequences and unforgiving landscapes, and thrilling, gritty action choreography provide the perfect palate cleanser for any sort of creeping MCU-ification that might be on people's minds. The humor is a welcome enhancement to the film, an accoutrement to the action, as opposed to distractions or moments undercutting the severity of Dek's journey.
When it's all said and done, I think my only real disappointment with Trachtenberg's latest is that it wasn't longer. At a tight 107 minutes of runtime, the film absolutely flies by, yet I found myself wanting to spend hours on hours traversing the gorgeous, deadly landscape with Dek and Thia. Overall, though, Predator: Badlands is badass and an epic thrill-ride that has to be seen on the biggest screen possible. Lastly, we are so close to getting a proper Alien vs. Predator film now that Trachtenberg has pulled the Weyland-Yutani corporation into his universe, and if he's at the helm of such a project, then I think we're in for a real treat.
Froth
I was reading this review of Predator: Badlands, which felt like high praise coming from Ehrlich whom I don't always agree with, and his framing of the Yautja really stuck out to me. Putting the "Predator" in the context of being part of a highly evolved, intelligent alien race that has solved intergalactic travel yet only exists to bonk other living beings is downright hilarious. It's such a funny observation that I love and I can't stop thinking about these aliens sitting on a hot bed of life-changing, world-altering technology and they just get up to go hunt Arnold Schwarzenegger or whatever trophy they can't live without. I'm sorry, but that's pretty goddamn funny. So now I can't help but have a part of my brain think that the Yautja are just these washed up losers, which might be a stretch, but it brought me to Cloudburst Brewing's Washed Up Has Been. A wild connection? Sure. But I'd argue that we can have a litle fun with these kinds of things, no? Anyway, the Washed Up Has Been (lol) is a potent IPA, checking in at 7.1% ABV, which shows up a bit in the taste but overall remains the usually solid type of beer that Cloudburst produces. It's punchy citrus flavors work quite well with the incredibly punchy aroma bursting with pine, woodiness, and some serious dankness. I think it might be a little erratic in the drinking experience, but something worth experiencing nonetheless.
