Commentary: ‘Predator: Badlands’ Is Both The Most ‘Predator’ Movie And The Least
by Frank Martin
At this point, there have been enough Predator films for it to be considered an established franchise. Across these films is the trend of pitting Predators against humans, which means all of the Predator movies more or less have the same feel to them. This is not the case with Predator: Badlands. It is the first film to focus on the Predator species as a main character. Because of this, it is undoubtedly the most Predator0centered film in the franchise. At the same time, that is also what sets it apart from the series as the furthest from the Predator formula.
In the distant future, Njohrr (Reuben de Jong) the leader of a Yautja clan, wants his prized son, Kwei (Mike Homik), to kill his younger brother, Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), who is considered a runt. When Kwei defies his father’s orders, he is killed and Dek is sent to a planet named Genna in order to kill a beast called the Kalisk. Along the way, Dek gets caught up with a force of synthetics deployed by the Earth-based Weyland-Yutani Corporation to capture the Kalisk. Teaming up with a synth named Thia (Elle Fanning), Dek overcomes his foes.
The movie actually follows a familiar Predator formula as Dek heads to a planet in order to hunt and defeat a worthy adversary to prove himself a skilled warrior. Badlands just takes that formula and positions it from the Predator’s point of view rather than what it is hunting — which is usually humans. Because the Predator is the main character and their culture and technology is at the forefront of the plot, it is hard to deny that the movie expands the mythos. However, the exclusion of fleshy humans is notable. Every Predator movie before it has humans struggling against this unstoppable force. Deviating from that sets the film apart from the rest of the franchise while also, ironically, expanding it the most.
Predator: Badlands is now streaming on Hulu.
