Prior to a few years ago, I would not have called myself a follower of the Predator franchise. I’d seen a few movies in that universe, and I was intrigued that it occupies the same world as Alien, but it just didn’t get me all that excited.
Director Dan Trachtenberg changed that with Prey, then continued with Predator: Killer of Killers. Remarkably, he’s done it again with the excellent Predator: Badlands, which I should have watched in the theater.
There are three things that make this movie work so well:
- For the first time, a Predator is the protagonist. An undersized Predator tries to prove he is worthy by surviving a deadly planet.
- Elle Fanning adds the perfect about of levity and humanity (despite being a synthetic) in her primary role.
- The reason the main monster can’t be defeated is too good to spoil (this is something you’re meant to wonder about from the start).
While violent, this is a fantastic sci-fi action movie that I highly recommend. What do you think? Do you have a favorite Predator movie?
Predator Badlands is my favorite in the franchise. Agree with your take – great movie, glad I did see it in the theater as part of the AMC A-list.
AMC A-List = $27 a month, up to 4 movies a week, including IMAX and Dolby and 3D formats, no reservation fees. It’s not really advertised outside of the theater which is unfortunate. With a big summer of movies upcoming, this is something more people should look into trying out.
That’s a great deal!