PREDATOR: BADLANDS (2025)
Out of all my friends, I was the only one who had yet to see this movie. I had a good reason, mind you. Um, I didn't want to pay for a Hulu subscription. Thanks to Disney Plus, I'm all out of excuses. I'm not complaining. I loved Predator: Badlands. Expectations are a strange thing. Most people I knew came away from the film with positive takes, but I was still cautious. Could the Yautja withstand babyface treatment? I'm sorry, I'm using wrestling jargon. A babyface is a good guy. Personally, I don't know many good guys who will rip out your spinal column at a moment's notice. And yet, it makes sense for Dek (our main Yautja) to be the protagonist within the context of the plot. He must prove himself to be a strong warrior and opts to travel to a "death planet" to retrieve his trophy. That being, the skull of the fearsome Kalisk. Along the way, he meets the upper half of an android played by Elle Fanning. Other stuff happens, but if you want a blow-by-blow breakdown of the script, I urge you to...read the script.
I'm running low on Blood Capsules, so I have to be picky when I settle on something to review. I honestly didn't think I would dig Badlands enough to write about it, but man, I had a blast watching a Yautja essentially play an open-world video game for 107 minutes. Even the side quests are entertaining. At first, I wasn't sold on the dynamic between Dek and Thia (the android), but it eventually clicked into place. I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss R-rated gore. This is definitely the wholesome alternative for people getting into the shared Alien/Predator universe. It's not like 2022's Prey was a grindhouse experience. If I had to rank them, I'd say that Predator: Badlands is the most accomplished entry since Predator 2. I wouldn't mind seeing a horror-leaning sequel going forward. For the record, I also enjoyed Predator: Killer of Killers.
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