Predator: Badlands - A Clever Twist on the Predator Formula

****THIS IS A SPOILER FREE REVIEW!! THIS REVIEW CONTAINS ZERO SPOILERS!!****

My Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

My Recommendation: SEE IT/SKIP IT. A mixed bag of a movie that could have been better but entertains nonetheless.

Predator: Badlands, directed by Dan Trachtenberg, is the seventh film in the Predator franchise and it tells the story of Dek, a young predator who is exiled from his Yautja family and must kill an unkillable beast on a far-away planet to prove his worth to his father.

The Predator franchise, which began in 1987 with John McTiernan’s glorious Predator starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, has been revitalized in recent years after decades of disrepair, and it is all thanks to filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg.

Trachtenberg helmed the 2022 film Prey, which set the usual Predator formula amongst a Native American tribe back in the 1700s. I thoroughly enjoyed that film and found it be a clever twist on the Predator story.

Next up for Predator and Trachtenberg was 2025’s Predator: Killer of Killers, an animated anthology that set the Predator formula amongst Viking warriors, Japanese Samurai, and World War II American pilots. I found this film to be a mixed bag – better as an idea than in execution.

Which brings us to Predator: Badlands, which hit theatres on November 7th of last year and performed quite well at the box office – garnering $185 million on a $105 million budget. The film is now available to stream on Hulu, which is where I watched it.

It is undeniably an interesting idea to turn the Predator formula of a Yautja – the official name of what a “predator” from all the movies actually is, from a vicious villain into a hero with whom you are meant to sympathize.

Badlands is aided in this transition in audience expectations by the ever-charming Elle Fanning, who plays Thia, a Weyland-Yutani (the evil company from the Alien film franchise) humanoid robot, who becomes Dek’s sidekick on his journey to redemption/revenge.

All of the pieces are in place for Predator: Badlands to be a big success, and it almost pulls it all off. Unfortunately, it still feels like a better idea than it is a movie. It isn’t a bad movie…it just feels like it could’ve been a better one.

The opening which gives an insight into the family dynamics of the Yautja, is a bit bumpy, but it delivers the message loud and clear – Dek is a runt of the litter and no one respects him. So, he must go prove himself by killing an apex predator – the Kalisk, in order to be officially welcomed into the Yautja klan.

The world where Dek goes to hunt the feared Kalisk, Genna “The Death Planet”, is supposed to be this treacherous place filled with the coolest of deadly flora and fauna, but all the flora and fauna are pretty silly looking and disappointing.

The fight and battle scenes in the film are pretty underwhelming too…repetitious and often-times not very imaginative. Even the big bad Kalisk doesn’t seem so big and bad once we get a look at it…except it possesses one trait which is like a cheat code in a video game.

The best part of the film is without question Elle Fanning’s Thia. Thia, who is a humanoid robot on a fact-finding mission for Weyland-Yutani – the same nefarious corporation behind the mayhem in the Alien franchise (and also my current employer), has been stranded, cut in half and left in a vultures nest on Genna.

Dek stumbles upon Thia and she claims she can help him on his hunt, so he saves her. The problem is that she only has an upper torso, and due to this disability Dek must carry her around the planet on his back.

Thia is a motor-mouth and gives a running and rather humorous commentary on everything going on during their odyssey. Why Thia, a robot, is so funny and sarcastic is beyond me…but this one-sided repartee definitely works. Dek on the other hand, like all Yautja, is seemingly incapable and allergic to humor, so the pairing of the witty Thia and the diabolically serious Dek, makes for as fun a rom-com couple as I’ve seen in years.

The story goes from there and while I won’t give any spoilers away, I will say that it has some twists and turns in it that I did not see coming…which is no small accomplishment.

The thing about this movie is that it does have a lot going for it…Elle Fanning’s charms and a clever twist on the formula being the two prime examples, but it never felt to me like it quite put it all together in the very best possible way.

That said, I am glad that Dan Trachtenberg is in charge of the Predator franchise…and to be honest I’m just glad somebody is in charge of the franchise.

For all of Trachtenberg’s faults – like his reliance on tired woke tropes to spice up storytelling, he at least gives a rat’s ass about the franchise. He is trying stuff…and that is better than the vast majority of franchise entertainment nowadays.

I feel the same way about Trachtenberg’s Predator franchise that I do about the current state of the Alien franchise – namely that they are poised to potentially be interesting science-fiction entertainment for the next decade…middle-of-the-road entertainment…but entertainment nonetheless.

The fact that Predator and Alien are two intertwined franchises makes for the possibility of fun and interesting storytelling…especially with the awful Alien vs Predator stuff having already been done and done badly in the past. One can only hope that these franchises…which seem to be at least headed in a decent direction despite having had some really bad movies in their canon, can keep going in the right direction.

As for Predator: Badlands, I think that there are worse ways to spend your time than with the luminous Elle Fanning – even just half of her, and with a Yautja out for blood.

The movie isn’t perfect…in fact, it is mostly just average, but in a world where the vast majority of franchise entertainment, be it superhero stories or narcissistic Mission: Impossible adventures, are bloated big budget messes and misfires, Predator: Badlands is a harmless bit of mindless entertainment – if you enjoy such things in general, and Predator films in particular, you should check it out.

©2026

Looking California and Feeling Minnesota: Episode 138 - Predator: Killer of Killers

On this episode, Barry and I grab our weapons and do battle over the new animated Predator film - Predator: Killer of Killers. Topics discussed include the potential of the Predator franchise, missed opportunities, and in keeping with the Predator theme...Barry makes the brave admission that he is, in fact, on the Epstein list!! (JK - Barry isn't really on the Epstein list.)

Looking California and Feeling Minnesota: Episode 138 - Predator: Killer of Killers

Thanks for listening!

©2025

Predator: Killer of Killers - A Review: Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda

**THIS REVIEW CONTAINS MINOR SPOILERS!! THIS IS NOT A SPOILER FREE REVIEW!!**

My Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

My Recommendation: SKIP IT. A wasted opportunity that gets bogged down in poor storytelling.

Predator: Killer of Killers, is a new animated science fiction anthology action film that is currently streaming on Hulu.

The film is the sixth film in the Predator franchise and is the second Predator film to be directed by Dan Trachtenberg, who directed Prey (2022).

I liked Prey and thought its premise of a predator taking on Native Americans in the 1700’s was a very clever one. The film wasn’t perfect, for example it had an unhealthy amount of the usual virtue signaling of woke politics that has become so commonplace nowadays. But despite that, I found it to be a compelling take on an old action franchise and I particularly liked the lead actress Amber Midthunder.

In fact, in my review of Prey I wrote that the franchise would be wise to stay on this track and move forward and set new Predator movies in other interesting times and places, like “Shogun era Japan…”, and lo and behold that’s exactly what they did…sort of.

Predator: Killer of Killers is an anthology of four different stories, the first set in Viking times (Scandinavia 841), the second in Shogun era Japan (1609), the third during World War II (1942), and the fourth on the Predator planet itself.

Unfortunately, still prevalent in these stories are the tiresome woke politics of our own annoying times…sigh. For example, the first section is about a female Viking warrior princess who kicks everybody’s ass…because of course it is…and the second section is about Japanese men – as it should be, and the third about a Latino man…because apparently leading white men are now entirely anathema in the Predator cinematic universe, even when they’d make the most sense…like in the Viking story.

I know this is animated science fiction and all, but it still beggar’s belief that creatives don’t understand how when you subvert reality to such an extent that a woman is the greatest Viking warrior around, it makes suspending disbelief that much harder and the story that much less interesting.

This Viking warrior princess should have been a man as both history and myth would tell us, for the arc of her story is, frankly, a masculine hero’s journey, and when a feminine agent takes the masculine hero’s journey it deprives the myth of its archetypal and sub-conscious power.

This first story does feature some cool animation and action sequences, but it could have, and should have, been so much better because it is a really cool idea. One can only imagine the predator taking on beserkers in a gory battle sequence…but alas t’wasn’t meant to be.

The second story is set in Shogun-era Japan and features two Samurai warriors with a long-held grudge against each other.

This segment is the best in the film as it is really cool and looks fantastic. It is by far the most compelling and profound story in the bunch as well, and its action sequences are the most vibrant.

The third section, which follows a young Latino man who yearns to be a pilot and then ends up being one in World War II, is not good at all. In fact, it is incredibly asinine and inane.

For the life of me I cannot understand why they chose this time and place, and this protagonist, as all of it feels terribly trite and not the least bit captivating.

The introduction of “modern” WWII technology into these stories just accentuates the technological advancement of the predators all the more, and makes the storyline moot, as the whole idea behind the Predator story is that man must return to his most basic, primal nature to take on the predator and OUTSMART HIM – think of Arnold Schwarzenegger mortally wounding the predator in the original film with a trap using a sharpened log and its heavy counterweight.

There are also some of the dumbest and least believable action sequences imaginable in this WWII section – which is saying a lot since it is an animated action movie after all.

The final section, which brings together the three protagonists from the other sections, is a total mess and patently absurd to the point of being ridiculous.

What really struck me watching this movie is that in the first Predator film, it seemed impossible that Arnold would actually kill this thing as it was such an elite predator. But in this anthology, all of the predators seem really bad at being…well… predators….like they don’t have minor league predator abilities…they have little league predator abilities.

Another frustrating thing about this movie is that it felt like the franchise wasted these story ideas on these short sections rather than making them better and expanding them into feature length tales.

For example, imagine a predator film (even animated) set in a Kurosawa or Shogun tv series type-of setting. That would be amazing and it would give proper respect to the culture being portrayed and give audiences a chance to connect with characters…which doesn’t happen in the short stories told here.

And just imagine how kick-ass a real Viking predator movie (again even animated) would be where the predator takes on a bunch of Berserkers and Viking warriors ravaging some village somewhere….that would be awesome.

I also think it would be great for predator to take on Spartans at the height of their military power, or Genghis Khan, or Attila the Hun, or Vlad the Impaler, or Crusaders in the Holy Land.

And if we’re gonna do a World War II story, flip the script and set it in Nazi Germany and have predator go apeshit on some Nazis, or have him destroy Japanese soldiers during the Rape of Nanking…in essence making Predator the good guy because he’s slaughtering the “bad guys”.

The possibilities are endless, but the hope that the people running the Predator franchise, people like director Dan Trachtenberg, will get it right, is slim to none at this point. It seems the only thing Trachtenberg really cares about is expressing his dislike of white men and virtue signaling his ‘perfect’ politics.

Ultimately, Predator: Killer of Killers felt like a wasted opportunity, which makes it a very frustrating viewing experience. If you’re a die-hard Predator franchise fan than I’m sure you’ll check it out and overlook its notable flaws.

But if you’re a normal person just looking to be entertained for 90 minutes, then Predator: Killer of Killers just isn’t the thing for you as it fails to entertain and fails to live up to its promising premise.

©2025

Looking California and Feeling Minnesota - Episode 77: Prey

On this episode, Barry and I don our war paint and go toe-to-toe with Prey, the newest installment in the Predator franchise now streaming on Hulu. Topics discussed include the benefit of low expectations, the disadvantage of dismal directing, and the potential future of all things Predator.

Looking California and Feeling Minnesota - Episode 77: Prey

Thanks for listening!

©2022

Prey: A Review

****THIS IS A SPOILER FREE REVIEW!! THIS REVIEW CONTAINS ZERO SPOILERS!!****

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

My Recommendation: SEE IT. A clever twist on the Predator sci-fi action formula that results in the movie being the second best in the franchise.

Prey, the fifth film in the Predator franchise and a prequel to the previous films, made its exclusive premiere this past weekend on the streaming service Hulu.

The original Predator (1987), directed by the criminally (pun intended) under-rated, populist master craftsman John McTiernan (Hunt for Red October, Die Hard) which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger at the peak of his powers, and boasted a phenomenal supporting cast of hall-of-fame badasses, including Bill Duke, Carl Weathers and the scene-stealing future governor of Minnesota, Jesse “The Body” Ventura, with his classic line “I aint got time to bleed!”, was a supremely entertaining sci-fi spin on the ‘man is the most dangerous game’ premise.

The subsequent Predator films, Predator 2 (1990), Predators (2010) and The Predator (2018) were without Arnold and McTiernan, and were incoherent, cringe-worthy embarrassments.

Which brings us to Prey, which is written by Patrick Aison and directed by Dan Trachtenberg, and stars Amber Midthunder and Dakota Beavers.

Prey is, if nothing else, very clever. It’s premise, setting the challenge-seeking hunter Predator alien in the early 1700’s in a region where the Comanche live, is simple yet original enough to revive this moribund franchise.

The plot revolves around Naru (Amber Midthunder), a young Comanche woman and accomplished healer and tracker who yearns to become a hunter/warrior like her brother Taabe (Dakota Beavers).

There is no doubt that Prey got greenlit because the film espouses the ‘proper’ cultural politics of the current age, and checks all the right gender and ethnic diversity boxes. For instance, Naru’s navigating of the “patriarchal” Comanche culture in which she lives and rising above the limits imposed on her gender was a storyline that must’ve sent thrills into the loins of the suits at Hulu/Disney. No doubt the movie’s majority Native American cast did as well.

And while the film does signal its cultural/political virtue much too often for my tastes, and those scenes of vapid feminist defiance are by far the worst in the movie, it still manages to be a thoroughly entertaining piece of movie-making despite all the incessant, eye-rolling, girl-power garbage.

The film also works because Amber Midthunder as Naru is a compelling and charismatic lead. The luminous Midthunder’s naturalistic style is never too much or too little as she effortlessly carries the movie from start to finish.

Dakota Beavers as Taabe is also excellent, as he brings tremendous nuance to a role that in lesser hands would’ve been caricature filled with empty posturing.

While some might feel that a flaw of the film is that Naru and Taabe are the only truly fleshed-out characters, which they are. I actually felt that minimalist approach to character development helped the film stay lean, focused and on point.

The best part of the movie though is that director Dan Trachtenberg and screenwriter Patrick Aison stick to the basics (protagonist gender swapping aside - which i admit is a major caveat) and make a Predator movie that would make Joseph Campbell proud due to its proper use of myth as its narrative foundation.

For example, like many coming of age stories or myths, Naru must cross geographical barriers, in this case rivers and ridges, to seek out the dragon that she must kill in order to ascend from childhood to adulthood.

Taabe, ever the dutiful big brother, has already made his own journey, and tries to mentor Naru, but there’s only so much he can do for her, as Naru must make the perilous journey herself.

Taabe’s pivotal role in propelling Naru on her journey and towards her destiny is right out of the Campbell playbook and will make fellow Jungians/Campbell enthusiasts knowingly nod in agreement.

Trachtenberg and Aison’s commitment to Campbell’s mythic storytelling fundamentals is what makes Prey such a psychologically satisfying film. It isn’t a great film but it is an entertaining one because it’s so satisfying to the audience’s unconscious mythic yearnings.

As for the movie-making itself, director Trachtenberg does solid work by once again staying true to storytelling fundamentals. He plants small seeds throughout the story and lets them grow to be useful later on in the story, and never deceives his audience or ignores the internal logic of the film. He also does a good enough job in visually telling the story, and despite some ups and downs he gives enough cinematic flair to the film for it to be worthwhile.

I also think that Disney’s decision to release Prey on Hulu is a wise one. The Predator franchise is on life-support, and it seems difficult to imagine a star-less Prey generating a great deal of box office at the moment. By releasing straight to Hulu, the film can build an audience slowly by word of mouth without the pressure of being labelled a box office bust. This approach will help future Predator films be viable for theatrical release.

Speaking of which, I couldn’t help but think about the potential future settings of the Predator franchise now that history is its playpen. Predator in Shogun era Japan, or in Mayan era South America, or Qing Dynasty China, or Aboriginal Australia, or early Zulu Kingdom Africa, or Ancient Egypt, Sparta or Rome. The possibilities are endless, and one can only hope that the Predator franchise stays the course and keeps making clever and interesting movies like Prey.

The bottom line is that Prey is the second-best Predator movie, a distant second to the original. If you like sci-fi action movies, and can tolerate a dose of vacuous, vapid and venal virtue signaling stuffed into a cool Comanche/Predator movie, then give Prey a shot, you might like it…I was pleasantly surprised to find that I did.

©2022

Looking California and Feeling Minnesota: Episode 17 - A Very Special Episode on the Career of Director John McTiernan (Die Hard, The Hunt for Red October, The Thomas Crown Affair)

This week we are doing a “very special episode” of the podcast where we dive into the strange career of director John McTiernan…and the bizarre twists and turns of his insane life. McTiernan’s films include Predator, Die Hard, The Hunt for Red October, Die Hard with a Vengeance, The Thomas Crown Affair and many more.  On the pod, Barry and I discuss McTiernan’s dying breed of non-auteur but skilled directing, and how filmmakers like him are rare nowadays…and what a treat it is to revisit some of his work. We also dip our toe into the sordid tale of how his career got sidetracked.

Looking California and Feeling Minnesota: Episode 17 - (A Very Special Episode) The Movies of John McTiernan

Thanks for listening! Stay safe and healthy out there!

©2020