It's hard to say there's been a big Predator movie recently. Obviously, the first Predator did well, and after that, I'd say Alien versus Predator was probably the next really big Predator film. But outside of that, I don't know any that were shown on the big screen where everybody said, "Oh yeah, you've got to see this film." But then Prey came out a few years ago and got some good word of mouth and critical praise and it seemed like a simple yet new spin on the idea. So it only makes sense to have the same director return to do Predator Badlands. And yes, this is the first Predator film in a while where everybody said, "You got to see this movie." And that's kind of nice to hear.
I'm not even going to pretend I've seen all the Predator movies, but the idea and the design is so cool. It is kind of neat knowing that it's still around and kicking. So, after winning over critics and audiences, did it win me over as well? Yeah, even though I have to acknowledge there are some very big obvious flaws in it. I'll try to keep the plot points very vague as this is one of those films where the less you know about it, the better. I'm not going to pretend there's like a ton of surprises and twists or anything, but I feel like emotionally you will get more involved if you don't know a whole bunch about it.
As you probably picked up from the trailers, the focus of the film is actually on one of the Predators. Yeah, the star isn't a human this time. We're actually following the title character. His name is Deck, and he's off to a different planet to kill this creature, which no other Predator has killed before, and he's hoping will restore his honor. While on the planet, though, he encounters an android named Thea, played by Ellie Fanning. He says he has to hunt alone, but she says that she's not really human, so she could be seen as a tool, a weapon in his hunt, which he doesn't see any problems with.
Along the way, they encounter some other androids, though. And if you see that little W on their uniforms, you know they're up to no good. It's a question of who's using who, who's hunting who, and how much do you do as you're told, as opposed to play by your own rules.
So, honestly, the film is pretty easy to sum up for me. The first part is fantastic. Like, I was engrossed immediately. Everything just with the Predator is awesome and it feels right. I don't know much about this alien world, but what I have seen in the past, this just feels like this is how they would do things and they're incredibly interesting and Deck is a very, very fascinating character even though he doesn't say a lot and you got to read it with subtitles. I really feel the personality of this guy. I also really like he's supposed to be the outcast, the guy that's kind of different, kind of seen as weakened. He doesn't really play it that way.
You know what I'm talking about? Where a character is different and he might like have a weird voice or be an inventor or be a screw-up or clumsy or kind of goofy looking. And he's not. He looks like any other Predator, but I can still tell the difference between him and other Predators. But I can also see why he doesn't fit in with the rest of the clan and really feel for him.
The second chunk of the movie gets pretty mundane, borderline annoying. Yeah, I'll just say it. I don't like the Predator's posy in this. I'm not a fan of Thea. I'm not a fan of Space Monkey, as my brother puts it. And I agree with him. Have we really learned nothing from Lost in Space? Why are we still trying to put these in movies? But then the third act very cleverly reveals why they're needed. Not just in terms of the story and helping out the Predator, but in really delivering the themes and ideas of the film. I just wish they were done with a lot more interesting side characters.
So yeah, the thing with Thea is I like the idea of an android and I even don't mind the idea of like an animal sidekick if it's done right, but Thea is written like a bad MCU comic relief. She's quippy, she's goofy, she doesn't always realize when she's being annoying or sometimes she does and she just kind of has fun with it because oh what does it matter? That's just how she is and she's not going to change for anyone. And yeah, I never got into the comedy of this character. Aside from one line where she's trying to break into a place and a guard spots her, that got a laugh out of me. I never had one chuckle with her.
And I don't think it's Ellie Fanning's fault. This really is something that unless you were like one of the great comedians, you just can't make this material funny. The Space Monkey is designed way too cute and just constantly makes me think this is trying to be this film's Grou. Even when I figured out pretty early on what they were going to do with this character, it still didn't change the fact that I just couldn't get into her at all.
Now, either of these things awful, no, I've definitely seen them done much worse in other movies, but with that intro and how harsh it is and relentless and aggressive and tough and both touching and heartbreaking when you see the choices that are made, it's kind of like going from 300 to the fifth element. I like both of them on their own, but combining them just doesn't quite feel right. It's such a tonal whiplash.
But again, what makes it work is how it all comes together in the last third. And again, how very cleverly they tie in the ideas of what they're trying to get across. Thea talks about having another android that she's very close to, kind of like a sister. She talks about how great she is and how much they have in common. But when you actually see the sisters, she's very different and they're very smart at showing why she is that way. And because when you see her, she has gone through this major change.
You're left wondering what she was like before. And you see the look on Thea's face when she's talking to her like, "Oh, this is a different person I'm interacting with now." And it does tie into how much the two of them are letting the mission change who they are. That in combination with what Deck is going through and trying to figure out leads to a moral that's kind of like the opposite of that Batman Begins line is not who I am underneath but what I do that defines me this one the focus more it's not what you do it's what you're about and what you're about should dictate what you do not necessarily the other way around that is gotten across very well without having to verbally explain it over and over.
I also like that at the very end I didn't entirely know where it was going. I kind of had an idea that Deck had to do something. There's some place he had to go, but I didn't know what the outcome was going to be necessarily. And it doesn't disappoint. With almost all the characters, it shows that there's some parts of tradition that you're always going to hold on to, but there's some you're going to alter and make your own. Traveling on a familiar journey, but carving out your own path.
Now, this is stuff that doesn't sound that new, like movies talk about this kind of stuff all the time, but it's shown in an efficient way that doesn't feel like it has much dead weight to it. Everything, even the stuff I found kind of annoying, has a purpose. It's hard to say cut that out. You can't say get rid of Thea. You can't say get rid of the space monkey. All of them have a purpose. I just wish they'd done it in a way that was about as cool as everything else.
Like the planet with all the cool ideas like razor blade grass. That's really awesome. The action was pretty neat and has some good kills, even though they're all androids, which I guess ties in more to the PG-13 rating, but again, they do get pretty creative keeping it PG-13. I'm one of the few people that actually thought the kills in Alien versus Predator were cool despite its rating. I guess a part of me looks at this and says, "Man, the way it started out, that could have ridden through the whole entire movie."
But it doesn't. It gets a little weak in the middle. Actually, it gets a lot weak in the middle, but when you see where it's all going, it does connect just well enough to a point where I say, "All right, that that that got point across pretty well." And even the last little throwaway line that I guess is teasing a sequel, but even if it doesn't, it's not a bad ending. I found myself digging it quite a bit.
So, while I can't say it's great, I do think it works just enough to a point where I do want to go back and see the Predator movies I haven't seen before. The world does get cooler and cooler the more they reveal about it. And I like that this film finally showed me that. So, yeah, if you're a Predator fan, check it out. If you've never seen a Predator movie, you might still like it as a sci-fi action adventure. Just don't expect to be quoting any of these jokes anytime soon. As for me, I think I'm actually going to go and try to see a lot of the Predator films I haven't seen before and maybe revisit the ones I might find myself appreciating even more. Well, not all.