Predator Badlands
Currently Only in Theaters
Runtime: 1 Hour and 47 Minutes
Rated PG-13
A young, exiled Predator named Dek, is banished from his clan due to his small stature and perceived weakness. To prove his worth and seek revenge against his father, he travels to the hostile planet, Genna, to hunt the Kalisk, a creature even his father fears. Genna proves to be more dangerous than Dek can handle on his own, so he teams up with a damaged Weyland-Yutani synthetic named Thia. The unlikely duo embark on a dangerous journey to hunt the "ultimate adversary" and learn that maybe the most dangerous parts of the plant can work to their advantage.
Themes: “sensitivity is weakness”
Predators, culture, tradition, weakness, family, the hunt, proving oneself, corporations, artificial intelligence, sensitivity, synthetic life forms, sisters, brothers, death, teamwork, chosen family, clans, exploration, death, feelings/emotions, exploitation, the kalisk, strength in numbers, adapting to surroundings, and revenge.
Language:
Sh*t - 1
The predator refers to the "synth" as a "tool." This is not meant to be vulgar, but he considers her a tool that he is just using to complete his hunt.
Stuff to be aware of:
Scary - The main character is a predator. While he is less frightening than the former Predator movies, you can still expect him to yell, make the creepy Predator noises, etc. Some of the creatures the characters encounter could be intimidating.
Sexual - None.
Violence/Gore - This movie pushes its PG-13 rating with violence, blood, and gore. The movie is full of fighting scenes where characters lose limbs, are killed, spray blood, and get eaten and blown up. Most of the blood of creatures and aliens in the film is green and yellow.
No humans are killed during the course of the movie, but there are a bunch of androids (synthetics, that look like humans) that get stabbed, impaled, decapitated, etc. One synthetic sticks wires and mechanical tools into her head. When the synthetics are offline, their eyes have a Weyland-Yutani logo in them. Yes, that is an Aliens franchise reference. One of the Android characters is missing the bottom part of her body, and mechanical parts that kind of look like organs hang out of her. During the climax of the film, many synthetics are killed in what would be gruesome ways, but since they are not living beings, it doesn’t feel as bad/gross.
Here are a few things of note to be aware of with non-synthetics: a character gets his arm removed and is stabbed in the head. His head is also removed from his body and held up. One creature gets cut in two down the middle, with the Predator holding up the spine after as a trophy. One creature gets a saw blade through its entire body. One creature can have limbs cut off, but immediately grows them back. A creature is frozen and blown up from the inside, with guts and blood flying everywhere.
Other - None
Overall:
Seeing It With Your Family
I almost thought this movie would have no cursing until Elle Fanning’s character says one word in the climax of the movie. This movie pushes the PG-13 rating in violence and gore, but also the Predator and many of the creatures could be scary to younger viewers. However, this movie is tamer than most of the other Predator movies I have seen.
What I Thought
If you go into this movie expecting something more horror-themed in nature, like past Predator and Alien movies, you may be disappointed. This is a much different story and really has no “horror” elements. It feels more like a Star Wars bounty hunter story with more violence and gore than most stories from the galaxy far, far away.
I went in with no expectations and knew this would not be a “traditional” Predator story, and I found myself having a really good time. It is a very fresh and different take, making the Predator the main character and I enjoyed rooting for him. I never thought I would say that a Predator has a story arc and grows and develops, but this one does. It was fulfilling to watch the “runt” Predator learn that his people’s traditions are not always the best route to take on a hunt. Also watching him learn how relationships and relying on others is important was well executed.
It works better as a sci-fi movie than a Predator movie, but I found myself really enjoying this one. Makes me miss the thrill and excitement that used to come with a new Star Wars movie.