Dan Tracthenberg‘s “Predator: Badlands” hits theaters today, and the latest installment breaks the franchise’s formula in a way that audiences will either love or loathe. A PG-13 “Predator” movie that’s almost family-friendly? Remarkably, the film works, even if it wasn’t what Trachtenberg originally envisaged for his “Prey” follow-up.
In a new interview with The Direct, Trachtenberg revealed his first idea for “Predator: Badland” still revolved around a Yautja protagonist, but in a more familiar setting than the new movie’s lethal planet Genna. “The very first nugget of the idea was, what if the Predator wins? And I just really didn’t want it to be a slasher movie where the slasher wins, I really wanted you to root for the guy,” said Trachtenberg. “Then, in rooting for it, I was like, Well, I guess he could be, like, set in WWII, and he’s kicking Nazi butt or something. But, even then, I felt like that’s not really a special new movie. And then it became, wait a second, what if he’s really the protagonist of his own story, and I get people to really root for him on his own journey, his own adventure.”
A “Predator” movie where a Yautja fights Nazis? To be honest, that sounds pretty cool, but it also sounds like “Inglourious Basterds” with space aliens; fun, but not necessary, and certainly not a film that diverges from the franchise’s formula in a refreshingly new way. And it may take time for some moviegoers who see “Predator: Badlands” to wrap their heads around a Predator who’s a hero in the new film, complete with a less sinister look than its movie predecessors. Said Trachtenberg on the new Predator design: “What was too far? I don’t know. There were probably just some designs, because every time I sort of asked people to kind of break down what the idea is of a Yautja to try and find a new look for it. And there probably were some designs that were like too far gone, and even some of the wardrobe designs were maybe too cultured.”
In “Predator: Badlands,” Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi plays Dek, a young Yautja outcast who defies his tribe and aims to take down the Kalisk, the apex predator of the hazardous planet Genna. Dek doesn’t look like a typica Yautja, however. His mandibled face is softer and more emotive, and his armor less high-tech. That look is by Trachtenberg’s design. “Usually, the Yautja’s costuming is done just by the creature designers,” the director said about the Predator’s new look in “Badlands.” “This is the first time we really had someone who’s like the costume department, a true artist of that specific craft is designing their wardrobe and some early designs felt like a little too medieval and too Earthbound, and really tried to find something that spoke to, and was a little bit more Spartan, since their culture is so hardcore, and also that was A little bit more like Conan Barbarian nomad, nomadic culture.
The result is a Yautja that remains a relentless killing machine, but one that the audience empathizes with as they discover the merits of cooperation and teamwork among their found family. While some of its tropes recall the work of James Gunn and IP like “The Mandalorian,” the risks Trachtenberg takes in “Predator: Badlands” all pay off, and it’s a worthy addition to the franchise; perhaps one of the best in the entire series. And yes, that means “Badlands” is cooler than a Predator killing Nazis, an idea Trachtenberg was right to leave behind in development.
“Predator: Badlands” is in theaters now.
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