Badlands – REVIEW & COCKTAILS – The Martini Shot

You would think all directors Then Trachtenberg wanting out of life is a chance to get his hands on the Predator film franchise, because since getting that chance in 2022, he has grabbed hold of it and hasn’t let go. It all starts with Preya film that revitalized the franchise for me with its unique setting and likable characters. And even as recently as last summer, Trachtenberg wowed us with the animated anthology film, Predator: Killer Killer. This takes the concept Prey and expanded it, throwing the brutal species across different cultures of different generations. It is clear Trachtenberg love this series and it really has things going for it that can give us a great and interesting story with its IP. Which brings us there Predator: Badlands.

It’s not always possible to take a horror movie villain and put him in the driver’s seat as the film’s main character, but Predator, or rather, Yaujta, is a different breed. They have a culture, a hierarchy, and most importantly, an intelligence that gives the film room to expand on their narrow-minded setup. That’s exactly what it is Badlands yes, but how well it works is still unclear to me.

Trachtenberg takes the franchise into uncharted territory with a plot centered around a disenfranchised hunter and his legless, talking pack. This turns the horror action franchise into action adventure territory, which can have varying effects. On the one hand, this has allowed Yaujta to evolve and become more dissectable and interesting than ever before. And on the other hand, I wonder if the species needs it. Which is fun but very predictable Predator: Badlands put me in the middle here, entertained me with its world building and set pieces, but left me numb with its blatant attempts to make this the next big blockbuster franchise. Some of the grime and grit found in the previous films, including Prey, is somewhat lost in the attempt to humanize the intergalactic killer which felt a little unnatural to me. However, it’s far from unwatchable, as there’s a lot of good to be found in an ugly world.

Case in point; our main character. For the first time, the titular Predator feels like a fully realized character. Considering life and emotions I thought it was impossible Dimitrius Schuster-Koloanmatangi. Ace Deck, Demetrius brings an air of youthful stubbornness to the species, as he depicts an outcast marked for death after being labeled a weakling. And don’t worry, he didn’t learn that nonviolence is the answer or anything like that. It’s not one of those films. But we can see the importance of survival, something usually reserved for Predator prey. Due to his lack of experience, he not only has to rely on his wits to survive on a planet designed for killing, but also the help of others, as we learn. While the violent nature of this species is unquestionable, their methods are. Hunting alone, exterminating the weak of his tribe; things like that are questionable, and frankly they make sense. There are species that have perfected space travel but have not been able to build a functioning and thriving society due to their narrow-minded brutality. Dek is the first to realize that there is more than blind tradition to his life, and while his journey through this realization often feels quick and empty for the sake of the story, it at least feels fresh for the franchise.

Paired with the Deck is courtesy of Elle Fanning Thea, a chatty, partially disconnected synthetic, wants to return to her mistress and identical “sister,” Tessa. The combination of Dek and Thea is what really makes this film shine, sparking a slowly developing friendship between the two that initially develops out of necessity, but is later perfected through respect. It’s a real Shrek and Donkey dynamic here, if both are willing to stab multiple creatures to death. Fanning’s the cheerful personality provides a foil for the quiet and stoic Dek, even eliciting a bit of comedy from Yaujta that doesn’t feel like a total character assassination. There’s also a cute little monkey creature Thea names Bud, about whom Thea has mixed feelings. I don’t think it’s entirely accurate to call Bud a Baby Yoda type of character, whose cuteness contrasts with the barbaric world he lives in. But at the same time, it’s very clear what a character like this means in the film.

What I can admire, however, is all the thought and detail that went into designing the planet where most of the filming takes place. While it can sometimes look like a dullly shot New Zealand, there are a few details that manage to give the world more identity. The forest is alive with predatory and winding vines, the grassland is where the blades are literally knives, and slithering, acid-spewing land eels are just some of the wonders you’ll find in the badlands of Genna. For $100 million, this can look pretty impressive, although there are times where you can see the budget stretched to the limit. And for a PG-13 film, there’s no shortage of brutal action sequences. It turns out the trick to making your PG-13 movie violent lies in maintaining the brutality in giant CG monsters or cyborgs that bleed white paste. There’s a lot of hack and slash to be found here, although some set pieces are more interesting than others. However, there are some inventive uses of the world that are hinted at early on and pay off in the climax, which is always worth seeing.

So while I have no problem humanizing the monster and making him go against type, I think it could be done in a less…cute way? The goal is clearly to make this more audience-pleasing, but not as fully as an underdog story would allow. From the first few minutes, you know Deck is going to be disappointed with the culture, and that’s okay. But the familial angle found felt like playing it safe to me. This really only became a problem towards the end, where I never felt that Dek’s progression from defending himself to fighting to save the mother of a baby felt all that rewarding. That’s in line with the outcasts transcending their clan’s ideas of them that his past Predator films relied on, and while that’s certainly subversive for this character, it’s not for his work. It makes me think that not all franchises need to be Star Wars or Wonder. There’s a beauty in not giving audiences the tried-and-true formula they’ve become accustomed to over the years. And it feels like that’s where this franchise is headed, which doesn’t interest me as much as I thought it would Prey is preparing. I think a team-up Predator film could still work, and don’t get me wrong, it technically could work here, but it’s done with a safety that I don’t think the franchise really needs.

So, if you’re looking for something that might provide a better sci-fi adventure than the latest Star Wars offerings but perhaps not as inspired Avatars movies, maybe Predator: Badlands will be your cup of tea. There’s a lot to admire here, but not enough to make me do a backflip, impatiently waiting for the next pointless adventure our characters will experience. I believe Trachtenberg to continue making entertaining popcorn films, but I hope there will be more of his work to keep me interested again. What’s that Raw Head Rex until? Maybe he could try it next.

RATING

PLASMA CUTTER

Predators always have a lot of tools; net, shurikens, Snapchat. No, wait, it’s a different kind of predator. But the most played one Badlands is this sword with a fiery red edge that can cut through anything. Therefore, this technology was the inspiration for today’s cocktails, as they would be bright red in color and contain a hint of heat. But the heat we’ll use here is earthy spice; your cinnamon, your allspice and your ginger. This will give the cocktail a tingling taste that will also be perfect for the dropping temperatures as we head into the holiday season. And, if you’re looking for other Predator cocktail, I made a Predator Blood drink a few years ago that had a sweet, vegetal taste that I really liked.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 ounces spiced rum
• 1/2oz Benedictine
• 3/4oz pomegranate juice
• 1/2oz spiced simple syrup (recipe below)
• 1/2 ounce lime juice
• 2 dashes angostura bitters
• splash of grenadine
• Above: Ginger beer

FOR SIMPLE SYRUP Seasoning

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 glass of water
• 1 tsp allspice berries
• 1 tsp dry ginger
• 2 cinnamon sticks

INSTRUCTIONS

FOR SIMPLE SYRUP Seasoning

1. Combine the ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat, stir until the sugar dissolves.
2. Let cool, then strain into a closed container.

FOR COCKTAILS

1. Add the ingredients to a shaker and shake until cool.
2. Strain into a tall cocktail glass (over ice if desired).
3. Top with ginger beer.