Silly and CGI-smothered, but not entirely devoid of entertainment value
I wouldn’t say that Predator (1987) is one of my favourite films. It’s enjoyable enough as a silly, meat-headed sci-fi action romp, and I understand its popularity. I’ll grant that it is well-directed (especially if viewed in a cinema, where John McTiernan’s deft framing feels more claustrophobic and suspenseful). However, it didn’t really need sequels, spin-offs, expanded universes, and whatnot. I suppose Prey (2022) wasn’t bad, but I wasn’t exactly pleading for another instalment.
Of course, Mr Algorithm has other ideas that have no bearing on artistic requirements. Predator Badlands inverts the premise by making a Predator (technically a “Yautja”) the protagonist. Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) is the runt of a Yautja litter. He narrowly escapes being culled for that reason, eventually landing on a ludicrously lethal planet where he plans to capture an apparently invulnerable monster to prove his worth to his father. Or something like that. Anyway, off he goes, blundering into a world of razor grass, murderous tree vines, poison dart plants, explosive worms, acid-spewing serpents, and a vast array of huge monsters.
Along the way, Dek obtains help from a damaged Weyland Corporation android called Thia (Elle…
