Review: 'Predator: Badlands' - The Birth of the 'Family' Predator!!

I watched 'Predator: Badlands'. I felt it was an ambitious work that boldly updated the direction of the series. Here, I would like to briefly look back at the history of the series while discussing the novelty of this latest installment.

The original 1987 'Predator' was born as the pinnacle of macho action in American cinema. The composition of an elite squad being hunted by an "invisible hunter" in the jungle was also, I believe, a fable for an era carrying the memories of the Vietnam War.

The sequel 'Predator 2' (1990) moved the setting to the city, depicting the "jungle-ization of civilized society" against a backdrop of social unrest like the drug war and deteriorating public safety.

In the 2000s, 'AVP' attempted a crossover with the 'Alien' series, expanding the worldview. The 2010 film 'Predators' intensified the death game-like appeal where warriors fight for survival on an alien hunting ground, as if reflecting the era of "endless war."

The 2018 film 'The Predator' incorporated modern themes like genetic modification and PTSD, but the story lost its way and the series reboot failed. It seemed the Predator character itself might become a thing of the past, but the 2022 film 'Prey' incorporated the perspectives of a woman and indigenous people, returning to the roots of "the survival competition between hunter and hunted" while also adopting a modern feminist sensibility, brilliantly reviving the series.

And the latest film, 'Predator: Badlands', takes that flow a step further, finally placing "the Predator itself as the protagonist". For the first time, an entity that was previously just the "hunter" is depicted as one who "feels, worries, and changes"—I took this film as a challenging work that opens up new horizons for the series.

—Spoilers ahead—

■ Predator family love?

Predators are a hunting race that spans the universe, and survival of the fittest is their law. It is mentioned that they have a custom of "hunting a strong enemy and displaying its head" as a rite of passage, but other cultural backgrounds have hardly been depicted until now. This film is the first in the series to talk about the "family relationships" of Predators and how they communicate.

The protagonist is a young Predator named Dek. He is considered the "weakling" in his clan. His brother is proud and imposes strict training on his younger brother Dek, but love can be felt at the root of it. Before the rite of passage, the father, following the law that "leaving the weak behind is a shame," tries to take Dek's life. At that moment, the brother risks his life to protect Dek. This sacrifice becomes the starting point for Dek's growth, and he begins to question the meaning of "strength" for himself for the first time.

What is power, and what is strength?
This question guides Dek's journey from then on. Much like Kyojuro Rengoku from 'Demon Slayer' or Ace from 'ONE PIECE', his brother acts as a mentor who teaches him how to live through his death, supporting the entire work as Dek's "moral compass."

Eventually, Dek meets new companions and builds a relationship like a "pseudo-family" that transcends blood ties. (Even though they are Predators!)

The scene where they sit around a campfire and share their hunted prey has a warmth that reminds one of the family dinners in 'Fast & Furious', and a human-like warmth breathes into the world of the Predator, which has been depicted as cold and ruthless until now. It is, as film critic Hawk Terasawa puts it, the birth of the "family-lineage" Predator!

■ Even here, AI gains a heart!

Paired with Deku's story are the beautiful android sisters, Tia and Tessa. They are artificial life forms designed to carry out missions, embodying a "family as a function" that lacks emotions. The older sister, Tia, prioritizes achieving her goals above all else, even discarding her sister if necessary. If the Deku brothers are a "family bound by affection," the Tia sisters are a "family bound by utility," and the two are depicted in contrast.

As Tia travels with Deku, she gradually begins to show glimpses of a heart. This is not merely AI learning, but closer to a process where the accumulation of time spent together shapes a personality. This aspect is a modern development, similar to 'Sing a Bit of Harmony' or 'Tron: Ares,' where the sharing of memories and experiences creates "humanity." This feels more like a James Cameron-esque flavor, something Ridley Scott would never depict, than anything else.

■ The absence of 'Star Wars'-like humans and the 'pleasure of kaiju battle movies'

What makes this work decisively different from other series is that "no humans appear at all." The audience travels through an unknown planet from the Predator's perspective, and while it is a novel (?) development where aliens are 'surprised by alien creatures', there is also a sense of excitement reminiscent of a 'Star Wars' space opera. The sight of Deku carrying Tia on his back even looked like a subtle homage to the famous scene where Chewbacca carries C-3PO. The scene where Deku's brother is killed behind a barrier also felt like the scene where Obi-Wan had no choice but to watch Qui-Gon get killed right in front of him. (Is this overthinking it?) Deku's tsundere attitude, insisting that Tia is nothing more than a "tool," is also endearing, giving the Predator entity

"humor and charm", making the overall tone of the work softer and the character relatable.

On the other hand, the battles with the ferocious alien creatures inhabiting the planet allow you to get your fill of the intensity of grotesque monster vs. grotesque monster battles. To use an analogy, it's like the life-or-death, all-out battles between creatures seen in 'Ultraman,' such as Aboras vs. Banila or Gudon vs. Twin Tail, exploding on the screen. It was a development that monster maniacs will drool over!

Furthermore, in the second half, Deku reads the characteristics of the alien creatures and fights by devising traps and makeshift weapons in a 'Home Alone-style' battle. Seeing him overcome crises with DIY ingenuity and wisdom showed the fun of battle as entertainment, distinct from the traditional "hunting as a symbol of violence."

■ Couldn't this just be 'Guardians of the Galaxy'?

In the final stages of the story, the fates of Deku and Tia and her sister intersect, and the form of the "family" each tries to protect is tested. What is "strength"? What does it mean to live? 'Badlands' depicts that question as the "emotional growth" of those living in a world of violence.

—Strength is not the power to defeat, but the will to protect.

I felt that this Jump-anime-esque message developed the critical nature of "dismantling the macho" that the original 'Predator' possessed into a more universal ethic.

I believe the Predator has finally stepped forward from being a 'hunting/hunted monster' to a 'growing being that evokes empathy'. And in the finale, fragments that seem to touch upon the series' greatest mysteries—the origin of the Predator and the true meaning of the act of "hunting"—are shown as the curtain closes.

Honestly, I'm really looking forward to the sequel.
I want to see more of what happens to Deku, Tia, and their companions—it was a latest installment full of potential that made me feel that way honestly.