MOVIE REVIEW: PREDATOR: BADLANDS

 

Cast out from its clan, an alien hunter and an unlikely ally embark on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary.

Director: Dan Trachtenberg

Cast: Elle Fanning, Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, Mike Homik, Rohinal Nayaran, Reuben De Jong, Cameron Brown

Release Date: October 31, 2025

Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong sci-fi violence.

Runtime: 1h 47m

Review:

Dan Trachtenberg's Predator: Badlands is an incredibly fun sci-fi buddy movie that flips the script on the usual approach giving it a fresh vantage point which is aided by an excellent turn from Elle Fanning in dual roles.  Trachtenberg film delivers a visually impressive, although decidedly CGI heavy, experience even as he mines some well-worn sci-fi tropes to set up the story.  His energetic approach to the story makes it easier to overlook the fact it all feels overly familiar especially to any Trek fans who might see more than a few similarities to Klingon culture and that of the Yautja.  The good thing is that the action is well constructed across the board with each set piece providing some impressive thrills that's sure to make most fans of the series happy.  Making the central Predator a runt who's been outcast keeps him from being the standard issue killing machine we're used to seeing in these films.  This character is still untested which makes him far more vulnerable particularly when he loses the majority of his tech.  Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi is able to deliver a solid character work as Dek, in the suit, while also providing the motion capture for the character's facial expressions.  Schuster-Koloamatangi manages to give his character the appropriate air of intensity and ferocity you'd expect but there are also slivers of playfulness and emotion scattered throughout.  He and Elle Fanning share strong chemistry together which makes the whole thing work as well as it does.  Fanning's damaged synth, Thia, has a wide-eyed enthusiasm despite the fact that she's missing her lower half for the better part of the film.  She's clearly having fun as Thia, a synth who was made more for research as opposed to field work which gives her character an inquisitive sense of wonder.  Their mismatched pair makes for some natural comedy that brings an air of levity you wouldn't typically expect from these kinds of films.  On the other end, Fanning's Tessa is much closer to the kind of mildly malevolent synthetics we've come accustomed to from the Alien franchise.  That character isn't nearly as fleshed out as Thia which is a shame since Fanning was game for it all.  Predator: Badlands does make a few decisions that are destined to be divisive in the long run but that doesn't hold the film from being one of the better entries in the series. 

B+

MOVIE REVIEW: PREY

 

A skilled Comanche warrior protects her tribe from a highly evolved alien predator that hunts humans for sport, fighting against wilderness, dangerous colonisers and this mysterious creature to keep her people safe.

Director: Dan Trachtenberg

Cast: Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Michelle Thrush, Stormee Kipp, Julian Black Antelope, Dane DiLiegro

Release Date: August 5, 2022

Genre: Action, Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Rated R for strong bloody violence.

Runtime: 1h 39m

Review:

The Predator franchise has been a difficult nut to crack in terms of delivering satisfying follow up after the second Danny Glover entry from the 90s.  Dan Trachtenberg's prequel takes a back to basic approach which results in a lean and efficient film paired with a strong script that makes us care about the central character's arch.  Trachtenberg avoids the pitfalls of recent entries by keeping it simple and smartly focusing on establishing the central character before unleashing the carnage everyone knows is coming.  Amber Midthunder carries the film with a believable focused performance as Naru.  The script smartly sets her up as a somebody that's still trying to find her place as opposed to introducing her as fully formed warrior.  This measured approach allows the audience to connect with the character and makes her journey more believable once the film reaches it's final faceoff.  Trachtenberg takes advantage of this to set up some tense moments while still delivering the kind of bloody violence you'd expect from this franchise.  The supporting characters are more thinly written with most coming off as fodder for the fray.  Some surprisingly shoddy animal CGI detracts from some of the Predator action in the first act which is a shame because the cinematography takes full advantage of the Canadian landscape.  Small issues aside, Prey is the Predator sequel a lot of fans have been waiting for which makes the streaming only release even more confounding.      

B+

MOVIE REVIEW: 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE

A young woman (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is forced to cope with her new life after waking up from a nearly fatal accident in this thriller from director Dan Trachtenberg. After narrowly avoiding serious injuries in a car wreck, Michelle (Winstead) awakens in the care of a man who claims to have found her at the scene, and who brought her to his home after a catastrophic chemical attack devastated the surrounding area. John Goodman and John Gallagher Jr. co-star. ~ Tom Ciampoli, Rovi

Director: Dan Trachtenberg

Cast: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman, John Gallagher, Jr., Cindy Hogan, Douglas M. Griffin

Release Date: Mar 11, 2016

Rated PG-13 for some Violence, Frightening Sequences, Brief Language, Thematic Material and 

Threat

Runtime: 1 hr. 45 min.

Genres: Drama, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Suspense/Thriller

Review:

10 Cloverfield Lane is an impressively taut thriller that probably would have been better off leaving the Cloverfield connections off.  That’s not to say it’s a terrible connection to make, it also hasn’t hurt its box office, but it’s subtle at best and it could prove slightly distracting to some.  On its own, 10 Cloverfield Lane brings back memories of some of the better Twilight Zone or Outer Limits episodes.  The small cast benefits the film since each of them delivers strong performances.  Mary Elizabeth Winstead spearheads the film as a combination of Ramona Flowers and Macgyver.  Her character is probably one of the most adaptable and resourceful female leads in recent sci-fi history.  John Goodman is just as impressive as the is he /isn’t he nutty guy.  Goodman has an excellent talent of going from nice guy to nuts in the blink of an eye with little effort.  It makes for a wonderfully tense film which builds to a crescendo displaying a talented hand behind the camera.  The final act is sure to be divisive since it opens up the claustrophobic atmosphere giving us a totally different feel to the film.  Personally, I rather enjoyed it throughout as an effective sci-fi yarn.

B