Predator: Badlands

Movie Name: Predator: Badlands
Year of Release: 2025
Director: Dan Trachtenberg
Starring: Elle Fanning, Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, Ravi Narayan, Chris Terhune, Cameron Brown, Stefan Grube, Reuben de Jong
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Hulu

Synopsis and Review

The last three features from writer/producer/director Dan Trachtenberg have all been in the "Predator" universe, and they've all been well received, and a great testament to his ability to revitalize this franchise, whose best episode up until his endeavors, was still John McTiernan's original feature from 1987. "Predator: Badlands" follows the story of Dek, a predator from the planet Yautja Prime. He is seeking the approval from his father, clan leader Njohrr, who considers him a disappointment and a disservice to the clan as he is smaller than his brother and the rest of the clan members. Njohrr orders his brother to kill Dek, but he chooses instead to save him, sacrificing himself in the process and sending Dek to the planet Genna, where Dek intends to kill a supreme predator and bring back a trophy to prove his worthiness. Dek crash lands on Genna, and immediately realizes that everything about that planet is hostile, including trees, grass, and nearly everything surrounding him. While trying to escape from a dangerous predator, Dek connects with Thia, a damaged android (she has no legs), who offers to help him escape. Upon explaining his intent on the planet, Thia states she can help, provided he can take her back to the area where her team briefly established a colony and where they were attacked by the Kalisk creature. While initially resistant to volunteer any assistance, Dek soon acquiesces and takes Thia with him. They're soon joined by another creature, someone Thia names Bud, who saves them from nearly being devoured. In the meantime another android similar to Thia, her "sister" Tessa is repaired, and instructed on the parameters of her mission, being warned not to fail, as there will be no leniency if she does. Dek and Thia reach the former working station, or what's left of it, and while Thia immediately attempts to get her legs reattached, Dek is soon confronted with the Kalisk, who turns out to be quite a challenge. 

Dan Trachtenberg and his creative team's take on the "Predator" franchise has been quite refreshing, because they're essentially bringing a different dimension to a character that was up until their involvement, a monolithic monster without much personality. "Prey" and "Badlands" have given different contexts in which these characters exist, allowing them to be seen as warrior clans with a strict sense of rules, and not solely as supporting (and forgettable) villainous creatures who are mortal foibles for their human challengers/victims. "Badlands" places the Predator creature in the center of the narrative, and the film is erected as a rite of passage for a young warrior who wants to prove himself and avenge his brother in the process. The film plays out like a slick and intelligent B-movie, who is further uplifted due to the introduction of the intelligent, humorous, and quasi-human android, perfectly embodied by Elle Fanning. The relationship between these two characters, a la "Midnight Run", evolves from initial suspicion to well established trust, illustrating the convergence of both their journeys in building and getting what they ultimately need: companionship. It's a very smartly conceived film with an impeccable momentum, that while at times over simplifies some of the challenges/friction elements that exist, it's nonetheless polished, well acted, with solid visual effects and great production values. The cast led by the fantastic Elle Fanning, who is masterful in this dual role, is solid, and while there could have been some additional nuance to the evolution of these characters, what they set out to do is perfectly rendered. The production team is impeccable, including Benjamin Wallfisch and Sara Schachner's score, Jeff Cutter's cinematography, Ra Vincent's production design, Ngila Dickson's costume design, the entire makeup and prosthetics team, and the entire visual effects team (stupendous). It's a very well done and entertaining feature. Worth watching.

The Island

Movie Name: The Island
Year of Release: 2005
Director: Michael Bay
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Buscemi, Djimon Hounsou, Sean Bean, Michael Clarke Duncan, Ethan Phillips, Tom Everett
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3
Watch it on Amazon Prime

Synopsis and Review

By the time he tackled "The Island", Michael Bay was coming off two big commercial hits, "Pear Harbor" and "Bad Boys II". The script originally written by Caspian Tredwell-Owen and then rewritten by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, follows the story of a man called Lincoln Six Echo who lives in a secluded facility, alongside many others, where he leads a very regimented existence. It's 2019, and they've all been informed that life outside that facility has changed considerably and that the island where they live is the only area pathogen free which is still able to support human existence. Lincoln in the meantime has been having vivid dreams that are not related with his own life. He eventually discovers a live moth in a ventilation shaft, which prompts his deduction that life outside the facility isn't compromised. He eventually follows the moth to another section of the facility and discovers that the "lottery", which everyone always looks forward to, is in reality a system that takes people from the facility for organ harvesting, and that all the people in that program are actually clones. Lincoln's discoveries make him a target for Dr. Merrick, who runs the facility and wants to preserve it at all costs. He decides to escape, and takes Jordan Two Delta with him. Merrick in the meantime hires a mercenary to recover them and bring them back to the island. The two escapees in the meantime decide to discover more about the real world. 

"The Island", much like many dystopian type of features that have been released since the 1970s, including for instance Michael Anderson's "Logan's Run", all have very similar premises: a central hero is forced to uncover the harsher reality that lies behind the facade of a seemingly perfect society. These dystopian worlds and realities ultimately force the hero to confront his own sense of humanity, but also the foils, insecurities, and lustful violence of those who control and want to continue dominating whatever semblance of power they have. In other words, spin the world, the context, and the time, but human cruelty, thirst for power, and unbridled ambition never change. This type of universe can make for really interesting films and some examples include the unique takes of Terry Gilliam with his "12 Monkeys" or even The Wachowski siblings with "The Matrix", however Michael Bay lacks both the perspective and storytelling prowess to create something memorable from this material. There's something quite calculated and overly labored about "The Island " itself: starting with the casting of the young attractive performers from the time, populating the feature with prestige supporting cast (for credibility), and finally staging everything with enough acrobatics and muscular car chases to appease the right demographic (all this wrapped in a shiny cinematography and slick costume design). The result of this concoction is a soulless feature, where everything looks slick, but lacks verisimilitude, where talented actors try to bring dimension to characters that are lifeless and have very little in terms of motivation or even an arc. Even for a director who has made a career for himself of populating his films with quick jump cuts, objectification of women, and gratuitous explosions, all hidden behind this dated tv commercial aesthetic, "The Island" is one of his most forgettable endeavors, and that itself is one of its biggest flaws. Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson, then trying to establish their careers within the industry, even if at different times in their careers, are completely wasted in this film, the same going for the supporting cast, which features Djimon Hounsou playing yet another villain with a soul, Sean Bean still attempting to maintain the momentum from "Lord of the Rings", and Steve Buscemi, whose ability to pepper his performances with just enough distinctiveness, is completely passed over. The production team, while greatly talented, services a very distasteful aesthetic, resulting in the work of Mauro Fiore (cinematography), Nigel Phelps (production design), and Steve Jablonsky (score), being less than stellar. It's a forgettable endeavor for everyone involved.