r/predator • u/ChuckMemes • 2d ago
đ„ Predator: Badlands Predator Badlands 1 year later
So, here we are, almost a year after the release of BadlandsâŠ. Where do we stand as a fandom on this movie? You have the side that likes it, the side that hates it. But looking back on it, where does it stand in the franchise and is this even a possible direction moving forward? Personally, I liked some aspects of the movie, but other aspects I didnât.
In my opinion here are my pros and cons;
Pros: First Yautja focused story in cinema, we see more of the clan structure, and how family interact with one another. We see a Yautja use an environment and its creatures to his advantage. Alien universe connections through Wey-Yu. More interesting Yautja Weaponry. We get to witness how Yautja view their prey and what they deem worthy as trophies. The soundtrack was really good and I hope they keep bringing back that lady that did it.
Cons: The plot doesnât have much rewatch value over time because it is very predictable(a son rejected by family goes out to prove himself only to learn he doesnât need them, forms his own clan of misfits, to eventually return and beat up his family member). They humanized the predators too much. Their culture is about strength, culling the weak and proving who is better. Personally if Kwei was the plot twist protagonist and Dek was the one killed, I think the movie would have had a better pay off. An older brother seeks revenge for his father murdering his sibling without giving him a chance to prove himself sounds better imo. I like Elle Fanning as an actress but I found Thia way too annoying in the movie. I much more prefer her counterpart Tessa who acts like an actual Synth.
I like Dan Tâs movies for the most part. But Iâm starting to notice a pattern with his cliffhanger endings. Not to mention that KoKâs ending completely screws up Dutch, Harrigan, and Naruâs stories. They beat their opponent(even though one needed hers lobotomized in order to win) and they earned their place of respect. Only for a Bad blood clan to later steal them for an arena battle.
My point is, I donât want cliffhanger endings. I would like some connections or callbacks, but no direct continuations. Let us not also forget. Badlands didnât make them back much money either. Thoughts? Iâm trying to be as neutral as possible here.
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u/NotACyclopsHonest 2d ago
I really enjoyed it - Iâd love to see Dek and his weird little clan again.
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u/ChuckMemes 2d ago edited 2d ago
Upon a rewatch I found I didnât enjoy the movie as much as I did the first time, I would only be interested in a sequel to see what the females look like.
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u/AndoionLB Jungle Hunter 2d ago
Badlands didnt make them back much money
It did fine. It wasnt a billion dollar blowout like the MCU films and it doesnt need to be in order to be successful. It did make money and it did really well in the streaming department. It is a successful film.
I dont agree with some of your other points as well. But upon rewatching it? I personally liked it overall. I personally wouldve loved to see Yautja Prime fleshed out more or Genna itself. I also wished it maintained a more serious tone in line with the other films but thats just personal preference.
Solid film and I appreciate that it tries something different instead of rehashing the same kind of plot line over and over again trying in vain to be like the first film.
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u/WhiteLion245 2d ago
It flopped. It made the most money if any predator movie but it was also the most expensive predator movie.
It didnât make back its budget if you include theater take and marketing.
Didnât make any money5
u/AndoionLB Jungle Hunter 2d ago
Did you take into account of merchandising and the streaming revenues and the like?
When it released on digital platforms in January, it was the number one movie on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, etc. When released for subscription streaming services in February, it became the number one film on Hulu since Prey pulling in nearly 9 million views globally in the first five days. It also topped international streaming charts on Disney plus.
Critically acclaimed by critics and fans alike too. So ya. It was a success.
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u/bloodedyautja69 2d ago
It definitely made money. Not much sure⊠but actually on VOD it outsold most of its competitors that mightâve slightly outperformed them in the box office and also not to mention the money they make from figures, toys, and other merchandise from the film. Pretty naive for you to think that it flopped if itâs the most successful film in the entire franchise. That definitely means something. Sure, Prey might be a bit more safe and couldâve done wonders if it was released in theaters, but for now Badlands is the king of the crop whether you can accept that or not.
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u/WhiteLion245 1d ago
Again the best performing predator movie means nothing when it was also the most expensive and didnât make it budget badk and lost millions.
Streaming is hard it tell if did make it budget back there especially as steaming pays way less then cable and movie theaters.
Figures and toys are also hard to tell since they donât release what elseâs figures they were aiming for and the price of production and distribution.
It may have made some money if we add everything together but not a lot. Maybe not even enough to get a squeal.
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u/bloodedyautja69 1d ago
In regards to its profit dude relax itâs obviously going to be a tall task to ask for it to make 300+ million when it never even broke past 200 million before? Are you dumb? Do you actually think Disney was expecting those types of numbers? Genuinely? You sound insane brother listen to yourself⊠this was the MOST successful film in the entire franchise. Im not saying weâre getting a sequel we probably wouldâve needed it to do a bit better than what it did but if a franchise is both growing in overall revenue and popularity and not to mention breaks every single record that exists to date thatâs freaking amazing news youâre just in your own little hate bubble for you to say it means nothing thatâs crazy đ
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u/WhiteLion245 1d ago
Agin most of that doesnât matter me it doesnât matter it was the most profitable movie of it cost the most as well.
It wasnât the most successful because it didnât even make back isnt budget.
Itâs not even about hate or live simple facts that it did poorly in the box office. Disney was probably not happy with that especially knowing how out of touch executives can be.Youâre saying wow I know it flopped but maybe it did make a small profit if we match everything together. Most businesses minded people who run these companies would see the Flop says dammit and move on.
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u/bodrianinferno 2d ago
No, its a flop. If it wasnt they'v already announced the sequel
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u/AndoionLB Jungle Hunter 2d ago
It was not a flop. It even broke a box office record for the franchise if memory serves. I dont think the basis of a successful film should be linked to if it has a sequel or not. Braveheart doesnt have a sequel. Titanic doesnt have a sequel. Etc.
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u/ChuckMemes 2d ago
Half the money it made went to the theaters automatically, thatâs not really much profit for the studio
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u/AndoionLB Jungle Hunter 2d ago edited 2d ago
Couple things with that. Yes. Some money is allocated to theatres and the like. But we dont have access to the actual numbers overall. What information we do have is an estimate. Marketing and theatres get their cut. But the movie also garners revenue through merchandise as well. Popcorn buckets, toys, collector items, etc.
This is also post 2020 where the landscape has changed for movie theatres so the fact it made as much money as it did when it first debuted surprising everyone is a testament. But on that note, everyone now waits for movies and the like to make its way to the streaming services which Badlands did extremely well there.
So yes. All in all it did make money. It did not make a billion dollars of course. But it did make a profit.
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u/MyersMike316 2d ago
Enjoyed it, had a fun time. Donât get the hate they did something different. Sits probably 2nd last in the franchise for me, but I loved Predator (one of my goats), Predator 2, Prey and Predators so itâs not a bad thing, I prefer the more gritty violent predator aspect of the movies.
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u/shmouver 2d ago
My opinion hasn't changed tbh
I feel Badlands overall is a good idea that didn't reach it's full potential bc it wanted to please everyone.
It didn't quite land with the "broader audience" and it didn't satisfy hardcore Predator fans. So it sits in the middle as a decent movie.
I think most fans that praise it to the sky are overcompensating bc they are scared to be critical and have the franchise die. But i hope that we can all be honest in saying it felt too juvenile and Marvel-esk sometimes. Personally this is not the direction i want it to go...
I think it's a good movie that could've been the maybe the best if it tried to be darker (which i think is what most of us really wanted).
PS: since you mentioned it, imo KoK was very badly written. Only redeeming part of it is the Kenji arc and cool action sequences
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u/TheDude810 2d ago
I think itâs the weakest of Trachtenbergâs stuff thus far (Killer of Killers and Prey are better), but itâs still really good in its own right.
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u/K-Motorbike-12 2d ago
Enjoyable film, but a rubbish Predator movie.
I'm glad it has done well as its saving the series, but I don't go to watch Predator for a lack of gore and a friendship story. I want to see people massacred. They have the recipe, give us a predator in WW1, with samurai, with Vikings invading Britain etc. It's a very retallable tale that they keep adding extra rubbish into.
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u/stardust1914 2d ago
Dream concept brought to reality. Always wanted to see a movie like this from the "monsters" pov. Been loving what Trachtenberg has been doing with the IP.
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u/AFewNicholsMore City Hunter 2d ago
I did like it, but most of your critiques seen on point. Thia was definitely irritating in the âDisney got their Marvelly hands on this scriptâ kind of way. I preferred her twin as the villain.
I think in general my biggest gripe with it was the way they really tried to make it safe for the family audience. The cutesy animal sidekick is the obvious one, but the complete and conspicuous lack of real gore was the bigger oneâthey very carefully only had synths instead of real people so they could have the violence without the blood. Predator has always been a brutal action horror series and this felt like just an action movie.
Again, enjoyed it, but itâs kind of out of step with the rest of the series for me.
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u/MaxCrultak_26 2d ago
Since we getting more variety of Yautjas I'm waiting for one Predator movie in the same timeline as Badlands but about a Yautja Priest or a Clan of Alien Space Pirates vs Yautja Space Pirates ...idk this new timeline offers a lot
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u/Old-Wasabi-3837 1d ago edited 1d ago
They turned it into an episode of The Mandolorian. Feel good buddy cop sci fi adventure with a cute googly-eyed creature sidekick and lots of Marvel-esque witty one-liner banter. More a Star Wars movie than a Predator movie.
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u/cpbradshaw 1d ago
I quite liked learning more about Yautja lore, but I HATE seeing a sodding Predator sitcom complete with daddy issues. I don't want to understand their language.. Leave some mystery!!! It was a well put together movie that, for me, went too far on terms of the exposition
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u/NefariousnessOk6826 1d ago
The monkey from Lost in Space (1998) that they re-used for this pile of turd movie absolutely ruined it.
It's a film for children.
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u/Alcosaurus 15h ago edited 14h ago
Here are my thoughts: I always wanted to see Predators in the protagonist role.Â
I got into the franchise thanks to AVP, and was disappointed that Chopper and Celtic were wiped out almost immediately. Scar was left on his own with Lex by the end, and I didn't see the team's comradery shine against the xenomorphs.Â
A while after, I became a fan of the wider universe. The first two Predator movies, AVP Extinction, Dark Horse comics, Predator: Concrete Jungle, the toys, etc. My favorite aspect remained , the clan teamwork. How well they worked together in dangerous missions.Â
So with the likes of Predators, The Predator and Prey - I sort of gave up on the series. It was bound to have the Predator continue to be a serial killer villain who dies at the end. Boring repeat.
Then this was announced. And I watched. Great setup with the two brothers practicing blade combat. Then memories of their upbringing, and finally the big sacrifice. The father was just evil in his presentation with little else of offer, but I get that the filming team wanted to get Dek on the planet for the main story quickly. The rest of the movie was great to me because I really love creature features, such as weirdo aliens popping up for a laugh or scare.Â
The thing is I wish this movie focused on the brothers more. They were so cool caring for each other as warriors and family. Pretty much my favorite aspect of the series briefly realized in a big movie.
Main likes:
Dek and Kwei's relationship
Wildlife trying to kill Dek
Moments of observation before Hunt (Like Dutch)
Bud warming up to Dek and growing into a Gro'tye class monster
Weyland Yutani getting dunked on by a Yautja
Boss Battles a la Concrete Jungle
Closeups for facial expression
Thia and Tessa split in alliances
Main cons:
Kwei's quick death
Father as cartoonishly evil
Thia's Pep Talk (Didn't quite land with Alpha Wolf example)
Bud reuniting with mother while I predicted Tessa would rip her apart from inside
Final Fight in the Dark (Bad memories with Predators' lighting and quick edits)
Color Grading (A bit too gray, especially when compared to the original lush greens of 1987 and red/oranges of 1990)
I loved the overall Badlands experience and yet understood why some reacted as they did. They missed the signature violence, grit and scare factor of the franchise. I got it. I also went in knowing we wouldn't have spine ripping and blood gushing spear impalements, so I left not being too bothered about it. My excitement for a protagonist predator story won out and I had a good time in theater and on rewatches.Â
I hope that this inspires some clan fanart and such for me to draw at some point. Would be a tribute to the stories I grew up with that sparked my imagination with this franchise. As long as there is experimentation with the series, I'll probably be intrigued to keep seeing what else is offered in the franchise. Thanks for reading <3
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u/AardvarkOkapiEchidna 2d ago
I thought it was a decent movie but a bad predator movie. It was way too cutesy and light hearted.
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u/Diligent-Ad-8001 2d ago
Definitely the first true Disney predator
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u/AardvarkOkapiEchidna 2d ago
Which is weird because I didn't think Prey felt "Disneyfied" despite being produced by Disney.
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u/ChuckMemes 2d ago
That last sentence describes it perfectly
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u/AardvarkOkapiEchidna 2d ago edited 2d ago
Yeah if they just made the tone a few notches more serious then I would've liked it much better
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u/MrWolfman29 2d ago
It felt like a generic Star Wars script in a Predator skin....
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u/AardvarkOkapiEchidna 2d ago
Maybe a Disney Star Wars script, not really a Lucas one.
IMO Guardians of the Galaxy is a better comparison.
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u/MrWolfman29 2d ago
Yeah, that is definitely a better comparison. I think it was the laser swords and bows that drew me to Star Wars for the comparison, especially since I never followed GotG. Definitely made them feel like not real Uatha who seemed to be pragmatic hunters who would go for simplicity and efficiency.
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u/AardvarkOkapiEchidna 2d ago
I see what you're saying but I was talking more about the general tone of the movie than things like the prop design.
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u/MrWolfman29 2d ago
I agree with you on that as well. It just allround, both aesthetically and finally, did not feel like a Predator movie and felt like Disney Star Wars and Marvel.
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u/demonmf 2d ago
I found it largely forgettable. It wasnât great and it wasnât horrible. Felt the same way about Prey. Neither had much of what I liked about the first two. Donât plan on an intentional rewatch of either one unlike the original and sequel. They are both in my yearly watch movies.
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u/FuzzyFrogFish 2d ago
Cons: The plot doesnât have much rewatch value over time because it is very predictable(a son rejected by family goes out to prove himself only to learn he doesnât need them, forms his own clan of misfits, to eventually return and beat up his family member). They humanized the predators too much. Their culture is about strength, culling the weak and proving who is better. Personally if Kwei was the plot twist protagonist and Dek was the one killed, I think the movie would have had a better pay off. An older brother seeks revenge for his father murdering his sibling without giving him a chance to prove himself sounds better imo. I like Elle Fanning as an actress but I found Thia way too annoying in the movie. I much more prefer her counterpart Tessa who acts like an actual Synth
I agree with all of this, especially the bolded part
But I did like dek and bud, even if I have to fast forward through thias pointless babbling, and I agree with a lot of your pros
Tbh I don't really have a strong urge to rewatch it, it.
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u/Rhedosaurus 1d ago
A predator protagonist was a really cool hook but the tone as it went on was just jarringly ill suited for the series. Ultimately one of the more disappointing movies I'd seen in recent years because I DID go in pretty excited by the initial idea.
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u/Papa_Pred 2d ago
I genuinely donât think the movie took enough risks and using a fantastic actor like Elle Fanning to be an exposition machine was such a waste
I love that Dan had revitalized the franchise but I very much think he sees Predator in a very particular way in which general audiences and most old head fans just donât vibe with
Somewhere there is a cut of this movie with a lot less jokes and an Android and intergalactic hunter that is stubbornly stoic but speaks when he feels important. A socially deprived man at heart that can only really form connection via the means of violence and glory. Seriously if you go back and watch the movie, Dek has so many subtle expressions with his eyes/face that words really arenât necessary for the situation
I am honestly glad Dan has now stepped away from Predator. I donât think his pen is all that great and itâs honestly at its best when the situation is very small in scale. Would absolutely love if Del Toro somehow got involved with the franchise and could reach into doing the avp film he wanted to do decades ago
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u/ChuckMemes 2d ago
I want the movies to have that feel again that the first 2 had
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u/Papa_Pred 2d ago
Agreed. Itâs missing the tension
Badlands had a Predator story at its core, but I fear it lacked the spirit of a Predator film if that makes sense
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u/DevilsRefugee 2d ago
Hated it.
Remove the IP and you have a really bad generic sci-fi movie.
That he made Prey and then released this, which was a really forced AvP tie in to get another movie out of it made it worse for me.
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u/elemental19743 2d ago
Watered down Disney B.S. I'm surprised how many longtime Predator fans were accepting of this PG-13, coming of age, furry lil pal, sidekick movie.
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u/MizneyWorld 2d ago
Badlands was a good movie but terrible for the franchise as a whole.
Predator can only succeed as a horror/scifi/monster movie with a decent budget. Turning Predator into an action/adventure/coming of age tale has effectively buried the franchise more than I thought 2018 did.
Predator does not have the audience for that kind of budget. The franchise hasnât even been that popular since the first one.
I get the allure of grand, epic Predator but this was not the direction to take it in. Some suit needs to convince Disney that a modest budget monster movie can be successful.
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u/LongParamedic8980 2d ago
Itâs the weakest of the Trachtenberg trilogy but I still really love it and I think it was something the franchise needed. I will still hold out hope that we get a sequel someday
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u/FolkPunkResistance 2d ago
I still love it, but having not heard anything about a follow-up, I'm worried it'll just be another bullshit Hollywood cliffhanger that goes nowhere.
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u/JasonROK1981 1m ago
Badlands was great fun. I went in with low expectations and was pleasantly surprised.
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