Predator: Wildlands | Review of the New Franchise Film

In times where science fiction films increasingly seem to prioritize visual spectacle over narrative, it is remarkable how Then Trachtenberg manages to perfectly balance both things in Predator: Wildlands. After the unexpected success with Predator: The Huntwhich reduces the scale of events to focus on a more simplistic – but no less bloodthirsty – plot, the director doubles down on this sequence that sees an injection of oxygen by subverting the main element of the franchise: here, the Predator stops being a villain and becomes the main focus of the story.

Em WildlandsTen (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), a young warrior of the Yautja race, is forced to set out on a journey towards Genna, an alien planet inhabited by Kalisk, an “unkillable” beast, to prove that he is worthy of being in his clan. To make matters worse, the place is also inhabited by other equally terrible creatures, which makes the budding Predator accept a partnership with Thia (Elle Fanning), an android from Weyland-Yutani (yes, the same one from the franchise Alien) that he finds in half after it is destroyed in a fight with Kaslik.

From the 1987 original, with Arnold Schwarzeneggeruntil the The Huntin 2022, the franchise Predator It’s always been a kind of slasher on steroids. The sci fi setting allowed the directors to explore slightly more elaborate action scenes in different settings, from the Central American jungle to the marginalized streets of Los Angeles, but the result was always the same: after unrestrained killing, the Predator always ended up defeated. In this way, Trachtenberg devised a film where the former villain takes the lead and, alongside an unlikely companion, plays Wildlands one of buddy cops funniest in recent years.

The fact that Dek is the protagonist allows Trachtenberg, who wrote the script with Patrick Aison, to work on elements little or nothing previously explored by the franchise. If we know that the Yautja are a race of warriors whose goal is to be the greatest predator of all, in Wildlands We know a little more about how one of these clans works. Unlike the creatures in other films, Dek actually has a personality and is not just a killing machine, which makes the experience of following his growth even more enjoyable.

This experience becomes complete with the addition of Thia, played with care by Elle Fanning. The actress, in fact, is one of the highlights of the film as she also plays Tessa, another Weyland-Yutani android prominent in the plot. Both have distinct personalities, which means that Fanning goes out of her way to represent them with the same conviction – getting them both right. If the buddy cop proposal Wildlands it works very well, the undeniable chemistry between Fanning and Schuster-Koloamatangi is directly responsible.

The work done by the production team also helps to elevate the experience of following this new chapter in the saga. From the protagonist’s look, which featured the signature of Alec Gillisthe artist behind the monster in the original feature, to the construction of a futuristic jungle by Weta Digitallegendary visual effects company, Predator: Savage Lands is a visual spectacle à la Star Wars, capable of increasing – and why not creating – public interest in a franchise that, a few years ago, seemed destined for retirement.

Se The Hunt rescued Predator from creative limbo, Wildlands comes to be the consecration of a new chapter that has everything to be brilliant in the hands of Dan Trachtenberg. Without falling into the trap of being too megalomaniacal, the filmmaker understood that the new film would need to sound like a credible next step within this universe, and the result is a sequence that opens a very interesting path for the Yautja in theaters, whether with Dek or not.