Predator: Badlands, the dawn of a new hunter in 4K

Instead of pitting man against monster, Predator: Badlands chooses a story from the alien hunter's point of view. It's a clear shift in perspective that alters tension, rhythm, and even the moral balance of the past.

The protagonist is Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), a young Yautja deemed unfit and too weak by his father and his own lineage, a civilization that measures individual worth solely through strength and killing ability. To prove he's not a genetic discard, he chooses the impossible: to hunt and annihilate the monstrous Kalisk, a creature that dominates Genna, a planet where every organism seems designed to eliminate anyone who ventures there. It's not the usual exotic arena jungle, but a totally hostile and unpredictable ecosystem.

An entire planet of predators

The film's most radical choice is the absence of terrestrial heroes and classic muscular clashes. The viewer follows Dek in his trial of survival, sharing failures, humiliations, and moral redemption. The Predator goes from threat to vulnerable figure, which we had already glimpsed in Predators (2010). And it is precisely this fragility that shifts the saga's center of gravity.

Alongside Dek is Thia (Elle Fanning), a sentient android from Weyland-Yutani who introduces an unexpected dynamic. Their relationship blends irony and cultural confrontation: she tries to teach him concepts like empathy and responsibility, he struggles to understand a language other than hunting and total destruction. From their encounter arises a sort of anomalous buddy movie, in which a slow inner transformation develops amidst brutal clashes and desperate escapes.

From a visual standpoint, Badlands focuses on an aggressive and physical aesthetic, full of imagination in creating a deadly world, which hides dangers even in the smallest of flora and fauna creatures. The action is gritty and bloody, the violence choreographed with energy, maintaining high rhythm and attention. Genna unfolds with almost documentary-like attention, although some sequences are too dark and partly sacrifice readability.

As in the recent past, Trachtenberg revolutionizes the franchise and its icon: humanizing the Predator means violating a fetish built on absolute silence, dedication, and brutality. Those looking for a direct man-monster confrontation might be disoriented. Here, physical superiority is not celebrated, but the entire Yautja culture is questioned. The film suggests that strength is not just dominance, but also the ability to understand. It's an evolution that some will read as betrayal, others as renewal.

For this reason, Predator: Badlands does not merely add a chapter to the saga, but continues to redefine it after the excellent Prey. It's a courageous operation, perhaps imperfect but ambitious, that opens new narrative possibilities far from Earth and the dynamics already seen. It's not the Predator many expected, and precisely for this reason, for better or worse, it leaves its mark and captures attention until a violent and open ending.

Predator: Badlands 4K - How it looks

Native digital 4.5K shot (Arri Alexa Mini) with a 4K master, this is one of those typical situations where superior resolution and detail further highlight the heavy CGI component, necessary to bring the planet Genna to life. Original image format 2.39:1 (3840 x 2160/23.97p), HEVC encoding on a dual-layer BD-66.

The minimal background grain is necessary to blend the few real scenic elements with the rest of the computer graphics invention, where even under non-reference digital chain conditions (i.e., unable to emphasize every element correctly) one can feel the post-production invention. Dolby Vision, dynamic range of lights, color saturation, and the need for a native 10-bit panel to experience even the numerous low-light sequences, blacks with good depth. While accepting the limitations induced by resolution, it's worth trying the 2K counterpart on BD-50; it might make the heavy CGI component more “digestible.”

Predator: Badlands 4K - How it sounds

Both discs offer Italian Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 (1024 kbps on 4K) with good overall rendition. Dialogues are favored, as are effects from the rear channels. The dynamics hold their own when listening on a true HT system, although one might wish for more in terms of stage presence after just a few minutes, during the brutal confrontation between the Yautja brothers and their murderous father. To test the quality of the encoding, one can move to the second part, when the colossal Kalisk enters the scene, as well as during the confrontation of the Weyland-Yutani team with Dek, Thia, and their new friend.

Predator: Badlands 4K (Amaray)

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The original English Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (24 bit) with ATMOS objects is decidedly better, opening up a more aggressive and rich soundscape, though without reaching reference podium status. This track is replaced by a respectable DTS-HD MA 7.1 (24 bit) in the 2K version, while the Italian is similar but not identical, Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 (754 kbps) even less impactful than in 4K.

Predator: Badlands 4K - The extras

On the 2K disc: Becoming the Predator (6') – Dimitrius's transformation to play Dek, including physical preparation and movement study; Authentic Synthetics (7') – Focus on Elle Fanning and her character; Building the Badlands (7') – The work of set design and effects to create the planet Genna; Dek of the Yautja (6') – Focus on the species' mythology and narrative background; Deleted scenes and pre-visualization with optional director and filmmakers' commentary (28'). Also on the 4K disc is the commentary by Dan Trachtenberg, producer Ben Rosenblatt, Cinematographer Jeff Cutter, and Stunt Coordinator Jacob Tomuri. Italian subtitles.