For months,Predatorfans have been eagerly wondering how directorDan Trachtenbergwould be able to follow up the expectation-subverting simplicity ofPrey. Now, the first trailer forPredator: Badlandshas finally revealed the answer – and it delivered a look at a movie no one was anticipating. Taking the franchise in an unexpected new direction where noPredatormovie has gone before,Badlandsoffered up plenty of action, a teasing hint at anAlienfranchise crossover being imminent, and a new and very differentPredatordesign that fans have obviously had their say on.
Trachtenberg’s teaser reveals a younger, exiled Yautjawhose facial structure has been altered: the mandibles extend farther, the brow is smoother, and the bio-mask sits flush to a narrower skull, making the formidable creature almost human, to the point that until the face reveal some were tricked into believing the character the action was following was not a Predator at all. Some have appreciated the new take, while others are distraught at the idea of something changing after almost 40 years – because change never happens, obviously.
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Comments ranged from, “Still to this day, Hollywood can’t get the face right since the original,” to someone actually crushing on the new “youthful” creature, saying, “He looks so much younger and cuter than the other predators we have seen before.” That maybe but you don’t want to go in for ay French kissing with “young & cute” clawface, do you? However, as was pointed out in another comment, fans are rarely happy about anything these days.
Does It Matter the Predator Has Another New Look?
The originalPredatorwas made when studios cared enough to actually spend a lot of time designing their creature characters from the ground up. People – yes, actual human people – would sit for days, weeks, or months sketching, refining and reworking designs until the end result was both unique, pleasing, and could be built in real-life and without the use of CGI.
While some of that still happens, when adding new installments to existing franchises, there is always a question of whether to leave well-enough alone, or to tinker. No matter what the franchise – Freddy Krueger never looked the same in two appearances, and even Jason Voorhees’ mask inexplicably had a different design every time – there are some changes that are necessary for the story and others just done on a whim. Remember the BatNipples?
While some people hated the design ofPrey’s Predator, the film required something more primitive to the creature Arnie came up against in 1987. Similarly, Badlands requires a more adolescent version, and therefore there have been some changes to the usually hulking killing machine. Dan Trachtenberg set out to redefine thePredatorfranchise, rather than just repeating the past, and it seems that is exactly what he is delivering – again – withBadlands.
After criminally missing out on a cinematic release withPrey,Badlandsis Trachtenberg’s chance to prove that just like the return of theAlienfranchise withRomulus, there is still a big audience out there who want to see the Predator back on the big screen. How that works out will all be revealed in November.
Predator: Badlands
