Three months after its theatrical release in India, "Predator: Badlands" is finally gearing up for its streaming premiere. JioHotstar has officially announced that the sci-fi action epic will premiere on the platform from February 12.
Directed by Dan Trachtenberg, who also made the last two entries, the live-action feature "Prey" and the animated anthology "Predator: Killer of Killers", both streaming on JioHotstar in India, "Badlands" sees a Yautja character positioned as a protagonist for the first time in franchise history.
The ‘hero’ of "Badlands" is Dek, an extraterrestrial member of the Yautja race, who has to prove himself worthy of being accepted into the clan. The alien race depicted in the film is a family that lives by harsh, uncompromising principles. Weakness means death. Say hello to the most toxic family ever!
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Dek is played by New Zealand-born actor Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, who is of Samoan & Tongan heritage. Elle Fanning plays a synthetic in the employ of the Weyland-Yutani corporation, the nefarious tech company introduced in the "Alien" franchise.
In its glowing review, THE WEEK wrote: "The most brilliant quality of 'Badlands' is Trachtenberg telling a very human story with two unlikely comrades: an extraterrestrial being who sees 'sensitivity' as a weakness and an android with 'feelings'. When the former eventually realises it's time to do away with archaic ideas, it leads to some of the film's most stunning action setpieces, which include a remarkably ingenious callback to the finale of 'Aliens', the James Cameron-directed sequel for which 'Badlands' is a perfect mirror image, thematically speaking. The deeper you go into Badlands, the parent-child bond — fractured or otherwise — is revealed as a recurring motif, thereby making 'Badlands' undoubtedly the most moving entry in the 'Predator' franchise yet. Even the Schwarzenegger original cannot boast of the various astonishing feats managed by 'Badlands' in the emotional department."
"Badlands" has a script by Patrick Aison based on a story by Patrick Aison and Dan Trachtenberg. Edited by Stefan Grube and David Trachtenberg, its original soundtrack was composed by Sarah Schachner and Benjamin Wallfisch.