“Move over, humans,” because the Predator is about to take its long-overdue moment in the spotlight. “Predator: Badlands,” the newest and most ambitious entry yet in the iconic science fiction film saga, propels fans onto ground that has never been explored before: the mind and heart of the Predator itself! Featuring Oscar nominee Elle Fanning and New Zealand native actor Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, “Predator: Badlands” is an intense, emotionally grounded, and punishingly cinematic journey on the deadly planet Kalisk, “where survival is not an entitlement, but an art.”
Director Dan Trachtenberg, with the help of John Davis, Marc Toberoff, Ben Rosenblatt, and Brent O’Connor, turns the conventional tale on its head. What if, instead of hunting humans, the Predator is the misunderstood creature, the outcast, who must face monsters, mercenaries, but also his own tainted bloodline, with the name Dek, in the movie “Predator: Badlands”?
Enter Dek: The Predator We Did Not Know We Needed
In an interview with Where Is The Buzz’s Kori Nicole Barnes, Schuster-Koloamatangi shared his struggles with portraying the character of Dek, who must wear layers of prosthetics, armor, and heat-resistant materials that are extremely difficult to work with.
“It was my first time doing any suiting,” he said with a laugh. “I mean, I’ve played human characters before, but the entire process was just completely foreign to me. The language, the fight moves, the arsenal work, everything is coming at me super fast, but that is just who Dek is, you know? The underdog is trying to make his way in a world that doesn’t accept him.”
The stoicism, ferocity, and vulnerability attributes that are hard to assign to the Predator itself shine well on the screen with Dek’s character, with reviewers already deeming the film star to be “Mad Max meets Conan with a conscience.”
Shooting in Schuster-Koloamatangi
The breathtaking locations of New Zealand provide the otherworldly setting for “Predator: Badlands,” with the rugged landscape of the home country transposed into the perilous world of the planet Kalisk. The production was something of a homecoming for Schuster-Koloamatangi.
“We shot the film in my hometown,” he said with pride. “It was tough. The climate, the movement, everything about it was pushing me hard,” he said, but the opportunity to show the world his home was well worth the effort, he said.
There are dense forests, there are volcanic plains, but the landscape is more than picturesque; it is also hostile. Every shot is saturated with tension, underscoring the film’s emotional heart within an environment that is, much like the turmoil raging inside Dek, just as merciless.
Breaking Forty Years of Tradition
The Predator film series, launched in 1987, has always involved human military personnel or survivors engaged in combat with the deadly alien hunter known as the Predator. However, the movie “Badlands” turns the entire series on its head, with the Predator now the main character, exploring the meaning of his honor code, his isolation, and his need for redemption.
“Dan Trachtenberg is really good about incorporating the things that big fans love about the property in their own way,” Schuster-Koloamatangi said. “The property is 40 years old, but he was able to bring some freshness to the table, even with something that old. You don’t have to be a fan to love the film. This is the one to watch if you’ve never seen the Predator films before.”
A Challenge to the Fans
When asked which type of feedback he is most looking forward to, the answer was absolutely clear from Schuster-Koloamatangi. “The OG fans. They’re the reason why the franchise is so big. We chose to honor them, give them their flowers while we’re taking the risk. We understand that the film is different, but that is the point,” he said.
Based on the initial response, the risk might pay off. With the unexpected warmth brought by Elle Fanning in the role of Thia, the unlikely human ally of Dek, coupled with the electric transformation brought by Schuster-Koloamatangi, Predator: Badlands is poised to spark the much-needed revival for the Predator franchise.
