Sci-Fi Dan Trachtenberg to direct Predator film ‘Badlands’

[TheVileOne]

The CGI animals in Prey did not look good.

 

[BlackFox]

True but they were brief part of that film and it had a much lower budget than previous Predator films. I can forgive a little iffy CGI if it delivers in story and passion on the subject matter.

Besides the CGI was spent better where it mattered on the Predator himself where it was used.

 

[Da-Scribe]

CGI is what it is. These VFX houses are overworked. It’s not something I’m tripping about. As long as the story is good I don’t really care about the CGI.

 

[donuts]

Gotta be honest, Prey left me cold for the most part. Good directing and acting, but it felt like a lesser rehash in a new coat. Anf it was kinda boring. Predators was a more fun lesser rehash in a new coat

 

[donuts]

P.S.: I know it's an unpopular opinion. Trachtenberg did a good job, Amber Midthunder was great, but the movie didn't do much on an instinctive level for me. It mostly made me crave a rewatch of 1 & 2, or a reread of some of the comics.

Okay enough to watch once, but that was about it.

 

[Elayis]

I feel much the same. I liked Prey well enough on first viewing, but watching it again I realized there's just not much to it. It's a very basic story, but without the novelty of seeing this universe for the first time, or the playful charm of the original.

It's fine for what it is, but it doesn't break any new ground for the series. For me, it's my third favorite after 1 and Predators, and light-years beyond 2 and 4.

I kind of hated Killer of Killers, though, and I'm done with regurgitating the exact same story just reskinned to a different setting. It's settled into the same territory that other franchises have had problems with, where fans of the property get creative control and the storytelling becomes ouroboros-like and myopic. A franchise like Predator needs outsiders to bring in fresh and inventive ideas to stay relevant, like what Nicholas Meyer did for Star Trek or Tony Gilroy for Star Wars. I'm also wary of a single person having seemingly total creative control like Trachtenberg now has. It'd be better if there were multiple voices putting their own spin on things, instead of three films in a row by the same director.

But like I said, Predator is not a series I'm very invested in, so I'm not too concerned about what happens.

 

[Sithborg]

Predator is a glorified slasher. I'm not entirely sure what else you want form the series?

 

[Elayis]

I don't know, more? The Predator franchise has always been compared to Alien, so that's the quality level I would like to see here. Maybe that's why the series has never clicked with me, because I'm not big on slashers.

 

[Pennywise]

Predator: Badlands’ Yautja Hero Dek Is Like Conan Or Mad Max: ‘He Cuts Straight To The Point’

Dan Trachtenberg teases the alien hero of his upcoming follow-up to Prey and Predator: Killer Of Killers. Read more at Empire.

www.empireonline.com

 

[Punisher_MAX]

I don't know, more? The Predator franchise has always been compared to Alien, so that's the quality level I would like to see here. Maybe that's why the series has never clicked with me, because I'm not big on slashers.

...more like what?

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

It's funny, Prey had the opposite effect for me. I wasn't fussed first time I saw it, but the 2nd and 3rd time's the movie just got better and better for me.

 

[Elayis]

...more like what?

More depth.

 

[donuts]

Predator is a glorified slasher. I'm not entirely sure what else you want form the series?

May be seen as such. But it has excellent world building and tension, and is so much more beyond its surface.

 

[Punisher_MAX]

More depth.

...out of a series who's premise is an advanced alien species hunts the most dangerous game?

I love Predator but as someone has mentioned, it's a glorified slasher that originally subverted the 80s male action hero trope.

What sort of existential questions would you like to add to it that would add anything to a series that thrives off it's cool factor?

 

[Elayis]

...out of a series who's premise is an advanced alien species hunts the most dangerous game?

I love Predator but as someone has mentioned, it's a glorified slasher that originally subverted the 80s male action hero trope.

What sort of existential questions would you like to add to it that would add anything to a series that thrives off it's cool factor?

Like I said in my previous post, the other franchise that Predator is commonly associated with is Alien, so I wouldn't mind an attempt at something like Prometheus. Obviously that movie didn't stick the landing perfectly, but I respected the attempt at fleshing out the universe and moving beyond the basic slasher formula. I'd even take Covenant and Alien 3 over all of the Predator films other than the first.

I don't think it's a good idea for the next film to follow a mostly silent protagonist, or to have more installments that are little more than remakes of the first movie, only with a new setting and time period. The filmmakers need to put some effort into creating characters that an audience can invest in and root for (like Ripley or David), and come up with some kind of reason to explain why Predators keep coming back to hunt humans beyond something trite like "because they're hunters." Naru was a good start, but now they need to properly develop her character (which Killer of Killers does hint at).

 

[Punisher_MAX]

Like I said in my previous post, the other franchise that Predator is commonly associated with is Alien, so I wouldn't mind an attempt at something like Prometheus. Obviously that movie didn't stick the landing perfectly, but I respected the attempt at fleshing out the universe and moving beyond the basic slasher formula. I'd even take Covenant and Alien 3 over all of the Predator films other than the first.

I don't think it's a good idea for the next film to follow a mostly silent protagonist, or to have more installments that are little more than remakes of the first movie, only with a new setting and time period. The filmmakers need to put some effort into creating characters that an audience can invest in and root for (like Ripley or David), and come up with some kind of reason to explain why Predators keep coming back to hunt humans beyond something trite like "because they're hunters." Naru was a good start, but now they need to properly develop her character (which Killer of Killers does hint at).

Prometheus sucked.

 

[Elayis]

Prometheus sucked.

It had its problems, but at least the film had a vision. It wasn't a cynical memberberries cash grab like Romulus. And it's not like Predator 2 or 2018 are any better.

 

[Punisher_MAX]

It had its problems, but at least the film had a vision. It wasn't a cynical memberberries cash grab like Romulus. And it's not like Predator 2 or 2018 are any better.

I'd take Predator 2 and Romulus over Prometheus any day.

You just want stupid ideas that seem "deep" for the sake of it, regardless if it's good or bad because...why? What does being anything more than a fun action thriller accomplish for the franchise?

As long as the characters are relatable/likeable, fans want to see some cool **** on screen. That's what the franchise is, why fix what ain't broken?

 

[Pennywise]

Dan Trachtenberg talks Predator: Badlands' Alien connection after Easter Egg sets internet wild

The Weyland-Yutani logo made a surprise appearance in the Predator: Badlands trailer. The director tells Empire what it might mean.

www.empireonline.com

In fact, Fanning plays two characters in Badlands – one yet to be revealed, and the other being Thia. Who, as the trailer reveals, is indeed a Weyland-Yutani android. According to Trachtenberg, it all came from one specific idea. “I always wanted no humans in this movie,” he explains, “so I thought it might be fun to have the Predator with a robot.” The opportunity to make a connection to Alienwas too good to pass up. “Then I thought, ‘I know a company that makes robots...’” Together, Dek and Thia will make for a “fun, mismatched pairing”, the director tells Empire. “One talkative, one laconic. As exciting and violent as this movie is, the character stuff really pops, too.”

 

[Elayis]

I'd take Predator 2 and Romulus over Prometheus any day.

You just want stupid ideas that seem "deep" for the sake of it, regardless if it's good or bad because...why? What does being anything more than a fun action thriller accomplish for the franchise?

As long as the characters are relatable/likeable, fans want to see some cool **** on screen. That's what the franchise is, why fix what ain't broken?

We just have different tastes, which is fine. There's no need to be an ass about it. Like I said, I'm not the biggest Predator fan, as I prefer movies that have more depth to them, and characters that feel like real people instead of cardboard cutouts.

Time will tell if fans are actually onboard with Trachtenberg's vision or not. It's hard to get a sense of something like that when the last two movies were streaming releases without any box office. I think the fact that they didn't get a theatrical release is telling in and of itself, and indicative of the studio's lack of confidence in the franchise. That said, Prey was obviously a big enough success for things to change, given that Badlands is coming to theaters.

I hope the movie's good. I'm not rooting for its failure or anything like that. But if it's not an improvement over Prey and Killer of Killers then I'll probably wait to watch it until it hits streaming.

 

[BlackFox]

Dan Trachtenberg talks Predator: Badlands' Alien connection after Easter Egg sets internet wild

The Weyland-Yutani logo made a surprise appearance in the Predator: Badlands trailer. The director tells Empire what it might mean.

www.empireonline.com

I like the fact Trachtenberg is going off in a different direction and trying new ideas it sounds like instead of just redoing Prey, Killer of Killers was again very different and its own unique thing and I enjoyed we got the Predator into different time periods, all be it briefly in some cases, even if I did have a few more issues with that attempt. The Predator as the antagonist and no humans is something different at least for a movie in this franchise, just hope it works out.

 

[Pennywise]

 

[Punisher_MAX]

I never thought I'd see a Dark Horse type of story for Predator on the big screen and but here we are. The kid in me is exploding with excitement.

 

[Pennywise]

 

[BlackFox]

Man I'm getting some strong "Turok" vibes with this trailer. Loving the weapons and gadgets of the new Predator, Predator bow especially looks awesome.

Seems like the Elle Fanning character will be doing the heaving lifting, exposition and comedy wise, interesting character at least and something a bit different.

Still always cautious when it comes to Predator films as we have been burnt in the past too many times but Trachtenberg is on a hot streak with the series and I dont want it to end here, I need this to succeed to get our girl Naru back.

Probably my most anticipated film of the year, nervous to see how it does though.