Summary
The upcomingPredator: Badlandswill feature an “unprecedented” team-up between the titular alien and a human character, but the franchise has actually done it before. Director Dan Trachtenberg, who helmed the series' last installment,Prey, continues to lead the charge for new and exciting stories surrounding the Yautja, the alien species known as Predators. Elle Fanning stars in the secretive forthcoming film, and while recently attending CinemaCon to promotePredator: Badlands, she stated (viaTHR), “Something unprecedented happens in this movie,” before continuing to explain that she won’t be getting hunted by the Predator. Instead, her character “teams up with the Predator,” which is a distinct shift from the usual formula, but it has happened before in 2004’sAlien vs. Predator.
ThePredatorfilms typically feature the Yautja as the antagonists, beginning with the 1987 original that saw Arnold Schwarzenegger as the protagonist. The franchise continued utilizing the Yautja this way through each subsequent entry, including Trachtenberg’sPrey. Throughout the series, the alien hunters are fleshed out a bit with small details, like only hurting armed people, which allows viewers to see their code of honor and culture shine through, but they are never shown as heroic. However, when the franchise crossed overwith theAlienfilms, it spawned two movies,Alien vs. PredatorandAlien vs. Predator: Requiem, the former of which sees a human character teaming up with one of the Yautja.
What is Alien vs. Predator About?
TheAlienandPredatorfranchises first crossed over in comic book form in 1989.Predator 2 wasreleased the following year, and during the finale, a Xenomorph skull is displayed in a trophy case on the Predator’s ship, fueling fans keen on seeing the crossover in a movie. While there were further crossovers in comics and even video games as early as 1993’sAlien vs Predatorfor the Super Nintendo, it wouldn’t be until 2004 that the film crossover materialized with director Paul W.S. Anderson, who is known forMortal Kombatand theResident Evilfilms. Alien vs Predator stars Sanaa Lathan, Ewen Bremnar, Colin Salmon, Tommy Flanagan, and Lance Henrikson as Charles Bishop Weyland.
The plot follows a team of researchers sent to Antarctica to study a recently discovered pyramid buried deep under the ice. They slowly learn that the Yautja built the pyramid tohouse and breed Xenomorphsfor a ritualistic hunt. However, the researchers realize too late that a new hunt is beginning, and they are trapped in the middle. The film touted three distinct taglines boasting the film’s stakes, like “Whoever wins… We lose.” One of the taglines also states, “The enemy of my enemy… is my friend.” It is that tagline that directly references the movie’s third-act reveal when the last surviving human character, Lathan’s Alexa “Lex” Woods, must team up with a Predator to survive.
The Human and Predator Team-Up Explained
As the third act ofAlien vs. Predatorkicks off, theXenomorphs are running rampant, with a clear edge on the dwindling Yautja and human characters, when Lathan’s Lex comes face to face with a Predator. She knows her only hope is to give the hunter his weapon, which she picked up earlier. She slowly pulls the gun from her bag, sliding it over to the Predator as she says, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” However, before he can pick it up, he’s attacked by a Xenomorph, causing him to drop his spear, which Lex promptly grabs and uses to kill the alien attacker, aiding the Predator. Still, he’s content to aim his newly acquired gun at Lex, only turning away to fight off more Xenomorphs. At this point, the Alien Queen, who has been restrained and forced to lay eggs for the ritual hunt, breaks free and begins to rampage through the pyramid.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Despite hesitation, the Predator acknowledges that Lex is capable of killing a Xenomorph, so he proceeds to give her a crash course in their strengths and weaknesses via a visual display using the alien corpse. She shows a quick understanding, prompting him to craft her a spear from the alien’s tail and a shield from its head, giving her weapons for the fight. As danger closes in, the two charge into battle together, slaying numerous Xenomorphs on their way to the surface, where the Predator gives Lex a mark on her face using alien blood. This is a practice among Yautja in which a warrior is “Blooded,” marking themselves with the blood of their kill and proving to their people that they can hunt alone. The final fight with the Queen then plays out, and while Lex and the Predator ultimately defeat her, thePredator is killed in battle. Yautja reinforcements then appear, taking the body of their fallen warrior and allowing Lex to remain alive due to the “Blooded” symbol on her face.
What is actually ‘Unprecedented’ about the Predator: Badlands human team-up?
While a human and Predator teaming up has been done before,Predator: Badlandsis still set to be a unique film. While Fanning’s character, Thia, will fight alongside a Yautja hunter, this is the first time they will also be a protagonist. Other franchises have successfully turned villains into heroes, but with Fanning and the Predator working side by side, questions still need to be answered. Will Thia and the Predator communicate via visual gestures again, or will the movie attempt to let the Predator communicate verbally, which was briefly shown in 2018’sThe Predator? It also begs the question, what is bigger and scarier than a Predator that they would need help from a human?
Given that Fanning’s human character and the Predator teaming up sounds like a significant plot point for the film, it’s likely to be one of the driving forces behind the film’s action and even emotional stakes. WhileAlien vs. Predatoronly saw the team-up playing out over the course of the film’s third act,Predator: Badlandswill likely set those stakesearlier in the movie. This is further backed by the fact that it is one of the few details about the secretive project they have chosen to divulge early. A trailer was shown at CinemaCon, and one is likely to find its way to all audiences as summer blockbusters begin hitting theaters, elucidating more details aboutPredator: Badlands, which is currently slated to hit cinemas on November 7.
