## 2025-11-16 I intentionally went into **Predator: Badlands** knowing as little as possible. I don’t think I even saw a single trailer to completion. So when I finally got into it, as my first IMAX viewing in an eternity, I had no expectations. Little did I know that I”d be watching a found family **Star Wars** movie. I say those words and you may recoil in disgust. Come! Come back. Finish reading, I didn’t give this a 6/7 for nothing. Anything can sound bad when you lay it out to its bare essentials. I could also say that “[[My Favorite Games - Top 10 - Part 1#^3216cc|Shadow of the Colossus]] is about killing a bunch of giant monsters for your girlfriend,” and it wouldn’t exactly sound like one of the greatest games of all time (which it obviously is). All that matters in the creation of art is execution. What do you *do* with your premise that convinces me to take it seriously? In **Badlands**' case, Director Dan Trachtenberg correctly sussed out that the answer is just very good writing and pacing. The unconventional story of a Yautja making his own clan instead of trying to fit into the one he clearly wasn’t made for is, again, not what I expected. But it’s what I ended up loving. This movie is nothing like [[Prey (2022)|Prey]], but I wouldn’t hesitate to call it just as good. It’s more action-adventure than horror or sci-fi, but I appreciate the genre-shift away from the previous mainline **Predator** movie. I was locked in from beginning to end. And because it’s a merciful 107 minutes, not a single minute is wasted. > [!Check] No seriously > The best part about Dan Trachtenberg’s movies isn’t the plot or art design or script or shot composition. All of those things are good, but they’re not the best part. > > The best part is that they’re all an hour and a half long. Every movie should be an hour and a half long. “But what about **Blade Ru**—” nope. “Okay but **Furios**—” *I don’t care.* 1h30m. Follow this man's example Hollywood, I’m begging you. > Fantastic watch, can’t wait to see it again. It comes together beautifully by the end. Oh and zero background knowledge from other **Predator** stuff required. Just hop in and enjoy.