The Reel Rejects - Hot Damn... JUST WATCHED PREDATOR: BADLANDS!! Out Of Theater Reaction & Review!

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Starting point is 00:00:39 There you go. We just saw Predator Badlands for the first time. We're out here at IMAX HQ in Plya Vista, California. One of our very favorite places to catch a movie. And what a movie this was. We've been anticipating it for a long time. No spoilers, obviously. But if you're here, leave a like on the video.

Starting point is 00:00:57 That would be a huge help. Also subscribe. Hit that notification about. Because you know, at least a couple people here on this channel are probably going to be reacting to this movie once it hits VOD, and you're going to want to check that out because there is a lot to respond to in this flick. Andrew. John. You are one of the biggest predator fans.

Starting point is 00:01:13 I know. You know the lore. You've seen most all of the films. How are you feeling coming out of this? Well, John, first I will say, if this is in IMAX theaters, you can see it. I love this movie so much. Dan Trackenberg. Definitely see it in IMAX if you guys.

Starting point is 00:01:27 That's the first thing to say. Like, this is a visual feast. It's a sci-fi fantasy adventure that you're going to want to see on the biggest screen possible. And we were lucky enough to have a gorgeous presentation. So cannot recommend the IMAX enough. In fact, before we hop into opinions, just a quick overview of the movie. We are back in the predator world, but we're far in the future. We are following a young, I guess you would say, yautja on a coming-of-age journey

Starting point is 00:01:52 and really on a journey to prove himself as, you know, more than just the weakest run, deserving of being cast out or whatever it is that the yautcha do. So you're on kind of an underdog story along the way he meets an unlikely companion in L. Fanning's Thea, some other surprises lay in store. And it's essentially, yeah, just another sort of walkabout for, you know, a predator who this time is our protagonist, sort of bending the formula once again. Andrew, how are you feeling? I'm feeling incredible. I love what Dan Tractenberg has done with his three films. He is just, he loves the Predator Universe and he respects it so much. While he does his own thing, I think that's always what makes a great film. He doesn't bend to

Starting point is 00:02:38 the rules or rather he's not beholden to them and he's doing his own thing, but he still respects the lore. And I appreciate that. I think also, too, this film's very original and that we are actually following a yautja, that's something that we've never seen before. So to get some Exploration from the POV of a following, you know, a yautja the entire time is so freaking cool. It's, as I just pointed out, very original. I love seeing something different in the franchise because usually we're following a group of human beings and who are being hunted and now have to become the hunter, which I always find compelling, but this is something very different and unique.

Starting point is 00:03:14 It turns the franchise a bit on its year because we were lucky enough to catch a Q&A with director and co-writer Dan Tractenberg after the movie. And one thing he said was he wanted, has wanted with these films to bring stuff to life that hasn't been done yet, especially the Predator World, but just, you know, for what he wants to see. And I feel like his films are a great example of that. And this is yet another one because, yeah, like following a Predator, a Yautja as your protagonist is a tall order. And there's a lot that could go wrong with doing too much demystification, giving him too much personality. And I think the movie manages to walk a really tight razor's edge in having a compelling central figure in, deck, this yautja that you're following, who is every bit as fierce as you would hope,

Starting point is 00:03:56 has his own, you know, specific journey to be on. And an incredible emotional arc as well, in my opinion. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And this is definitely a swing, and I think it lands really nicely. For sure. And it's a very physical performance. Obviously, they do give you a deeper insight into the culture of the yautja. And, you know, they certainly communicate with each other more than we've ever been privy to before.

Starting point is 00:04:20 but it does lead to a compelling, you know, set of characters and a compelling story. Absolutely. It's a very ambitious film, too. It is really grand. It's epic. The scope of the film, the cinematography. There were so many times I was like,

Starting point is 00:04:34 I was thinking about Lord of the Rings, and then Dan came out on stage. Yeah, then Dan came out on stage afterwards, and it was like, we shot this in New Zealand. I was like, this makes sense now what I was thinking? This was Lord of the Rings, and it just had that epic feel to. And I don't say that lightly is Lord of the Rings,

Starting point is 00:04:49 the extended edition. is my favorite trilogy of all time and it really had that epic feel and scope to it yeah it really does it has this tangibility while also feeling like a distant sci-fi land and you know the use of locations along with the various effects and stuff that make the world up are really nicely integrated with each other i also as pointed out earlier no spoilers i love el fanning's character in this film as well she really really brings out a lot of human emotion a lot of human complexity to the character that she brings and also a lot of comic relief as well but not too much to the point you're like this is a very jokey hokey type of film it's like really as you pointed out earlier draws that that razor sharp edge of

Starting point is 00:05:29 a nice nuance and balance of when it's funny it's hilarious and when it needs to have that action character-driven sci-fi it's got that nice blend of both that it just mixes into a beautiful cake or a beautiful entree whatever you want to call it whatever analogy yeah i just think dan Traggenberg really understands nuance and balance and he just really brings it together very nicely I think he also used the example as well as Jaws when he was talking about after in terms of when with Jaws as I always like to point out that film when talking about horror films when that film gets really funny and the the characters to get into comedic beats it's hilarious and when it's it's scary it's terrifying so I think he was able to do that with this film as well and I love the world building I love

Starting point is 00:06:14 falling deck throughout the film the actor who plays uh i think his name was demetrius he said that he had this audition that he's like he knew right away when he was watching him he was just putting the other stunned actors to shame it was just incorrect he knew right away that this was the guy and the way they were able to do the prosthetics and the the the the CGI like you couldn't even tell it was just so well done it was really able to emote properly and he also used an example of the cgi characters that you know and love in other films like planet of the apes and gallum and lord of the rings. I was like, yes. It was like relating so much to what Dan was talking about.

Starting point is 00:06:46 Yeah, and being able to create characters that even though they are made up of a lot of different effects working together at the same time, they still have a degree of emotionality, the appropriate emotionality. And to that end, I think that this movie is pretty special because it does have so many

Starting point is 00:07:02 qualities. You know, this was a way quirkier experience than I was expecting. Like, yes, it's badass. The action is great. There are a lot of really fun and imaginative sequences, and you get a lot them throughout the movie, but each one is marked by a different creature. They are on this planet that is essentially, you know, a completely hostile environment, and it has all these unique creatures and, you know, flora and fauna and whatnot, and it

Starting point is 00:07:28 feels like you're getting an expansion of the galaxy, but you're also following a predator who is in, you know, kind of over his head, and so, yeah, you get a lot of moments of offbeat humor that could easily corrode the intensity, and yet the intensity still still rings true. And it's just enough of everything. Yeah, there are some layers. There are some themes. There's a good amount of, yeah, lore expansion, but it's not a slave to that. Like, it's really engrossing and interesting, and you can really feel the dialogue going back and forth between just the interesting ideas they wanted to explore, but also ways in which they would make it fun by wrapping all that in predator goodness. I also love the world that we were, I'm not

Starting point is 00:08:06 sure if it's a spoiler to say what the world is, but the world we were on, it always felt so you always felt the stakes no matter what it was like because he was so resourceful he was finally able to use the environment to his advantage and i thought that was such a unique thing to do and that's one of the things i love so much about the first movie in guatemala is that the jungle itself is a character and how the predator is able to use it as you know kind of his strength dutch and his companions and so i thought that was like such you said in such a smart way with this world and i loved it so much you really felt like a living character yeah yeah the world is really alive and there are a lot of of really fun designs and just, again, types of creatures and foliage that are all deadly and lethal in their own way, but they're also kind of beautiful. And that was one thing that I was really pleased by with this movie because it starts out in Predator Territory, which is very desolate and arid and dusty. And part of my brain was like, oh, are we going to be in for, you know, a very brown movie? But quickly, you know, it unfolds and even the plotting of the movie, you know, it starts

Starting point is 00:09:06 out in a place where I was kind of flashing back to Killer of Killers being like, okay, This is interesting, but I'm a little unsure of how we're going to really follow this through a complete feature-length story. And it is a movie that unfolds. And pretty soon, like by the time the adventure is underway and we arrive on Gena, this deadly planet, it really started to grip me. And then just the further we got, the more enthralled I became with. Again, the fun in games and just the twists and turns of the story. This went places and ended up places I wasn't expecting. and to that end, I think the inclusion of synthetics,

Starting point is 00:09:42 Wayland Utani, was a nice call, and they spoke to this during the Q&A. It's not something that's overly cheeky and like, oh, we're doing a bunch of crossover baiting. It makes a lot of sense, and it's really nicely handled, and it adds a lot of really fun dimension to a movie that is largely led by, again, a hulking, menacing, vicious creature.

Starting point is 00:10:01 Yes, and last thing I'll say, I love this movie so much, but it's a very character-driven film, but also, too, there's some incredible, action sequences, the hand-to-hand, the cinematography, and just moments that will make you want to stand up and clap and just turn you into a little kid because of how much you appreciate these incredible scenes. They are character-driven action sequences, and they are so badass. Badlands is badass. Go see it in IMAX. Seriously, you need to see this movie. I need to take Greg out to

Starting point is 00:10:29 dinner for allowing me this to be one of the few films I get to see in theaters. I know most of the time I'm doing reactions, but I'm so grateful I got to see this in IMAX, and this is not me doing a promo. Go see this movie in IMAX. Seriously. Yeah. It's that gripping. Yeah. This is definitely one that if you're a sci-fi fan, if you're a fantasy fan, even if you're obviously a predator fan, definitely catch this on the big screen, especially after all the to do about prey not getting that opportunity and a wide release. Yeah, this is really a fascinating swing and I hope people show up for it. It's so immersive. Yeah, it's really immersive. It's really fun to see a swing and a hit. Yeah. This was a tall order in a lot of ways. And yeah, by the end of it. They do some unique things that I think they earned and they do it whilst maintaining

Starting point is 00:11:13 every ounce of badassness. And two, I know people are up in arms about the fact that it's, or at least there's a lot of buzz about how it's PG-13, but I do truly think... I felt that way at the beginning and I was like, by the end, I'm like, okay, I see the justification for the PG-13. It didn't bother me at all. This does feel like the rare occasion where they probably got to make the movie they wanted to make, and because Predators... Don't worry about that, I promise you. And synthetics bleed white and everyone's a fantasy thing. It doesn't have any punches to pull. There's tons of action.

Starting point is 00:11:41 There's tons of carnage. There's tons of cool kills and stuff. And yet, you know, because you're not actually seeing red blood, you're able to get away with that. And that's a lot of fun. I promise you, don't worry about the rating or anything like that. Or if you're worried, like this does become a surprisingly charming road movie. This is kind of everything you could want to have a predator movie yet again, which is sort

Starting point is 00:12:01 of what Dan Shractingberg is going to do with three movies in a row now. And some great inspiration for this film, too. You got Mad Max. Terminator 2, and you got Conan the Barbarian. Dan kept on mentioning a few times. So go see this film in IMAX. I highly recommend it. Thanks again to IMAX for having us out. Thank you so much. And yeah, we'll catch you for whatever's next. Keep an eye out for the reaction when it comes your way. And hell yeah, man. More predator. And soon. Let's do it. Get to the IMAX see them now!

The Reel Rejects - Hot Damn... JUST WATCHED PREDATOR: BADLANDS!! Out Of Theater Reaction & Review!

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