Just in case you haven’t heard, the rumors of Predator: Badlands being rated PG-13 are true. The most recent MPAA bulletin confirmed the news. This is a bit of a shock to the system for hardcore fans of the gleefully R-rated franchise. While nothing is set in stone yet, it feels like a disappointing choice by 20th Century Studios and Predator franchise mastermind Dan Trachtenberg—especially since the last film in the saga, Prey, was gloriously R-rated. Granted, that one debuted on Hulu, so it didn’t have the economics of a mainstream theatrical release to worry about. But PG-13 for Predator? Really?
Now, it’s possible that even with a PG-13 rating, Badlands could still be great. I saw the first fifteen minutes at Comic-Con and was impressed—even if (and I can admit this now) it didn’t really feel like a Predator movie. You see, this sequel follows a young Predator named Dek as he embarks on a quest to hunt the most dangerous game known to his species as a way to prove himself. By digging into the Predator mythology, the film humanizes them, featuring a lot of subtitled dialogue for Dek as well as an emotional side (he has an older brother he idolizes and a cruel father he despises). In some ways, that makes it just another fantasy adventure story telling the hero’s journey.
But is that Predator?
One of the things I’ve always loved about the series is how scary the creatures are. Part of that comes from how little we know about them, other than the fact that they hunt humans for sport. Bits and pieces have been revealed throughout the franchise, including that they have some degree of honor—meaning they (usually) won’t kill unarmed prey. But do we really need them fully humanized?
If that’s Trachtenberg’s goal, then I suppose the PG-13 rating makes sense, as it makes them a whole lot less scary. I get that the lack of human characters means there’s no need for gore or even swearing, but a PG-13 movie simply doesn’t have the same intensity as an R-rated one. To pretend otherwise is a lie. My worry is that 20th Century Studios—owned by Disney—might be trying to “Marvel-ize” the series, especially since they’ve teased a future Alien vs. Predator movie. The last two attempts—one of which was PG-13—didn’t exactly work out.
I think what the studio is doing with the Alien franchise is fine, as they’re exploring the mythology of Weyland-Yutani (who also figure into the plot here). But at least they aren’t making the xenomorphs human-like, with feelings. Yet…
So what do you think of this new direction for Predator? Let us know in the comments.
