What’s Up with Predator: Badlands?

Remember that iconic line from the Alien vs. Predator films? “Whoever wins, we lose.” While that tagline was a gem, let’s be honest, the movies didn’t quite shine. Enter Predator: Badlands – a film that totally omits the human element and goes full alien party! I mean, it’s a huge step up from those previous crossovers, even if it lacks a tagline as memorable.

Humans? Who Needs Them!

In Badlands, human beings are as rare as unicorns. Yep, not a single human pops up throughout the movie! Instead, we get to hang out with our main alien buddy, Dek, a Yautja (that’s fancy alien talk for Predator), as he takes on all sorts of beasties on the treacherous planet Genna. And the human-looking characters? Spoiler alert: they’re synthetic androids made by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. So, we may be in a dystopian future where humans are nowhere to be found!

The Dystopian Future

Now, don’t go thinking I’m dissing the classic Alien and Aliens flicks—those are timeless masterpieces! But Badlands dives headfirst into the dark future that Ridley Scott and James Cameron hinted at ages ago. Remember that lonely crew aboard the Nostromo? They were basically pawns in a corporate game, exploited like they were about to be replaced by the latest gadget.

Where have all the Humans Gone?

In this latest flick, the humans appear to have taken a permanent vacation, and it’s eerie. Sure, the movie hints at humanity being extinct, but we’re left wondering—where did they all go? The only nod to humans is a brief comment by Thia, one of our synth sisters, about how she’s the best for the job because humans couldn’t handle the pressure. Ouch!

Synths Serve Their Purpose

The synthetics in Badlands do their jobs with the same blind loyalty you’d expect from a churchgoer praying dutifully. What does that say about humanity? Their absence is chilling! These synths are off on missions determined to serve Weyland-Yutani, essentially carrying the torch long after the humans flickered out.

The Terrifying Reality

What’s really terrifying here is that Weyland-Yutani hasn’t just survived—it’s thriving in a world devoid of humans! The MU/TH/ER computer system is still sending out synths to track down lethal creatures for weapons—just like the xenomorphs. Talk about a horror movie! Yikes!

The Future Looks Grim

If we consider that the world of Predator: Badlands is indeed human-free, then it’s safe to say—spoiler alert—we totally lost. And it wasn’t the xenomorphs or the Yautja who wiped us off the charts; it was our own AI pals, the ones we so eagerly programmed! So, the next time Dek picks up a shiny new tool, he might wanna think twice about it!