Hunting is worse than pain: a new part of Predator was leaked to the Network
The day after its worldwide release, Predator: Planet of Death, a fresh fantasy blockbuster from the cult franchise from the 1980s, appeared online with a Russian translation. The action takes place on a distant planet, the main character is a young Predator, he is helped by the damaged android Tia played by Elle Fanning. Russian viewers know her as the winner of many prestigious awards, the muse of game designer Hideo Kojima and Catherine II from the controversial TV series The Great. Izvestia tells us how the new Predator film turned out and why it is being praised.
How did the new film in the series about alien super hunters turn out?
The film Predator: Planet of Death (original title — Predator: Badlands) is an unexpected reinterpretation of the famous franchise. Director Dan Trachtenberg ("Stranger Things," "Black Mirror," "Boys," "Victim," "Predator: Killer of Killers") takes the action far from the familiar jungles and urban ruins to the dark, dangerous planet of Genna, where a young representative of the Yautzha race, exiled from his clan, is forced to go through your own survival test. Unlike the previous parts, where the Predator acted as a ruthless hunter, here he becomes the main character. This is how the viewer sees the world for the first time through the eyes of a creature that used to be a symbol of horror. Rather, we had previously, since the first part, looked at the victims from the point of view of the monster, but it was not painted in psychological colors, as it is now.
An image from the movie "Predator: Planet of Death"
The central figure of the film is synthetic Tia, performed by Elle Fanning ("Trumbo", "Maleficent", "Rainy Day in New York", "Sentimental Value", "Neon Demon"). Her character is a damaged android trying to save the remnants of the program and memory in an environment where life is losing its usual meaning. At the same time, Fanning plays the dual role of Tia and her "sister" Tessa, another model embodying rationality, coldness and impeccable logic. The contradiction between the two characters — the human principle and the machine essence, empathy and calculation — becomes the emotional core of the film. Fanning makes a subtle difference between the images: Tia speaks more slowly, as if choosing words, her movements are constrained, but her eyes reflect inner pain; Tessa, on the contrary, acts quickly, precisely, with the indifference of artificial intelligence. This duality gives the film dramatic depth, making it more than just another fantastic action movie.
An image from the movie "Predator: Planet of Death"
Fanning, of course, becomes the emotional center of the picture. Her work with minimal means of expression — gaze, pause, intonation — transforms a technologically rich action movie into a drama about self-discovery. It is thanks to this game that the film rises above the boundaries of the genre and leaves a feeling of a rare combination of entertainment and inner silence for blockbusters.
An image from the movie "Predator: Planet of Death"
Visually, "Predator: Planet of Death" is striking in scale. Desert landscapes, metal ruins and a carefully designed biomechanical environment create the feeling of a living alien world. However, the main strength of the painting is not in the special effects, but in the contrast between the barbaric nature of the Predator and the artificial nature of Tia. Their forced union reveals the theme of mutual understanding between beings who do not belong to the human species, but still seek meaning in their own existence.
When to go to the cinema
The novelty will be released in Russian cinemas on November 13 as part of the pre-screening service. The box office of the film from brawler Dan Trachtenberg will face a serious test of loyalty: in Russia, Predator: Planet of Death is released on the same day as Illusion of Deception 3. Moreover, the latter will be rolled out absolutely officially and with a much larger number of sessions.
An image from the movie "Predator: Planet of Death"
Predator: Planet of Death differs from the usual bloody thrillers of viewers with a deliberate, almost deliberate gentleness. The PG-13 rating allows the film to talk about violence not directly, but metaphorically. Instead of vivid scenes of carnage, there are slow, tense episodes where fear and compassion become equal forces. In this sense, the film is closer to Villeneuve's Dune than to McTiernan's original Predator. Trachtenberg went in the direction of not naturalism, but the creation of a new mythological stratum exploring the culture of Yautzha and the local code of honor.
An image from the movie "Predator: Planet of Death"
The film received an 85% approval rating on the reputable aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. This makes it one of the most successful parts in the entire franchise, and it already has six full-length films and two animated films. However, for director Dan Trachtenberg, "Planet of Death" was not a triumph: it loses to two previous films in the same universe: "Predator: Killer of Killers" and "Prey" received 95 and 94% positive reviews, respectively.
An image from the movie "Predator: Planet of Death"
Predator: Planet of Death is not so much a sequel as a reinterpretation of the legend. A film that takes a step away from the muscular tradition of the 1980s and looks for a new, human breath in it. This is a rare case when a franchise that has seemingly exhausted itself finds a second wind — thanks to an actress who is able to give metal a soul. The attempt to find a human dimension in Yauge was charged with one of the most powerful images of Elle Fanning's career. However, it is worth repeating that fans of action can quickly get bored with the general tone of the novelty — the protagonist in the person of a young predator is depicted here as overly emotional and soft-spoken, such a technique can provoke protest from fans of the old films of the series. Fortunately, Trachtenberg is not afraid of experimentation, and we have received convincing evidence that sometimes it is worth taking a risk.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
