The Predator: Badlands “Trees Attack” clip leaked on Reddit three days before the official release, and cinematographer Matthew Libatique apparently lost his mind. He’d spent weeks perfecting those shots, only to have potato-quality pirated footage go viral first.
Technical Achievement
Predator Badlands trees sequence runs 94 seconds and contains zero traditional Predator visibility. Elle Fanning sprints through a forest of alien vegetation while camouflaged Predator technology embedded in the trees attacks with invisible strikes and thermal manipulation.
The clip showcases Libatique’s signature work – he shot Black Swan, A Star Is Born, and Venom. His approach makes the forest itself feel malevolent through Dutch angles, infrared color grading, and sound design that makes you hear threats before seeing them.
Director Dan Trachtenberg revealed the Predator Badlands trees concept came from studying Venus flytrap hunting mechanisms. “We asked: what if Predator technology could mimic organic life?” The result is vegetation that breathes, moves, and kills.
ILM (Industrial Light & Magic) created the effects using practical puppetry combined with digital enhancement. Real trees on location in Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats were rigged with hydraulics and pneumatics. The film shot for 67 days across three countries, with this sequence requiring 11 days alone.
Franchise Evolution
The Predator Badlands trees attack represents the franchise’s first plant-based violence. Previous films focused on direct combat – Dutch’s mud camouflage in Predator (1987), Harrigan’s subway fight in Predator 2 (1990), or Naru’s rope traps in Prey (2022).
This sequence proves Trachtenberg understands that Predator works best when characters face asymmetrical warfare. The alien hunters use superior technology to create unfair fights. Making the environment itself hostile escalates that concept brilliantly.
Elle Fanning’s character (name unrevealed for spoiler reasons) doesn’t carry weapons in this scene. She’s running from a research station toward a crashed ship, making her vulnerability genuine. The clip ends with her diving into water – apparently the only place Predator tree-tech can’t reach.
Sound Design
What makes the Predator Badlands trees clip genuinely scary is what you hear. Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl (who did A Quiet Place) created soundscapes that make silence terrifying. The trees don’t roar or screech – they rustle, creak, and whisper.
Fanning’s breathing dominates the audio mix. You hear every panicked inhale, every stumble, every branch snap. This intimacy creates identification that CGI spectacle alone couldn’t achieve.
The Predator’s targeting system activates with that franchise-signature clicking sound, but distorted through organic interference. It’s familiar enough to trigger fan recognition while feeling fresh through new context.
Marketing Impact
20th Century Studios initially didn’t want to release the Predator Badlands trees clip early. They planned saving it for the final trailer. The leak forced their hand, leading to an official HD release with proper sound mixing.
The clip has 8.3 million views across platforms in 72 hours. Comment sections show even skeptical fans impressed by the execution. One top-rated comment: “Okay, maybe PG-13 can work if they’re this creative.”
Patrick Schwarzenegger (Arnold’s son) doesn’t appear in this sequence. His role apparently comes later when military forces arrive. Boyd Holbrook’s cameo also happens in the third act, according to verified plot leaks.
The Predator Badlands trees sequence will likely become the film’s most discussed moment regardless of overall quality. It’s the kind of inventive set piece that defines franchise entries – like the subway scene in Predator 2 or the mud sequence in the original.
Trachtenberg continues proving he understands what makes Predator work: hunters adapting tactics to new environments. This time, the environment itself becomes the weapon.
Also Read: Why Predator: Badlands PG-13 Rating Has Fans Divided