Just wait till you read their comic books!

There's a few elements that hold it back slightly — the stakes feel a little low, and the villains are a little underdeveloped. But given how many franchise movies cut corners and then can't stick the third act, I was very impressed how Badlands never dropped the ball with its narrative progression.

This sort of writing is something I've thought about for ages, in terms of how comics can cross-pollenate better with the video game crowd, but this is the first time I've seen it done in a franchise movie, and it felt to me like it was done fairly seamlessly and intuitively. Something to think on.

Something I thought was interesting — the writing felt like it incorporated a lot of video game mechanics into a film narrative context. It's got environmental obstacles, creature boss fights, dialogue choices, stealth missions, weapons/armor upgrades, even transitions that feel like cut scenes.

The good news is... the modern revival is real!

Agreed — I don't think any Space Ghost comic could ever reach the level of notability or fandom of the TV shows, simply by virtue of the comics-reading crowd being exponentially smaller than a TV audience. (Not that I mind, of course! I'm very happy to be standing on the shoulders of giants.)