The Predator and Alien franchises are both megalithic franchises in the Sci-Fi/horror space. I’ve never had a specific affinity for either franchise, but I’d lean more toward the Predator films than the Alien films. Two years deep into the pandemic, word of a new entry into the Predator franchise dropped, and I was slightly intrigued. What would they do with the franchise? Will it be half-assed? I mean look at the AVP movies…what a joke!
Prey follows Naru (Amber Midthunder), a young Comanche member who wants to break from the gender norms of her culture. Along with her dog Sarii (Coco), Naru embarks on her khutaamia, a quest to prove herself as a warrior. Her brother Taabe (Dakota Beavers) is tasked with finding her after Naru leaves the tribe without a word. Once they are reconnected, Naru, Taabe, and the rest of the rescue crew find themselves in a life-or-death battle with a creature from out of this world.
Before we really get into it, and how badass Amber Midthunder is, I want to get two issues out of the way. Firstly. The CGI animals. So much of this film looks fantastic, but the number of completely digital animals quickly becomes frustrating. When Sarii chases the deer through the woods or when the ant is eaten by the rat which is eaten by the snake, it just looks truly awful. Secondly, the speaking language. Apparently, there were talks at one point about filming the whole film in Comanche, but they were afraid it would be a turnoff for some English-speaking audiences. While a Comanche dub is available, the film would have been much more impactful to have them speak in the Comanche language.
Those issues aside, Prey is an absolutely stunning film. Writer Patrick Aison and director Dan Trachtenberg created the best film in the Predator franchise. Don’t hate me. Whether this was intended or not, I appreciate how this film’s Predator (Dane DiLiegro) looks slightly different from the original 1987 Predator (Kevin Peter Hall). To me, this shows that this creature, who is one of the deadliest in the entire universe, must occasionally change physical appearance (as well as bodily changes) when bested by a better predator. Unfortunately for Predator, Naru isn’t here to eff around.
Until now, I hadn’t seen anything else from Trachtenberg besides 10 Cloverfield Lane. And that was a huge miss for me. But I was pleasantly surprised with how well he handled this material and his (and Aison’s) handling of the source material. Cinematographer Jeff Cutter’s use of lighting in Prey was another positive aspect. Instead of turning the film shoots into a thousand-light production, Cutter relied heavily on the Calgary sun to do the heavy lifting. There’s no question that Prey is the best-looking Predator film.
Amber Midthunder is a force to be reckoned with. Due to her background in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, it seems she would have handled a majority of stunts you see, and it would make sense as during many of the scenes that would require a stunt performer, Trachtenberg doesn’t pull focus away from her face. On top of that, one of the most memorable scenes in the film is when Naru practices with the hatchet attached to her wrist by a rope. I don’t think I’ve seen her in anything else since then, but I hope to see her in a John Wick-like film in the near future. Especially with how she handled some of the QTE scenes of sliding, jumping, and attacking.
Prey came out at just the right time. Many of us were sick and tired of watching the same thing over and over during the pandemic and this film checked all the right boxes for tons of viewers. It must have done something right as it was the most-watched premiere for Hulu up to that point. For fans of the Predator franchise, this film works. For those who haven’t seen a Predator film, this film works. I can only wonder how many people were prompted to give the franchise a first-time watch after this film.
Prey is streaming on Hulu.
