Directed by Dan Trachtenberg, Prey takes place in 1719 and follows a skilled Comanche warrior named Naru (Amber Midthunder), who is protecting her tribe from a highly evolved alien predator (Dane DiLiegro) that hunts humans for sport. Using all that she knows, she ends up having to fight against the wilderness, dangerous colonizers, and this mysterious creature to keep her people safe.
The Predator franchise has certainly had an interesting journey over the years, starting with the 1987 classic that remains a truly solid piece of the action and science fiction genre. However, the following sequels and crossovers for the iconic alien hunter over the years were never able to capture or even move beyond what the original established. Some of the sequels did try new things and did expand upon the lore of the creature in interesting ways but the main problem was that in every installment it felt like it wanted to be a total sci-fi 80s action flick like the first one, but without the investing characters, suspense and story.
A massive revamp was needed for this franchise that could focus less on being like the first one and instead be something completely different, which brings us to today’s newest installment, Prey, directed by 10 Cloverfield Lane’s Dan Trachtenberg. While this film was unfortunately released on Hulu instead of having a theatrical release, I was very much looking forward to Dan Trachtenberg’s take on the Predator, hopefully with a very different setting, style, and tone that massively stands out from all the previous entries. But with all these promises did Trachtenberg deliver on them? The answer is yes. Hell yes. And I believe that he delivered not only the best Predator film since the first film but honestly the best Predator film of the entire franchise.
We finally have an installment that exceeded the first film in so many ways and broke some serious new ground as well. It was truly unexpected but this film is easily another one of my top favorites of this year and yet I’m so pissed off that this wasn’t given a theatrical release. It is a deeply atmospheric, suspense-heavy story of survival that makes the most of its pre-colonial setting and delivers perfect amounts of brutal action. There are huge portions of this film that feature little-to-no dialogue, resulting in magnificent visual storytelling that has not been seen since the third act of the first film.
The premise of their being a Predator on Earth hunting humans is the same as you would expect but a lot is changed up with this premise, primarily because of the setting and the fact the film goes back to some of the basic core elements of the original and builds something new from them, something better than anything we had before.
To start with since this film takes place years in the past, exploring the first ever Predator to arrive on Earth, making it an interesting lore expansion that doesn’t jump the shark like the last installment did with genetic hybridization. With this film being set in 1719, there are no machine guns, no modern cities, no lights, and no modern technology to use against the Predator, making the survival stakes extremely high and the horror dialed up to maximum.
And while the Predator itself doesn’t have as much high tech as others would have years later it is still a dangerous and deadly beast capable of killing anything with great ease that it finds worthy.
More of that will be discussed later in the review but I want to focus on one of the biggest positives this film has which is the characters, specifically the lead and her tribe. Every single performance by everyone in the Comanche tribe truly feels authentic and incredible beyond words, breaking many of the stereotypes of Native American characters from Hollywood in the best way possible. While they do speak English in some of the dialogue scenes there is also a full Comanche dub version of the film people can watch on Hulu to get an even more authentic experience with the film and its characters.
We also get perhaps one of the most investing and relatable characters in the entire Predator franchise with Naru, who is given an amazing and dedicated performance by Amber Midthunder. As beloved as Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Dutch is for me and many others, he is at the end of the day a super muscular soldier of the 80s with no real depth, while Naru is a fully fleshed-out character that is a major first for the franchise. We understand her story and her struggles before her conflict with the alien hunter and therefore get to feel massively connected to her emotionally as a result.
It’s not another action hero with a gun but instead a warrior that wants to protect her tribe and prove herself to them. She makes the story very investing as well and makes us root for her as she goes through a coming-of-age journey that includes going up against many threats with the greatest one being the Predator in a sort of David and Goliath type battle. It was also great to see the way she fights the Predator is vastly different from how other characters have done it, which again adds to the refreshing elements this film has.
Another standout character and performance we get is Dakota Beavers who plays Taabe, one of Naru’s fellow Comanche and her brother who she shares great interactions and chemistry on screen. He has his own moments to shine in the film that really made me like him.
And then we have the Predator itself who is treated like a character on its own journey that almost mirrors Naru’s journey and is not treated just as a mindless typical movie monster. Officially dubbed as the “Feral Predator” it lives up to its name by being the most brutal and vicious hunter we’ve seen with a unique practical design that we get to see in all its raw glory. Obviously, CGI is used for some parts that a man in a Predator suit can’t do, but most of the time we get to see a full-on practical Predator hacking and slashing in the flesh with deadly weaponry that is archaic for its species at this time but definitely shows signs of what we would see in the later films.
Classic aspects of the creature are still present for fans to enjoy but it was also great to see something unique and even scarier in comparison to previous predators. I felt truly terrified of the alien hunter again after so long. It’s not treated as some blockbuster monster but treated as a horror entity with its own twisted, animalistic personality and deadly urge to find the perfect sport. And the action we get in this film with this new Predator can be best described as unhinged primal carnage. Even with the lack of high-tech weaponry the action sequences and kills that occur are perfectly brutal, complete with perfect amounts of gore guaranteed to please those that enjoy it while also just being very well executed.
Obviously, most people would expect there to be gory sequences as it is a staple of the franchise but I liked it the most here because of the way it’s done with the chosen setting and the fact that it’s not the sole driving force of the story as it has been for other installments. There are a lot of scenes driven by suspense and horror providing an investing atmosphere that is created with great passion thanks to Trachtenberg and his team’s filmmaking.
The visuals, sets, and effects also add so much to the film’s atmosphere and story, giving us perhaps the most visually stunning Predator film of the franchise that oozes with artistic beauty. So much incredible cinematography is put on display, not only allowing audiences to absorb the majesty of the landscapes but also feel the isolating wilderness surrounding the characters that has become the horror-filled hunting ground of the alien hunter. The use of real locations, practical sets, and practical effects add to the beauty and bloody murder this film provides, further absorbing people into the land these characters walk and fight in.
There is CGI used throughout in appropriate places that can be noticeable at times but to be honest it looks very good visually and is never fully relied on for most of the film except for moments that needed it. Easily one of my favorite moments with the usage of CGI has to be the long grass chase where we get a terrifying view of the invisible predator chasing several characters in a field. Truly a terrifying and masterful sequence among many that I never thought I’d see in a Predator film and again makes it stand out amongst other installments.
Of course, I also have to give big praise to the sound design and score for this film that really enhances the terrifying atmosphere, untamed wilderness elements, and visual storytelling. On top of that, the musical themes we get are not full-on reprisals of the same theme we have heard countless times since the first film, offering something new, refreshing, and fitting for this film’s setting. Although there were some instances where familiar musical beats could be heard, which is a nice treat for fans.
With how beautifully and masterfully the film is crafted on a story and technical level it feels like it was made to be on the big screen yet for some reason was stuck on streaming only. It’s a real damn shame cause I can imagine a film like this being perfect for the big screen and being a massive win for Indigenous representation.
There have been a lot of films that have been awesome this year, but only a select few I have considered to be completely perfect. This is another one of those perfect films that I could see myself rewatching many times over. My only hope is that everyone else can get the chance to see it as well because I can honestly say this isn’t just the best Predator film since the first, I think it is the best of the entire franchise. If you happen to read this Dan Trachtenberg, know that you are fucking awesome for making this film and no one should ever doubt your work. And huge praise goes to everyone else involved in the cast and crew for making a film I can truly call masterful. I’m going to give Prey an A+ = 100.
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