The Predator franchise is a very interesting franchise to evaluate. We can all agree that the first Predator movie from 1987 is a great movie and perhaps one of the best action films of the 1980s. It ultimately created a foundation for the template of the perfect modern action film and Arnold Schwarzenegger is just fantastic. Predator 2, while a slight dip in quality, is still a fun Predator adventure. The franchise took an ambitious crossover direction with the Alien films in Alien vs. Predator and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, both of which not many people want to mention for good reasons. Then in 2010, Fox tried making a more appropriate and direct sequel from the first film with Predators starring Adrien Brody, Laurence Fishburne and Walton Goggins and despite it recapturing the spirit and the magic of Predator, the movie wasn’t the hit that the studio had hoped for. There was then a big gap of time until another go with another Predator movie. What followed after all that time was something that should have easily been a slam dunk, ended up being a colossal disappointment was The Predator, written and directed by Shane Black, who famously played Rick Hawkins in Predator. Not the worst movie in the world, but easily one of the biggest letdowns, which is unfortunate because it should have been a match made in heaven. It then killed the chances of Shane Black doing another Predator film and Fox just kept lid on with doing another, at least temporarily speaking.
Both the Alien and Predator franchise had such great will in the very beginning and have since had other films in each series that met with lukewarm results both financially or critically. There’s really no telling the next time we’ll see a Xenomorph on screen again (praying it’s soon) and there was really no sense when we would see the Predator on screen. However, it was announced a few years back (pre covid times) that they were fixing on doing another Predator movie, but have it set during 1700s in the Great Plains of America and focus on a Comanche Native American tribe. The one apprehension people had with this particular Predator movie is that it was made when Disney acquired a bunch of Fox’s properties, which does include the Predator franchise. It was explicitly stated that a new Predator film would retain an R-rating.
It was also announced that Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane) would be the director of the film and even though he’s made one film, Trachtenberg has something special as a young and upcoming filmmaker. The sad and unfortunate news with the film Prey is that it was exclusively made for Hulu and was never going to have a theatrical release. It would be even worse if this movie was initially made for a theatrical release but got sold to a streaming service because if that had been the case, then the buzz around the movie wouldn’t be as strong. The movie had it’s first showing at this years San Diego Comic-Con and the first reactions coming out were glowing. Prey finally hit the Hulu on Friday and the worst thing about this movie is that it should have been released in theaters. Prey is EASILY the best Predator movie since the original and surpasses each successor before it. It goes back to the franchise’s original roots, offers a simple narrative, yet still offers some right direction, gorgeous shots and gripping moments of tension and atmosphere.
Serving as an origin story on the Predator’s first time on Planet Earth, Prey is set during the year of 1719 in America in the world of the Comanche Nation and in that nation is a killed Comanche warrior named Naru. Naru’s main purpose in this tribe is to go against the grain of the conventional aspects of tribal leaders. She then takes matters in to her own hands when she protects her tribe from a highly evolved alien predator that hunts any life form for sport. Along of the way of her conflict with the Predator, Naru fights against the wilderness and French fur-trappers to keep her community safe.
The first Predator from 1987 is slightly a product of its time but what made it have a profound legacy is the themes it dives in and what makes a great action movie special. It was a full on assault movie that birthed an action legend with Schwarzenegger’s Dutch and so many other unique qualities. Prey goes for a much grounded and serious approach by diving deeper into the themes of man vs nature, conflicts with the unknown, human instinct and persistence. All of theses themes are expressed beautifully from the character driven moments, specifically from the performance of Amber Midthunder. She’s phenomenal in this movie and by showing the range, emotion and the incredible stunt work she puts in the action sequences, this role of hers is destined to make her a bigger and more utilized talent. For a character that speaks more with action and less verbally, Amber Midthunder steals the show. Dakota Beavers, as the older brother of Naru, is also another scene stealer in this movie and it shows that this is more of a character focused Predator movie than any one before it.
However, the real deal of this entire endeavor is the Predator itself, who might be the best we’ve ever seen it on screen. Instead of the look that we’re used to they went with a slight redesign of the look, it’s armor and the weaponry, all for which made it feel almost appropriate for the time and context. The violence in this movie is brutal, savage and immensely creative, and the overall construction of the action is quite impressive would you consider the budget for this movie is not as high as other high profiled projects. By going smaller scaled, Prey can still deliver great things on a much tighter budget and that has to be credited to Dan Trachtenberg. He tells everything he needs in a compacted 90 minute fashion that never feels dragged or stretched out. He offers a great sense of terror in a terrific science fiction film, and reminds us the potential this franchise has. It’s sad most people won’t see this on the big screen because this is the kind of experience that’s meant to be experienced with a massive crowd.
Overall, this is exactly what the franchise needed and despite it being a streaming movie, Prey is a fantastic, character driven, gory and adrenaline movie that will please fans of the series and maybe the best for a new generation.
Final grade for Prey: A
Zane's take at the Cinema's 