When it comes to iconic movie monsters, the Predator alien has consistently remained one of my all-time favorites. Less consistent however is the Predator’s movie franchise, which contains instalments I enjoy, and entry’s that have disappointed me. Thankfully for today’s review … we have one of the great ones. After several sequels and spin-offs tried to go big with the iconic Predator creature, the 2022 prequel simply titled “Prey” wisely scaled things back to basics, and delivered one of the sharpest instalments of the whole dang franchise. To get right to the point, while there have been Predator sequels that I’ve liked, “Prey” is the only one that I feel can be debated as “just as great” or “maybe even better” than the classic 1980’s original.
Looking back at the 1991 sequel “Predator 2” for a moment, a battle with the titular space hunter ended with a prized gun from the early 1700’s. This suggested they’ve been hunting on earth for centuries, and the thought of Predators hunting in different time periods was an intriguing idea. It certainly took a while, but we finally got a film that took the franchise back in time, to the early 1700’s, and focusing on one of the very first Predators landing on Earth.
The year is 1719, the setting is the Great Plains of North America, and a small Comanche Indian tribe tries to maintain a sense of peace in a savage and wild environment, full of snakes, wolves, lions, bears, and a ruthless band of French fur traders. One young female Comanche Indian named Naru is eager to prove herself a capable warrior who can both provide for and protect her tribe from the many dangers out there. Thus, she sets out on her own solo rite-of-passage to prove her worth. Her lone hunt however turns into a deadly game of hunted, as she finds herself battling the newly arrived Predator creature, and a thrilling battle for both survival and supremacy ensues.
Just like with the classic 1979 movie “Alien”, the strength of this film comes from its straightforward simplicity, which makes the most with very little. It’s simply this terrific lead character as she fights to survive in this suspenseful game of cat and mouse, while also proving herself just as capable as her fellow hunters from her home tribe.
The premise of a female lead proving her strength is one that could have backfired into repetition or gotten too preachy, but thankfully, everything is handled just right. Naru is brave and resourceful, but she also has faults she needs to overcome, mistakes to learn from, and goes through the ringer quite a few times. She has a signature weapon which comes in the form of a hatchet on a rope, and I love her dog sidekick … any lone warrior is instantly more likable with a dog companion. There’s also a good deal of visual storytelling on display, as the character speaks through both actions and raw emotions. Actress Amber Midthunder absolutely shines in one role, and secures Naru’s position as one of the franchises best leading characters.
Of course, the other main character to highlight is our new Feral Predator, played by Dane DiLiegro. Like many of the previous sequels, this is an original take on the Predator, with a unique look, and even personality different from the others. This predator observes the food chain on Earth, and gradually discovers what our planet’s mightiest beast is. Seeing a Predator battle a bear is a treat I didn’t know I wanted, but I’m glad I got it. Also, his weapons are naturally more advanced than the hunters on Earth, but low-grade when compared to the space hunters seen in the previous films, and it’s cool to compare the weaponry on display. Even with his low-grade weapons, he still packs some heat, with floating explosives, metal arrows, and a really awesome shield.
Another noteworthy difference between this film and the others is that it doesn’t focus on a large cast of characters that get killed off one at a time. While there are certainly casualties from both the Indians and the fur traders who get caught in the hunting grounds, it’s not the same formula, and the only other character really of note is Naru’s brother Taabe, played by Dakota Beavers, who’s just good enough.
Also, for an R-ratted movie, I was very pleased that the swearing for once has been scaled down, whereas I felt the previous movies went overboard with their distasteful remarks. One minor annoyance is that once in a while, the young tribe hunters speak with modern slang, but for the most part, the dialogue feels timeless. Speaking of out-of-place lines, this film continues the bad habit of quoting lines from the first "Predator" film, and while a little cringe, there thankfully aren’t too many annoying callbacks. A better call-back is seeing the origin of the same 1700 gun seen back at the ending of “Predator 2”. One last detail for fans to speculate over is the Native American tracker named Billy Sole, from the original 1987 “Predator”, who may either be a reincarnation or great descendant from this Comanche tribe.
It should also be noted that, between Disney’s purchase of 20th Century Fox, and the aftermath of COVID-19, this is the only film in the series that didn’t get a wide theatrical release, and went straight to streaming platforms. It’s unfortunate, because for the most part, this film absolutely feels like something that should have been experienced on the big screen. I’d say the only exception are some noticeable CGI effects on the animals, but if you’re willing to look past those hiccups, the rest of the film is a great quality production. It’s also a beautifully shot picture, with gorgeous landscape, and it's not often a monster movie expresses clear love for nature in its imagery, but this film conveys it wonderfully.
There’s also a good deal of respect for the time and culture on display. While the movie never goes in-depth about the Comanche, a look behind the scenes reveals a commendable effort in getting all the details down. In fact, while the film was initially shot in English, a second release of the movie had the cast re-dubbe the whole film in the Comanche language, which is a first. Director Dan Trachtenberg really went that extra mile in making this movie feel like a great period piece picture on its own … and it just happens to have an alien hunter in it. The same applied to the original 1987 “Predator”, as that movie too had a set-up for a decent war movie on its own … it just happed to have a monster from space, which gave the film it’s identity. Also, the music score by Sarah Schachner is fantastic, both in elevating the suspense, and giving the setting a lot of atmosphere.
Lastly, there are some memorable set-pieces on display, which will absolutely rank as some of the best in the series. It is some of the grittiest and most white knuckled action of any Predator movie to date, with one of the main highlights being a battle in a burnt forest littered with ash. One very memorable visual is when our characters run through a field of tall grass, while pursued by the Predator in his invisible form. The final showdown between Naru and the Feral Predator is outstanding, and makes great use of the surrounding environment. As is tradition with these films, our lone hero discovers a new way to hide from the monsters heat vision … this time it cleverly comes in the form of a small herb called the Orange Totsiyaa, which lowers an individual’s body heat, and is a very clever concept for the film.
All around, this is a rock-solid entry for the series, and a refreshing change-up to go back in time, with primitive weapons on display … and it some-how just works better than any of the contemporary films from this series. In comparison, the previous 2017 movie “The Predator”, just felt like any other disposable, crowd-pleasing comic-book style flick, and while it provided surface level fun, it was also very underwhelming. This 2022 prequal didn’t feel like a product of our times in the slightest, and just felt like a good film that could have come from any decade. Beyond that, it was just a solid action, suspense film, with very few gimmicks, a fantastic lead character, mature presentation, and while one can debate if it’s actually better than the original “Predator” classic or not … I have no problem saying it’s the absolute best sense the original.
Thanks for
reading my review of the 2022 prequel “Prey” … and continue to enjoy the
movies you Love!
