- Nate Lemann
ALIEN HORROR SUMMER - NO. 7: PREY (2022) MOVIE REVIEW
This inventive prequel/sequel to the action horror “Predator” franchise is set in the 18th century heartlands as a young Native American woman goes hunting for a new and dangerous predator to prove herself to her tribe.
by Nate Lemann
The idea of setting a Predator movie in the past and showing how humans would fare against these alien apex hunters is such a great and novel idea, it's a wonder that it took Hollywood so long to actually green light a project like “Prey”. It not only allows for more fluid, one-off projects that don't getting bogged down in serialized, franchise storytelling tropes that end up adding more and more weight for each subsequent entry to carry. The conception of a this franchise lends itself to these solo features, focusing on obstacles a new hero has to overcome when facing these “tourist” baddies.
This particular story is set in the 18th century in the American heartland. Naru (Amber Midthunder in a breakout performance), a young Comanche woman eager to prove herself as a hunter, witnesses a sign in the clouds. What we know and she doesn’t is that it isn’t a sign: it's our primary antagonist getting dropped off (do the Predators have an Uber app??) on our planet to begin his latest hunt. The early scenes of the Predator studying the food chain of our planet are amazing little set pieces showing the Predator evolve his game over the course of the film.
As Naru begins tracking its odd tracks, she is roundly dismissed by male Comanche warriors for creating boogeymen out of nothing. Only Taabe (Dakota Beavers), her vaulted brother, gives her any sort of respect but even he can at times gaslight Naru. After a big cat hunt leaves Naru reeling from a feeling of uselessness, she sets out to find the new creature terrorizing the forest and will prove herself to her brother and tribe as an equal warrior. Let’s just say that doesn’t go fully according to plan…
Midthunder is like a jolt of life in this movie. She is clearly more intelligent and adaptable than the other Comanche warriors, able to read a situation for what it is and know not only how to survive, but also how to find chinks in the proverbial armor of her prey. Initially you believe the film’s title is about the Comanche who go to war with this beast but as we come to learn, it's about the beast itself who is being hunted by a new predator in the form of Naru: an intelligent and cunning planner but also great improvisor. Midthunder is so believably intelligent and scrappy but also shows deep wells of vulnerability and doubt, too. She knows she is on the back foot and this is her chance to prove herself and fights/survives with a ferocious desperation. Beavers, the only other character with any sort of an arc or much lines, is such a complex character. You can tell he believes his sister to be much more capable than others give her credit for but feels the pull of the patriarchal tribal politics to dismiss her. He sells that he knows that to be a mistake but must play his cultural role nonetheless. It is exceptional internal conflict for a character and toward the end of the film, he comes to realize that the only way for them to survive is to follow his sister’s lead. He also sells the hell out of the most powerful line of the film: “You tell the [Predator] that this is as far as you go…no more.” The fact that these two actors have yet to blow up following this film’s release just baffles me.
Dan Trachtenberg once again proves he has a really strong sense for new angles into big franchise IP, following his great “10 Cloverfield Lane”. Aside for a great and novel new way into this storied franchise, not only setting humans hundreds of years back with weaponry but he also makes the wise choice for this Predator to seem more primitive to prior, more modern entrants in this franchise. For instance, it’s helmet is not some metal, high tech piece of hardware but a repurposed skull...like he is the caveman version of this species. That said, this creature is still light years ahead of his prey in this movie. The aforementioned scenes of him moving up the food chain are fantastic, culminating in a show stopping fight with a giant grizzly. It is actually very fun to see the Predator for a moment look like it has met its match in what many consider the apex predator of the American wilderness. Its subsequent bath of blood is just iconic movie making.
The set pieces in here escalate in such a great way, not only in scope but also in emotional weight. The broken forest showdown between the Predator and French fur trappers (who turn out to be responsible for a buffalo massacre more gruesome than any fake movie death can be) is just one of the best showcases these creatures have ever had to just exhibit how devastating a force they can be (the bear trap throw is just so good). The final showdown is also one of the better culminations of character arc and action this franchise has ever put forward. Midthunder is so good at selling her ferocious fire and cunning intellect with little dialogue. She is also joined by one of best scrapper dogs in the horror cannon, an underrated survivor like his master (in real life, the dog actor was a rescue and not a trained pet actor - the production team didn't give up on him and let him finish the movie; you would too if you met that loyal spirit).
The film culminates in a well deserved coronation, feeling as earned as any ending we’ve had thus far in this series. It is a shame this film got lost in the shuffle of the Fox-Disney merger, effectively losing out on a what could have been a big theater hit based on the exceptionally fun action and big franchise IP. That said, it is on Hulu now and should be viewed ASAP…Seriously, stop reading and go watch now…
FINAL RATING: 4.5/5 Stars (Emotionally satisfying new entry led but star-in-the-making Amber Midthunder)
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