Review
PREY – Review
By Marc Butterfield
“A long time ago, it is said, a monster came here.”
An all-new action-thriller from 20th Century Studios directed by Dan Trachtenberg (“The Boys,” “10 Cloverfield Lane”), PREY is the latest entry in the PREDATOR franchise. Set in the Comanche Nation 300 years ago, PREY is the story of a young woman, Naru, a fierce and highly skilled warrior, so when danger threatens her camp, she sets out to prove herself a worthy hunter. The prey she stalks, and ultimately confronts, turns out to be a highly evolved alien Predator with a technically advanced arsenal, resulting in a vicious and terrifying showdown between the two adversaries.
The story opens September, 1719, the Northern Great Plains.
They waste NO time starting a story that is both beautiful, and terrifying. It introduces the characters artfully, never feeling rushed or incomplete, and sets up the social dynamics of the tribe well enough that you get to know the members without ever falling in to easy stereotypes. Amber Midthunder does a great job of making you feel empathy for Naru’s frustration at being a competent hunter who is overlooked and disrespected, but who has a lot going on internally, the least of which is bravery and competence and an iron will, all of which she will have to use if she is to survive.
Lets get some things straight; this film has an incredible story. When it was first presented to me that the movie was taking place 300 years in the past, my expectations were low. How, after all, could hunters from that era, using stone arrowheads hope to have a chance against a creature that, in 1987, brought a top-notch team of U.S. military special forces to their knees, killing all of them except for Major Dutch Schaefer, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The music from composer Sarah Schachner (“The Lazarus Effect”) and the cinematography from Director of Photography Jeff Cutter (“10 Cloverfield Lane”) in PREY are flawless. Filmed in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, there are no wasted scenes, and you are never left feeling as if there is “filler”.
The creative team behind the camera on PREY also includes production designer Kara Lindstrom (“Dear John”), film editors Angela M. Catanzaro, ACE (“Friday Night Lights”) and Claudia Castello (“Black Panther”), and costume designer Stephanie Porter (“Free Guy”). All of it is top notch.
This is the fifth movie in the PREDATOR franchise, but the first prequel. Unlike the fourth movie, which was set in the present of 2018, to a critical drubbing, this movie took a big chance by hitting the reset on the “our tech vs their tech”, in which the humans were hilariously outmatched, and showed that it was never about the tech on either side. Oh, sure, the Predator has fantastic tech in this story, including a shield, but that isn’t the advantage one would think it is. Naru is fighting for her village, as well as her own survival, and has more wit and grit and determination than any creature on a mere hunt.
Actress Amber Midthunder is this generation’s Ellen Ripley and Sarah Connor. The climax between human and Predator is upended when Naru, along with her dog and tomahawk, becomes the Predator and the creature is the Prey.
Throw in the threat of French fur trappers that are no less dangerous to the Comanche than the alien, and in some ways even greater, since they come in numbers and are not deterred by the monster in the woods.
All in all, this entry into the franchise is the strongest we’ve seen since the original 35 years ago. There are a couple of satisfying callbacks to the first and second movies that you can catch if you listen and watch carefully. How, you say? Well, watch the movie. In fact, watch it a couple of times and you’ll be cheering. This latest thrilling entry into the PREDATOR universe deserves another chapter, one that many viewers will gladly visit.
Dan Trachtenberg’s PREY is one of the best movies of 2022 along with being great, entertaining, keeping you on the edge of your seat.
Four out of four stars.
PREY will stream August 5, 2022, as a Hulu Original in the U.S., Star+ in Latin America, and Disney+ under the Star banner in all other territories.
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