Predator is a perfect action movie.
The film took a Hollywood badass (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and dropped him in a jungle to fight a 7-foot-tall space badass (the Predator).
That’s a flawless premise right there. And the 1987 horror sci-fi flick turned its monstrous Predator into a legendary pop culture figure. Today, people love the Predator character even though they don’t like Predator movies. And that’s not for the series’ lack of trying.
This series took a lot of wild creative swings over the years.
Predator 2 took the Predator out of the jungle and plopped him in Los Angeles to fight humans.
2010’s Predators plucked humans off of planet earth and placed them on an alien planet to fight Predators.
And 2004’s Alien vs. Predator had the two horror franchises crossover for some anticlimactic Godzilla vs. Kong-style action.
Not one of the six follow-ups have come close to capturing that classic Predator vibe.
Until now.
Director Dan Trachtenberg’s new horror sci-fi mashup Prey is both a prequel and spiritual successor to Predator. Trachtenberg takes things back to basics with a lean, mean, and violent thrill ride that sticks to the original formula.
Prey takes place 300 years ago on the Great Plains and centres on a young Comanche woman named Naru (Amber Midthunder).
Naru is as tough as they come, but she’s overlooked by her people as a hunter and fighter. She may not be as big and strong as other hunters, but she’s quick on her feet and a master strategist.
When a mysterious creature threatens Naru’s camp, she heads out into the wilderness to take it down. But it turns out the beast she’s pursuing is a Predator (Dane DiLiegro), a massive bloodthirsty alien who hunts humans for sport.
To save her people, she must outwit (and out savage) a technically advanced killer from another world. The odds aren’t in the young warrior’s favour, but people have underestimated Naru her whole life.
Previous Predator movies tried to out-Predator, Predator. They altered the formula with new settings, more monsters, and expanded mythology. This is like trying to improve Jaws by adding more sharks and giving them a backstory. Predator worked so well because of its elegant simplicity.
Prey is to Predator what The Force Awakens is to A New Hope. We’re getting the same story but with new perspectives and themes. And when you already have a winning formula, that’s all you need to reinvigorate a series.
Midthunder owns the role of Naru, a young warrior slowly coming into her own. This film only works if you believe the character’s emotional journey. You must accept this young woman has the skill, but most importantly, the will to go toe-to-toe with an alien killing machine.
Patrick Aison’s screenplay does an excellent job at making you understand Naru’s ferocious drive to prove herself. Prey takes time to anchor viewers in the story’s emotional stakes before kicking into action movie overdrive. And Midthunder delivers extra layers of personality and texture, effectively conveying Naru’s humanity and connection to her community.
Unlike most action flicks, Prey features plenty of long silences. The film asks you to sit back and soak up cinematographer Jeff Cutter’s gorgeous visuals. If you walked in on Prey at the right moment, you might think you’re watching a Chloé Zhao movie. Prey features majestic mountain vistas, gently swaying golden fields, and glowing magic hour sunsets. These tranquil moments let you catch your breath between the vicious set pieces.
Trachtenberg toys with the theme of food chains, apex predators, and the circle of life. He constantly reminds you of the universe’s brutality, showing us how all life must fight for survival.
And let’s talk about fighting for survival…
Prey’s Predator kicks lots of ass and looks dope doing it. Every Predator film switches up the alien’s look, and I have mixed feelings about this Predator’s appearance.
I love that he wears a bone mask instead of the classic metal face covering. When the mask comes off, his deep-set eyes and protruding mandibles will haunt your nightmares.
My biggest issue is the overuse of CGI. The pixelated creature’s presence never feels as disturbing as a guy standing there in prosthetics. I don’t mind it when he’s cloaked or leaping from tree to tree. But when he’s right up in someone’s grill, I want to see practical creature effects.
The heavy use of CGI is a blessing and a curse. This is the nimblest Predator yet. He gets up close in combat and tears up opponents like he’s John Wick. I can’t tell you how cool this all looks. And Trachtenberg gave the creature some cool new toys. My favourite is a deadly metal shield that opens from his arm like a peacock spreading its feathers. (There’s no way the special effects team wasn’t influenced by Kratos’ shield in the last God of War).
This movie may be streaming on Disney+, but that doesn’t stop it from earning its R-rating. Prey is as violent, gory, and action-packed as you want a Predator flick to be.
It’s clear Trachtenberg had a blast playing in the franchise’s sandbox, and that passion comes through in every frame of the movie. Prey brings a new perspective to a proven formula to deliver the best Predator flick since the original.
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