Directed By Dan Trachtenberg

Starring – Amber Midthunder, Dane DiLiegro, Harlan Blayne

The Plot – The origin story of the Predator in the world of the Comanche Nation 300 years ago. Naru, a skilled female warrior, fights to protect her tribe against one of the first highly evolved Predators to land on Earth.

Rated R for strong bloody violence

Prey | Official Trailer | Hulu – YouTube

POSITIVES

If 2018’s “The Predator” was the last dying gasp of air for this once promising original property, then “Prey” is the reinvigorating life support that awakens its spirit after a four-year coma. Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane) has once again prescribed depth and extension to a franchise that was thought to be purely one thing, and now elicits so much more. This is mostly because of his enthralling direction, which not only uses atmospheric elements to transcribe vulnerability and thrills in the heat of the various engagements, but also chooses a handheld versatility in camera movements that are surprisingly smooth with documenting the devastation without ever sacrificing the transferrable clarity. Adding to the abundance of surprises is the minimal-but-effective usage of computer-generated animal properties, with rich textures and influential tangibles transcribing a believable influence without ever feeling obtusely artificial, as well as the bluntly impactful but minimal usage of violence at the hands of the predator’s carnage candy. To be fair and beneficial, there are plenty of creative kills meant to satisfy the horror hound in all of us, but nothing in depiction that ever feels unnecessarily exploitative or indulgent for the sake of shock horror, instead garnering the ferocity and brutality of the antagonist in ways that further enhance the speed and animalistic qualities of the galaxy’s greatest hunter. I also want to commend the details of the script by Trachtenberg and Patrick Aison, who inspire something freshly unique to the 8th film in this franchise by taking us back to where it all began, at the dawn of the 18th century. We are finally treated to the origins of the character’s time on Earth, but not in a way that is a conventional origins story, instead conjuring a coming-of-age narrative inside of the Comanche tribe, with Naru finding her place as a dangerous hunter among a plateau of dangerous wildlife. Midthunder is remarkable in the lead role, sifting through a physicality and growing resiliency that makes her evolution all the more endearing, without triggering off the annoyances of final girls in the franchise that have been insufferable to persist through. Her bold eyes convey terror during pivotal moments of growing pains within the expansive characterization of the character, and the actress’ real life Native heritage cements an authentic quality in casting and performance that feels creatively responsible for the movie’s production, and one I wish other films would take with much commitment in approach. Speaking of production, the qualities persisting off camera are just as effective as those on, as the sound design and cinematography are exceptional for a genre that unfortunately undervalues both quite often in contemporary cinema. The former not only resonates in the heft and presence of the predator, but also in the paralyzing quiet of the established setting, where every little step or movement conveys terror in being realized by a stalking force, and the latter illustrates these hypnotically entrancing visuals (Especially during the third act) that provide an arthouse flare to a franchise that has ever been anything but, gifting us therapeutic beauty between scenes and sequences of brutal devastation.

NEGATIVES

Though the film’s condensed and small-scale setting does strip away much of the unnecessities that this franchise has continuously died by, the supporting cast still feels plucked directly from the 1980’s with their one-dimensional and shallow renderings. This is especially the case during the end of the second act, where ensuing tribes move in and out of frame, with their nauseating personalities feeling heavily predictable long before they’ve ever even delivered a single word of dialogue. These same characters also commit the same dumb decisions in logic that make them easily conquerable, which in turn directly contradicts their level of skill as a hunter and serves as the only skittish point in the film’s pacing, where you wait for the fate of inevitability to play its terrifying hand, before reaching the final conflict. Because Naru is such a great character with a remarkable arc, it leaves the supporting cast feeling hollow like a caricature, with the writing on the wall being written in the most permanent of marker. Aside from this, the only other real problem that I had with the film was a last-minute tie-in to a previous Predator film that created at least a temporary plot hole in logic with the events between films. This has to do with a particular firearm that any hardcore fan of the franchise will easily recognize, and just where it ends up by the conclusion of this film till the next time, we see it. One could certainly interpret that unforeseen matters off-screen could’ve easily altered the path of this plot device, but as it currently stands it creates a temporary speed bump between generations that is purely just fan service of the most compromising variety.

OVERALL
Dan Trachtenberg’s “Prey” never relents. It’s the same kind of vicious and tension-riddled engagement we’ve come to expect from the franchise, but with the benefit of a coming-of-age narrative for its tribal protagonist while navigating the unpredictable dangers of the 18th century wildlife. Because it’s committed to Midthunder’s star-making turn long-term, some of the supporting cast feel hollow by comparison, serving as the rare flaws to an otherwise exceptional addition to the inconsistent Predator franchise, that with the Hulu route, prove that some of the best things in life are in fact free.

My Grade: 8/10 or B+