It’s time for humans to play prey to another Predator! This time there isn’t a Schwarzenegger to save the day as Prey (2022) is set about 300 years ago before any other Predator film. Our protagonist, Naru (Amber Midthunder) is a sharp-eyed, smart woman who wants more than anything to be respected as a hunter rather than forced into being a gatherer/caregiver as is expected of the women in her Comanche tribe.
Through intense training she’s become quite skilled at throwing an axe, tracking, and gathering medicinal shit nature has to offer. After trying and failing to prove to her tribe that she, too, can be a hunter, she has the good/bad luck for a Predator (Dane DeLiegro) to get dropped off on Earth like parents dropping their kid off at the mall. “Okay honey, have fun slaying the humans. We’ll be back in a little bit to pick you up.” This fun day trip for the Predator gives Naru exactly what she’s been waiting for: the ultimate test to prove she can be a great hunter.
Even if you’ve missed the six other Predator films, you could watch Prey and be perfectly up to speed, as the film smoothly establishes new characters, the mission of the Predator, and the world in which they collide. There are a few call backs, however, for those of us who have devoured the original films (or comics), but not so many that it feels like it’s trying to be a copycat. Prey brings a distinct pattern to the Predator tapestry while maintaining the underlying original design.
The first 45 minutes threads in the Predator sparingly, creating a feeling of looming doom, or excited anticipation, while setting up the human element of the story. Prey uses its scenes smartly, with each bearing a specific purpose and/or set up— which is more than I can say about so many other modern movies overstuffed with Whedon-esque zingers and hints at future installments. Conversely, I could have maybe used juuuust a little more Predator spread into the first 45 minutes. Once big bad Predator starts stacking up the kill count, though, it’s a rocking-rad time.
One thing the original Predator (1987) has that this one doesn’t is the development of secondary characters for the audience to care about. In the original, we get a loveable band of oddball mercenaries whom we don’t want to see get decapitated/dismembered/de-spined. In Prey, you root for Naru and her brother Taabe (Dakota Beavers), but for most other characters you’ll be rooting for the Predator to tear into them. And boy does it! It chops limbs and heads like it’s a retired butcher enjoying the art of it! Great choreography, location use, and special effects make the last half of the film a fun, wild roller coaster ride.
It’s a tough thing, making a film which will be compared to something like the original Predator, with Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and his posse of people with personalities so big you can see them from space. (In fact, that might be what attracted the original Predator to Earth!) Prey is easily the next best installment in the franchise. While Naru may not have a posse backing her up, she is a badass boss bitch who, like Dutch, can’t out-muscle the Predator. Instead, she overpowers it up by using her brain and analyzing her strengths and its weaknesses. I love love love how smart AND skilled Naru is- every person she comes across underestimates her and waves her off like a pesky fly. They finally start paying attention when she comes home with a trophy of her own. Prey is well worth it for newcomers and old guard alike!
Best Kill: Net Guy
The Predator throws a net and captures a guy underneath. Now, we’ve seen Predators use a net before in other films, but this time, it’s not just a regular old net! It’s a souped-up alien net that slices and dices the dude until he’s just a pile of goo steaming on the ground. Gross! I love it.
Action Rating: 4 Predators at the Mall, out of 5
This is the Action Flick Chick, and you’ve just been kicked in the ass!
