Film Review - PREY
Images courtesy of The Walt Disney Company.
Through the 35 years since the original macho-brofest (and I mean that in the fondest way possible), the Predator franchise has had its fair share of rough patches. To be completely honest, pretty much every film since the first could be considered a bit of a rough patch. We've seen the iconic Yautja in pretty much all the places one could or would show up (bar the frozen tundra, à la the awesome Predator: Cold War comics). We've seen it crossover with the Alien franchise on the big screen on two separately frustrating occasions - what the heck is a Predalien and why did 13 year old me think it was the coolest thing ever? And thank the heavens we don't have to deal with the continuation of whatever was going on in 2018's frustratingly titled The Predator.
In comes Prey, a movie that director Dan Trachtenberg (of 10 Cloverfield Lane fame - or is it infamy?) reportedly didn't even want marketed as Predator-adjacent. Stripping the franchise of most of the sci-fi bells and whistles, and opting for a straight-up action/horror bloodbath, we're taken back to 1700s America at the tipping point of the colonial era, and are immediately immersed in the world of a Comanche tribe through the eyes of Naru (Amber Midthunder), a young woman who wishes to prove her worth as a hunter. To that end, kudos to 20th Century Studios for not only casting actual Native American peoples, but also ensuring there was also some form of representation behind the camera in producer Jhane Myers, who oversaw that this would be the first film to release with a full Comanche dub (performed by all of the original cast). It’s somewhat disheartening that such a simple thing as actually casting marginalised people in roles written for them is worth congratulating rather than just common practice, but taking those extra steps shows good faith, even if I would've loved to witness the entire film in its native tongue by default.
While the film isn't exactly venturing into unexplored narrative territory, this attention to the minutiae of the world the story takes place in does a lot of heavy lifting. Sprinkle in some atmosphere, splashes of gore, a dense helping of tension, and then finish the bubbling concoction with a good douse of fist-pumping action, and you’ve got one satisfying final product on your hands. It does also help that the violence is a slow ramp-up, and surprisingly dares to show brief spurts of brutality that most blockbuster franchises of its ilk would otherwise shy away from entirely, perhaps one of the freeing things about being destined for a streaming service (which is in itself a shame, because this thing deserves the IMAX treatment).
Though some audience members may be initially frustrated by the level of restraint on display in not constantly showing off the iconic villain, this simple decision does so much for making the Predator feel fresh and intimidating, and less like an action figure, proving you can have your cake and eat it too. Largely free of overt fan service or nostalgia-baiting, Prey is the rare modern prequel that dares to use its framework to propel the series in new directions, widening the universe without overcrowding it with familiar characters or obnoxiously hinting at an immediate sequel.
Follow Eli on Letterboxd, Twitter and Instagram.
PREY is streaming on Disney+ from Friday August 5th. For more info, click here.