--Naru, Prey
Prey has a very different tone than that of the horrid 2018 film The Predator that was at war with itself, having two very conflicting sides as one of the most blatantly violent movies of the past few years and an MCU-style comedy--and not the good kind of MCU comedy. Thankfully, this is exactly what the struggling series needed for the resurrection of its often hit or miss quality. Not horror, but an action drama with the novel setting of early 1700's Comanche society, Prey does take the basic structure of the 1987 Predator film and not change much on the level of the broad narrative, but the Native American context, the somewhat different appearance of the Predator and its technology, and the sheer quality of the action and buildup elevate it to great heights. That a strong Native American cast (yes, it is noteworthy for such a large Native American cast to be given prominence in a movie like this, and this alone is something to celebrate) gets the spotlight also means Prey accomplishes something unique behind the camera even as it returns the franchise to glory in other ways.
Production Values
Two things in particular stand out in the effects and cinematography side of Prey, or, in other words, in its visual side. The colors grey and red are utilized very well in maintaining an aesthetic identity, with the red from the Predator's cloaking system perhaps being a different color this time because this is set hundreds of years before the original film, so just like humans, the Predators would have had time to evolve their technological status before that fateful 1987 showdown. With the cinematography, the greatest successes come in the form of avoiding rapid, close-up shots during action sequences and allowing prolonged single shots to elapse with a lot happening before the camera cuts away. Some of the later fights with the Predator immensely benefit not just from very smooth and clever action choreography as it showcases a diversity of alien weapons, but also from just letting the viewer have a clear, unbroken look at these events. Prey stands far above the manner many action scenes are shot and edited today.
Only a small human cast persists throughout the film, either because of character deaths or because they simply are not part of the main events, yet Amber Midthunder makes for a great lead actress as Naru (and she is an Amber who seems to deserve a bright future in cinema for once!), a Comanche woman eager to establish herself as a capable hunter. Prey is her movie just as it is the Predator's. Whereas Arnold Schwarzenegger served as a gender-bent final girl in the first movie, Naru is an actual final girl who expresses a lot of strategic cleverness. Her brother Taabe is played by Dakota Beavers with similar talent as he comes to approve of her determination and skill. Not many human characters get more than a few minutes of total screentime across the movie, but Midthunder and Beavers share enough scenes with each other for their bond as siblings who look out for each other, even if they have disputes, to be established very well.
Story
Some spoilers are below.
In the context of a Comanche community that does not encourage her desire to become a hunter, Naru sees what she assumes is a thunderbird, which actually is an extraterrestrial vessel dropping a Predator off on Earth. This creature disrupts the local wildlife, inspiring caution in Naru even as her warnings are dismissed. The alien visitor, meanwhile, watches how various animals interact with each other and begins killing the greatest predators among them. Before long, it has attacked a group of Comanche, and Naru realizes that the only reason it once spared her is that it no longer regarded her as a threat. She uses 1700s firearms, Native American tools, and a clever strategy to her advantage as she prepares to kill this beast after this discovery.
Intellectual Content
Despite not exploring any particularly foundational while still having its own artistic merit, Prey does touch upon subjects like the humanity of the Comanche, the idiocy of gender stereotypes (Naru receives dismissal in wanting to be a hunter, and her gender seems to be a factor in some cases), and the evolving nature of technology are all woven into the story at times. Human technological development is not particularly unusual to explore in science fiction, but something less popular is cinematic depictions of how extraterrestrials develop their technology over time. That the Yautja (that is actually the official name of the Predator species) of Prey is seen with a bone mask and weapons that are either not necessarily electric or not as refined as that of the later Predators addresses this. As an aside, the way the Predator observes various animal relationships and targets the predator among them in some of its earlier scenes (I actually saw this movie with a fellow rationalist who has not seen the prior movies or forgot about them, and they realized just from these scenes what the Predator's targets all have in common) is also illustrated quite well, and it is utilized as a great way to visually communicate the Predator tendency to attack creatures that exhibit aggressive traits. Yautja technology and culture get explored enough that even a franchise newcomer could glean key details fairly quickly.
Conclusion
For all of the narrative similarities it shares with the original film in some ways, Prey does change the setting to one that permits a greater contrast between the vulnerability of humans with now-outdated weapons and an alien hunter with its own weapons that are primitive by Predator standards of 200+ years later. Making almost every scene justify its inclusion in the finished cut and leaning into the best aspects of long camera shots were excellent artistic decisions as well. Prey is by far one of the best Predator movies of all and is at least close to the original in the strength of its competent simplicity: this is not simplicity in the sense of gratuitous repetition and lackluster execution. It is simplicity in the sense of veering away from gratuitous scenes and unfocused plot threads. If Prey is an indicator as to what the quality of the franchise will likely be going forward, then it is a very positive indicator indeed.
Content:
1. Violence: In multiple cases, body parts are cut off or shown after they have been severed, and green Yautja blood is spilled many times.
2. Profanity: Occasionally, words like "shit" are used.
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