Rating:
Every Predator movie means a special evening in our family. We watch it when we are sick. When good friends are visiting. Or when we want to relax after a hard week. That is why we could not ignore this new movie from the franchise. And here we go again. Humans mind their own business and have no idea an alien species just landed on the Earth to show off his skills and collect trophies. A deadly intelligent species armed with advanced weapons and able to lift a bear. This time, Comanche people in the Northern Great Plains in North America in 1719 will face the Predator.
The newest Predator movie is special because of two reasons. Chronologically, it should be seen as the very first movie so far. It happens in the earliest time period. This gives me hope that I will see also other different times and places in the next Predator movies. The one short scene in Alien Vs. Predator featuring an ancient civilization building pyramids and worshiping the Predators as gods has always been fascinating. And seeing a whole movie that would show the Predators become the gods of ancient humans thousands of years ago would be worth watching.
The second special thing about Prey is the main character, Naru. She is the first female main protagonist in the Predator series. And she is doing great. Her human vulnerabilities and advantages, her wishes, and intellect make her an ideal hero of such a movie.
What was a bit annoying was the old cliche of a capable woman who needs to prove her worth as a hunter and warrior to a bunch of men. Story-wise and society-wise it made sense in the movie. But these moments seemed dull. Still, they were only a few moments and the story rolled on.
What I appreciated after the first half of the movie was that I got enough time to understand Naru, see her in her ordinary life, and learn about her healing and hunting skills, and dreams. The whole Comanche society introduction and slow growth of tension and sense of danger resulted in a much deeper connection with Naru’s journey. Her fight for her life and the life of her dearest ones is wonderfully absorbing. And the connection with her and her times makes the ending of the movie rather bittersweet. She beat one of the universe apex predators. But we all know the fate of America’s population after the arrival of the colonists. The people from the Old World make a brief appearance and serve as a wonderful plot kicker. And they, unprepared for such an enemy, die well under the Predator’s might. The short time they were on the screen showed the worst of the colonization. The unscrupulous ravaging, stealing, cruelty, and arrogance of the French voyagers served also as another mirror to the Predator himself. The alien species came out of the mess a bit cleaner and more noble. Still, he displays the same want for trophies he can bring home and does not care about any living being in the world he invaded.
What I found interesting were the different levels of what a hunter means. The Comanche society is based on hunting and gathering. The venerable hunter title belongs to their strongest people. The Comanche, just like the Predators, make their people go through their own hunting rite of passage, and Naru’s life goal is to take down a big prey to gain respect in her tribe. She as well has, in this light, a lot in common with her opponent.
As mentioned above, it was refreshing to see a different environment and time. One of the main reasons why this worked so well is stripping the movie off the usual human weaponry of the 20th and the 21st century. The human skills and blending with nature to survive in one’s own home grew in importance The whole movie got a different new vibe, even though one kind of knows what to expect during a Predator hunting trip. The absence of modern weapons created a strong connection with the very first Predator movie. Naru’s knowledge of the nature and environment, and her own agility allowed her to take down and much stronger and more advanced opponent. This happens also in the first movie. Dutch, the main protagonist, needs to stop fully relying on the human technology that doesn’t work against such a mighty opponent that well. He, as Naru, ends up using mud and plants to get the Predator into a vulnerable situation.
This was a great sci-fi horror movie. However, I would love to see something not following the usual Predator movie formula. The movies could explore more sides of the Predator’s behavior. The ending showed the movie crew’s true care and knowledge of the Predator lore. They even included a nice easter egg in the form of the flintlock pistol with the inscription Raphael Adoliny 1715. This gun is featured briefly in Predator 2 and its appearance and the appearance of Raphael himself create more questions about the next fate of Naru and the pistol’s next story. Let’s hope we will see more about this.
Glenn's Nest 