The Predator franchise has had, shall we say, an uneven career since its inception in 1987. The basic idea is wonderful in its simplicity: An alien race that only cares about a good hunt visits Earth in search of prey. It worked especially well for the first two movies, but as further sequels, spinoffs, and excursions into games and comics occurred, that high-level concept was somewhat diluted, which is why Prey was so welcome. The most recent mainstream Predator film skips ahead in time and concentrates solely on the hunt, which is the most crucial aspect of the franchise.
This review contains spoilers for Prey.
The story of Prey, which takes place in 1719 in the Northern Great Plains, centers on Naru, a young Comanche hunter (Amber Midthunder). Despite being a great healer, Naru is constantly fighting against expectations put on her since she dearly wants to be a hunter and leader like her brother Taabe (Dakota Beavers). When questioned why she wants this so badly, she simply states, “Because you all think I can’t,” when asked why she trains with guns on her own and forces her way into hunting expeditions. She is forced into that warrior/hunter role a little earlier than she had anticipated by the advent of a particular extraterrestrial.
Naturally, Naru and her tribe initially don’t realize it’s an alien. They initially think they are being terrorized by a ferocious lion. However, it is the vigilant and perceptive Naru who understands there is more going on. She picks up on important things that everyone else ignores, like a hideously butchered snake and an odd green fluid. She interprets the appearance of the first blazing red storm in the sky as a sign that she is prepared to embark on her first major hunt, or “kuhtaamia.”
Prey, for the most part, is a leisurely buildup to the grand confrontation between Naru and the Predator. On the one hand, we see Naru gradually coming into her own, following her gut even when no one else does (apart from her encouraging brother). She is equally impatient, tenacious, and resourceful, all of which are helpful as she tries to figure out what exactly is going on. She makes being underappreciated a virtue. (A really cute dog who serves as her buddy also assists her.)
The alien, meantime, is continuously challenging himself in this unfamiliar environment. Before moving on to larger prey like bears and eventually humans, he begins by slicing up small creatures. Both a few Comanche hunters and a bunch of French fur trappers are included in this.
Prey’s patience is one of its best qualities, especially considering that it’s an action film. (The pace is similar to the first Predator, which is considered the pinnacle of the series.) The alien doesn’t even appear until around an hour in. It lurks around the fringes of the plains until that time, shrouded and mostly invisible, looking for a good foe. In brief violent bursts, it terrorizes people.
That’s not to say there isn’t action before then; in fact, there is, and it’s especially horrific and bloody. (One particularly disgusting sequence depicts the Predator in all its splendor, covered in bear blood.) But the movie does a fantastic job of revealing the main struggle over time. Even though you know Naru and the alien will ultimately become involved, Prey makes you wait for it, which makes it even more satisfying when they do. The Predator is particularly scary in this scene, employing a variety of futuristic-looking yet horrific tools and weapons to give the impression that it is virtually unstoppable.
I’ll admit that I had some reservations about representation going into Prey. Hollywood’s track record for presenting indigenous cultures on screen is not the best. And while I’m not the greatest person to determine whether the film is eventually effective in this aspect, it does seem that Prey’s strategy was given some serious consideration, from the use of the Comanche language to the indigenous talent in front of and behind the camera. The fact that Naru and her friends are the story’s heroes and aren’t just caricatures is also essential. (When any of the French trappers perished, I felt not the slightest bit sorry for them.)
The simplicity of Prey is ultimately what makes it effective. It never veers from its theme; instead, it gradually builds tension before a thrilling conflict. It furthers the intriguing lore behind Predator. In Prey, I wished the Predator series had been developed into something like to Assassin’s Creed, with each new installment touching on a different era and examining the mythos from a different perspective.
Viewers saw a room filled with trophy skulls in the second film, indicating that this species had spent a very long time traveling to other planets, including our own, in search of the perfect hunt. And in fact, that is what they discover in 1719 on Earth.
