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Star Rating:
Prey, a prequel to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Predator movies, tells the story of a Comanche woman in 1719 who wants to prove herself as a hunter. However, she must protect her people, as a Predator appears to hunt down other hunters.
I’ll admit that I didn’t think much of this film before watching it. In today’s entertainment climate, I was concerned about a poorly written female lead (this is coming from a woman, by the way) and a poorly written plot that merely uses the Predator property.
However, I was gladly mistaken. Prey offers a well-written narrative with well-thought-out characters. The story itself, set in the Great Plains in 1719, did well to stick to the prequel concept. The Predator, while more advanced than any of the humans it encounters, was still less advanced than the Predator from the original films.
The writers also did an excellent job of taking advantage of the Comanche culture of the time, and I’m glad they didn’t feel the need to hide aspects of the culture that would be more sensitive to modern audiences, such as the gender roles established in their society.
Naru, a Comanche woman, wants to be a hunter, but their culture doesn’t consider it appropriate for women to hunt. Rather than avoiding the subject, the authors capitalized on it when they had her fight the Predator.
She is also well-written. She’s flawed, and she must learn as she goes. While she is capable from the beginning, she does make mistakes and is not perfect. She cares about her brother and her people, and this compassion often fuels her desire to kill the Predator.
The Predator, a part with no words, must convey everything through gestures and actions, which the actor performed beautifully. He felt threatening, yet he also seemed to enjoy hunting. There were some well-chosen shots that contributed to the intensity of the Predator.
The movie never put Taabe, Naru’s brother, down to improve his sister’s fighting abilities. In fact, he was highly skilled and frequently taught Naru how to improve her skills. I particularly enjoyed the choreography of his fight scenes with the Predator.
The movie’s lighting was nicely done. The lighting in movies nowadays makes it hard for me to see scenes, but thankfully, they chose to let us see what was going on. However, I occasionally had trouble hearing them speak.
And, while I usually try not to spoil anything while writing reviews, I will include one spoiler. So, if you want to avoid spoilers, skip this paragraph. Anyway, one of my other favorite aspects of Prey was that the dog did not die. So many films will kill off the dog. But this one kept him alive throughout the film and even worked him in really cleverly.
Prey turned out to be a far more enjoyable film than I expected. I think it honors the original films and the Predator as a foe while also introducing something new and fresh to the franchise.
I’m also happy to see a movie with a well-written female lead again, something I believe we’re missing a lot these days, despite the drive for more female-led films. If you enjoyed the original Predator films or the genre in general, I strongly recommend watching this film.
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