MPAA Rating: R/ Genre: Period Sci-Fi Action Horror/ Stars: Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Michelle Thrush, Stormee Kipp, Julian Black Antelope, Bennett Taylor, Dane DiLiegro/Runtime: 99 minutes
I think it is a fairly safe bet to make that one of the most iconic slices of cinema that movie goers were fortunate enough to receive in the legendary decade known as the 80s would easily have to be the movie Predator. Indeed not only is it a slice of cinema that hooks you in with an ingenious narrative that I have no doubt everyone in the land of movie magic immediately shot themselves in the foot for not thinking of first, but the cast is all perfectly selected for their respective roles including pop culture defining work from Arnold Schwarzenegger, the work behind the camera by John McTiernan and co. is just as much on-point as the work from the actors, and the film does a great job of operating as a Dirty Dozen-type movie in the first half before then segueing perfectly into a slow-burn horror film in the second half as the guys are picked off one by one by a creature that, when finally revealed in all its glory, is easily one of the most iconic sci-fi villains of the past 4-5 decades. So, with such a terrific playbook on display for that first film I really do feel like I have to ask: how on Earth (or anywhere else in the universe for that matter) did the 3 movies that came after it in 1990, 2010, and 2018 respectively manage to fumble the ball on the level that they did? Oh, don’t get me wrong: each entry does have things about them that I like, but overall, it just feels like the 2nd one tries too hard to distinguish itself from the first one whilst also forgetting a lot of the things that made the first so successful, the 3rd one plays very similar to the first one except for a few tweaks here and there, and the 4th one isn’t terrible, but you can clearly see the moments where the studio interfered in the making of it big time. Oh, and there were also two crossover films in the 2000s with the creature from the Alien franchise, but we don’t really talk about those. With all of that in mind therefore, I can honestly say that I really didn’t know how to feel when it was announced that they were in fact going ahead with the making of yet another entry in this franchise and no less a helmer than the guy who helmed 10 Cloverfield Lane was the one assigned to bring it to the finish line. So, as you can imagine I was quite concerned that this guy had been given an assignment that, for all intents and purposes, looked like the infamous suicide missions the military is known for engaging in from time to time. Thankfully, I can now safely say that I was wrong to fear the worst. That is because the slice of cinema known as Prey is actually really freaking good. Sure, it might have its flaws here and there, but the story is compelling, the characters (especially the lead) are fairly fleshed out, the action and suspense are downright riveting and engaging, and the atmosphere is a solid mix of tense and ominous in equal measure. Suffice it to say Prey is not only the best film in this franchise since we were told to get to the choppa all the way back in 1987, but it is also a late summer surprise that is definitely worth a watch.
The plot is as follows: Winding the clock all the way back to 1719 and dropping us in the middle of the territory that at the time was still very much seen as land belonging to the fierce Comanche Nation, Prey gets underway by introducing us to a young woman, and our main heroine, by the name of Naru. She is, we rather quickly learn, is the younger sibling of a guy in the tribe by the name of Taabe whose talents and skill at hunting has resulted in him being held in some degree of regard amongst the elders and who they send out whenever a bobcat, bear, or something else with razor-sharp teeth and claws threatens the wellbeing of the tribe. We soon learn that, despite being insanely good at treating wounds and tracking her quarry down, our heroine hasn’t quite been able to master the “art of the hunt” as well as her brother though not for lack of effort and, despite his reservations, wishes to have the chance to hunt something down that will earn her the same amount of regard and respect from the tribe. We soon see that this is one wish that the universe, in that mysterious way it does so well, decides to grant when something enigmatic and threatening arrives from the sky and begins going after critters in the nearby wooded areas utilizing technology that is more advanced than our world has ever seen and with a ferociousness that is truly second to none. Of course, as we all know, this enigmatic organism is what is known as a Predator and the reason it has landed on our planet is because it is taking part in a hunt of what it views as our planet’s top-tier predators (starting thankfully with a rattlesnake because one less snake in the world means I can sleep one percent easier at night). Unfortunately, it isn’t long before this entity sets its sights on Naru, Taabe, and the rest of their tribe to see if they are worthy foes. It is because of this that we see that our heroine has had our wish granted and is now being given the chance to take part in a hunt with the caveat being that it is one that promises to be the most perilous that anyone on this world has faced. Suffice it to say that with the odds stacked firmly against her, can our heroine find a way to take her extraterrestrial quarry down or is this one hunt that is about to make humanity’s superiority on this planet be thrown into serious question? That I will leave for you to discover for yourself dear reader….
Now, in his first slice of cinema since he gave us 10 Cloverfield Lane, we see that once again film helmer Dan Trachtenberg manages to showcase he is a storyteller with heart to spare and a wonderful eye for detail to boot. Perhaps key among these details is the fact that the main reason this slice of cinema feels distinct from the prior entries in this series is in how patient and methodical it is. A patience best showcased by how this helmer walks that narrow line of giving us more of the narrative whilst also giving us moments to pause and reflect on what we have seen so far. Suffice it to say that it is this balancing act between the more solemn moments and the moments of complete and utter chaos are absolutely integral to this film working on the level that it does. Yet even though the riveting action beats and visceral content that you might be hoping for does eventually occur, we see that although the film has no desire to rush to get there, it does still give us some delightful surprises as it makes its way there all the same. We also see that this slice of cinema’s script does a wonderful job of feeling both organic enough to be its own thing whilst also inserting in some wonderfully subtle winks and nods to the rest of the franchise that help to ensure this film is seen as a proper entry in the series rather than just a parallel to it. Sure, there will be those of you who appreciate the connective tissue on display, but there is no denying that this is one entry that should work just as well for people who aren’t familiar with the rest of the franchise as it will for those of us who have seen every prior entry at least twice. Now, when looking at this from a visual perspective, this film looks downright incredible. Indeed this film’s creative team behind the camera have managed to give us as movie goers a riveting viewing experience that makes every area we traverse with the characters look new whilst also making it easy to see what is going on (unlike certain moments in 2018’s The Predator). On top of that though, we see that the filmmaking team have managed to deploy quite a few wonderful tricks of the trade so to speak to help keep the environment around the characters riveting whilst also permitting the film itself to keep a fairly consistent vibe of location regardless of what is going on. A feat that is perhaps best displayed in the fairly suspenseful moments where the Predator, despite its size, has managed to blend into the surroundings and we are just left waiting for it to pop up with a wonderful mix of horror-stricken anticipation. Finally, it should be said that the moments of combat in this film are not only truly well-sculpted, but they also do a great job of keeping you on the edge of your seat whenever they occur since you are never quite sure just how they will turn out for any of the characters who find themselves involved. Suffice it to say that the work done by the various departments behind the camera really do their part in ensuring this film is as riveting and terrifying, but also just plain fun as it could hope to be.
Of course, along with the aforementioned attributes behind the camera, it also doesn’t hurt this slice of cinema in the least that the cast in this also do their part in front of the camera to make this a genuinely enjoyable time. Indeed, there might not be that many people to this cast and each and every one of them aren’t exactly known names in the realm of movie magic, but the fact still remains that each and every one of them gives this slice of cinema 110%. As a result, we are able to see that these performers are able to keep their characters wonderfully rooted in a sense of reality whilst also ensuring that they keep the terror or action beats on display from overwhelming everything else in the film including their performances. This starts with lead actress Amber Midthunder who, right from the word go it feels like, is able to earn a spot in the legacy of iconic sci-fi horror legends. This is because she might not be in every single minute of this film’s 99, including credits, minute runtime, but Midthunder still very much is required to hoist this slice of cinema on her back due to either acting opposite a handful of equally as talented performers, including a canine that is a genuine joy whenever it’s in the film due to how straight up happy he looks that he gets to be in this, or is by herself for lengthy stretches in this. Yet even in moments that require her to go into full-blown action heroine mode, Midthunder shows that she has terrific chops in terms of holding her own in an action scene be it against members of her own tribe, another group that I shan’t spoil here, or even in the moments where she is engaged in combat against the Predator especially in the final 15 minutes of the film which will definitely leave you cheering her on as she kicks some serious alien hunter butt. Suffice it to say it is a genuine career-making performance and I hope we get to see Midthunder in more movies after this because she is a genuine star in the making. Now working alongside her is an equally as on-point group of co-stars starting with Dakota Beavers who is terrifically cast as her older brother Taabe. Indeed, Beavers does a great job at giving us a character who really doesn’t know if his sister is telling the truth about this creature, but nevertheless is willing to give her the benefit of the doubt even if he also has to juggle that sibling loyalty to his devotion to protecting the tribe with his fantastic hunting skills. Now, amongst the few roles in this slice of cinema that are not a Native American character, is a wonderfully sinister performance in this by Mike Paterson whose role as a character only called “Big Beard” in the credits is so potent and unabashedly slimy that he is easily one of the finest secondary villains in a slice of cinema in this franchise to date. Finally, it should also be pointed that out as the Predator in this, we do get a wonderful performance from Dane DiLiegro in the part. Yet not only does DiLiegro capture the physicality that is of the utmost importance to this role, but he also does a wonderful job at also showcasing, albeit silently, delightful moments scattered throughout where the Predator actually showcases a range of emotions including astonishment, irritability, and assertiveness throughout this film’s runtime. Suffice it to say that every single member of this cast does a terrific job with both their individual character arcs, but also in fleshing out the world of the film as well.
All in all I’m not going to lie to you dear reader: I very much did not know what to expect from this slice of cinema, but to say that I feared the worst might be a wee bit of an understatement. Fortunately, movies still do have a chance to surprise me from time to time and in the case of this one I can easily say that it was one of the more pleasant surprises (besides Elvis and Top Gun: Maverick) that I have had the pleasure of watching this year. Indeed, at the core of this franchise, there has always been an exciting hook in the form of what exactly would occur if some of the toughest people on the planet found themselves being hunted and stalked by an entity from another world that is their superior as much as they are to 95% of the population on Earth? It was this concept incidentally that made the first film in this franchise the iconic film that it was back in 1987 and still is to this day. It’s just unfortunate that the next 3 entries in the franchise decided to trade that concept in by and large in order to focus more on expanding the lore as well as the minute details of the titular creature in ways that if I am being perfectly honest with you….it didn’t really need. Oh, sure you can throw out certain hints like in Predator 2 when you see the titular entity’s trophy room to name a particular example. However, by going too overboard like they did you really do ruin the mystique and enigmatic quality of the character that I feel is necessary to make this entity the imposing threat that it is supposed to be to our main characters. Thankfully, 2022’s Prey is by no means like those other slices of cinema as we see it return to that key thematic concept plot, placing it in an intriguingly novel locale and era sandbox we haven’t seen a lot of sci-fi movies play in, and then just cutting loose to maximum effort. Suffice it to say that Prey is an absolutely wonderful slice of cinema that manages to locate a wonderful mix of vivid work behind the camera, top-notch performances from a game cast in front of the camera, and tautly riveting action beats that will leave you on the edge of your seat to blend together in order to create a slice of cinema that is not just the finest entry in this series since the original all the way back in 1987, but is also a slice of cinema that, even if you have never once checked out any of the previous 4 entries, is still worth hunting down. Make of that what thou will dear reader. On a scale of 1-5 I give Prey “2022” a solid 3.5 out of 5.
