‘Prey’ Review (Disney+)
Stars: Amber Midthunder, Dane DiLiegro, Harlan Blayne Kytwayhat, Dakota Beavers, Michelle Thrush, Geronimo Vela, Stefany Mathias, Stormee Kipp, Mike Paterson, Julian Black Antelope | Written by Patrick Aison, Dan Trachtenberg | Directed by Dan Trachtenberg
The Predator franchise gets a stealth prequel in the shape of this smartly written sci-fi thriller that has the dreadlocked alien super-hunter under-estimating a worthy new opponent. In terms of sequels, Prey is comfortably the best Predator film since the 1987 original, though admittedly, that’s not a particularly high bar to clear.
Directed by Dan Trachtenberg (whose franchise-tweaking credentials were previously showcased in 10 Cloverfield Lane), Prey is set in 1719, on the Great Plains, where young Comanche tribeswoman Naru (Amber Midthunder) is desperate to become a warrior, fighting alongside her brother Taabe (Dakota Beavers). She finally gets her chance when she’s invited to participate in the ritual of kühtaamia and hunt and kill a vicious animal, before it does the same to her.
However, the ritual gets violently curtailed when an alien Predator (Dane DiLiegro) lands on the Great Plains and begins killing Naru’s fellow warriors, armed with both an array of weapons and an invisibility cloak. Naru quickly realises she’ll have to use every trick at her disposal in order to survive, while also fending off various other threats along the way, such as a bear, a mountain lion and a group of marauding French trappers.
The setting proves the first of several inspired decisions, allowing for some original hunting terrain, while also freeing the film from having to acknowledge the other films in the franchise (though there are a couple of nicely restrained, crowd-pleasing nods in that direction all the same). The choice of time period also enables a particularly brilliant action movie gag, when the terrified hunters all open fire on the Predator at once, only to then have to reload their single-shot pistols and muskets in panicked fashion.
Trachtenberg’s direction is assured throughout. In particular, he gives the film a strong sense of both pace and escalation, expertly building towards the inevitable final confrontation, with Naru defeating various other foes along the way. The clever script is especially satisfying in that regard, with Naru learning something about her fearsome opponent at every turn, information she’ll put to good use before the final credits roll.
It’s clear that a degree of thought has gone into the action sequences, though it’s also fair to say that there’s the occasional frustrating moment where you can’t quite tell what’s just happened. On the plus side, the action scenes are at least varied and inventive enough to compensate for those intermittent lapses.
In amongst Prey‘s action-based excitement, it’s also genuinely thrilling to watch Amber Midthunder’s star-making performance, which combines radiant charisma, thoughtful emotion and resourceful pragmatism in the ass-kicking department. The film also gains points for Indigenous casting, in that, aside from the French trappers, the cast is made up almost entirely of Native American actors.
The film is packed with great moments, from a heart-in-mouth quicksand encounter to the inspired use of the Predator’s neon green blood, which doubles as visually impressive warpaint for Naru. One particular highlight revolves around Naru’s genius, self-taught weapons upgrade, whereby she attaches a rope to her tomahawk.
On that note, it’s a shame that Prey is going straight to streaming on Disney Plus, because the film’s terrific sound design (especially on the aforementioned tomahawk-thwacking scenes) is almost certain to suffer on the transition to the smaller screen.
If there’s a problem with the film, it’s only that the messaging is slightly too heavy-handed (in a jarring, obviously 21st century way), though it’s understandable in the circumstances and no less effective for all that. Is “Prey 2: This Time, He’s Bringing His Friends” too much to hope for?
**** 4/5
Prey is available on Disney+ in the UK now.
