Prey (2022)

 

Two of my most beloved extraterrestrial creatures haven't always gotten the best treatment. Yet, the xenomorphs tend to be regarded as somewhat more artistic thanks to the involvement of people like Ridley Scott. But that other iconic creature, the Predator (or Yau'tja) often got the worse end of the stick. The first one is a bonafide action/horror classic, the second an underappreciated cult classic and then things get wonky. 'AvP' was okay, yet hugely undercut the status of the Predators as scary killing machines and 'Predators' tried but ultimately fell a bit short. 

We're not going to talk about the absolute abomination that was Shane Black's 'The Predator'. Sorry. That one is atrocious and deserves to remain buried. 

So when it was announced that a new one was being made, this time set in the 18th century and with Comanche indians, let's be honest: most people weren't overly enthusiastic. Carefully curious perhaps.

I'm glad to report that this is probably the best sequel to the original. It might even be better than 'Predator 2'. So applause for director Dan Trachtenberg. You sir, have warmed my heart.

In a Comanche village, Naru, a young girl, is one of the better trackers. She really wants to be respected as a hunter, but her older brother and others don't see her that way. No, this is not like a Disney princess, because people know what she is capable of, but like they say in the film: "She hasn't brought any prey back from a hunt." So she isn't quite there yet on the skill level. But one day, she discovers bizarre tracks and things become weird. When she is attacked by a massive bear, the animal is killed by an unseen foe and soon the hunt is on, as the Predator discovers that people seem to be the most dangerous creatures present, after slaying a wolf and a bear. Naru and her brother also come across a band of French fur trappers that form yet another obstacle for the pair to overcome. Eventually it all leads to Naru having to face this alien menace all alone... 

Okay, the story does feel derivative of everything else we've seen so far, but bear with me. This film has a lot of things working in its favour. For starters (and this might seem like something obvious yet isn't) every actor/actress playing a Native American is in fact of such descent. They also use real Comanche dialogue at times, even if a lot is also in English subbing for Comanche. But the French trappers only speak French and not too shabbily. With some guys you can hear French isn't their first language, but details. It's better than the wonky Dutch used in 'Wonder Woman'. (the West Flemish people there speak the dialect of Limburg, which is on the other side of the country)

The cinematography is excellent and what Trachtenberg really tried to do is bring back that atmosphere of dread from the first one. You never know what is hunting you or where it is and it sparingly uses the Predator in full view. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is what makes this film work. It's not straight up horror, but the tension is palpable and we have missed this for so long. The actors do a great job and bonus points for Amber Midthunder as Naru for pretty much carrying the entire film on her shoulders. 

Minor gripes could be that some of the CG is a bit off (blame the lower budget) and some of the callbacks do feel a bit forced. I mean, repeating the: "If it bleeds, we can kill it.", really?

But other than that, this is very, very solid 'Predator'-film. Fans will enjoy it, non-fans can enjoy it and hopefully the future brings more on the franchise in this vein.