Prey

Prey is a stripped down and effective take on the Predator formula.  Said formula involves an alien hunter arriving on Earth, who comes in contact with a human warrior of some kind.  And even though the alien hunter holds advanced technology, the human uses their cunning and wits to outsmart the creature, and emerge victorious.  It's the same plot that most of these films have had for the 35 years the franchise has been running.  What matters is what the filmmaker does with it.

Director Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane) and screenwriter Patrick Aison takes the concept to its bare essentials, and manages to create a tense atmosphere.  By setting the film in the early 18th Century, and focusing on a young woman named Naru (Amber Midthunder, giving a commanding performance) who belongs in a male-dominated Comanche tribe and longs to prove herself worthy as a hunter, it creates an intriguing narrative without drawing too much attention to itself.  The dialogue is direct and minimal, but never feels underwritten.  Naru feels underestimated, even in her own family, where her brother Taabe (Dakota Beavers) gets to go out and protect her tribe, while she must stay behind and learn about medicines and healing the injured.  When Naru is the only one who notices a cloaked spaceship making its way through the clouds, she sees it as a spiritual sign that she is destined for more.

She is invited along for a hunt by her brother and some other tribesmen who clearly don't want her there, and begins to notice tracks that are too large for any animal, and disturbing sights, such as a snake and buffalo that have been completely skinned and slaughtered.  Deciding to go off on her own (with only her loyal dog at her side) to prove that she is worthy of being a warrior, Naru eventually finds herself staring down the Predator, and having to use her wits to outsmart this advanced and deadly creature.  Just like Schwarzenegger back in 87, Naru is dragged into a deadly game of hunted and hunter, and the movie genuinely creates some strong tension as to whether she (or her dog) will survive this encounter.

But beyond that, Prey creates a compelling narrative by having its young heroine not just facing against a supernatural enemy, but also the elements.  She is menaced by bears, mountain lions, and even quicksand before the creature makes its presence known to her. (It watches her cloaked in invisibility from time to time before it truly shows itself.) With its combination of lush, natural scenery and genuine tension, this probably would have been a blast seeing on the big screen with a large audience.  But, due to the fact the last time the Predator showed his ugly face on the screen didn't go over so well (2018's The Predator, which suffered from studio interference, and a tone that veered from thriller to slapstick comedy at the drop of a hat), I can understand why the studio was nervous, and dropped this on Hulu instead.

And while this entry doesn't really do anything new, it finds some interesting angles to grab your attention, to the point that this is probably the strongest sequel we've gotten from this franchise.  The only thing that could have used some work is the CG which, perhaps given the smaller budget, looks a bit off from time to time with Naru being threatened by largely cartoon looking animals, and an alien design that can't match with the physical effects work Stan Winston and his studio did back in the original.  Still, I managed to be engaged by the unique setting, and a strong female character that I hope will be brought back in a future film.

My only advice is that you watch this film the way it's meant to be seen.  Hulu is offering the film in a Comanche track with English subtitles, and it's definitely the way to go.  This is the most atmospheric entry the franchise has seen since the original, and it's only fitting to have the natural dialect playing to fully pull you in.

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