Prey is silent. It may be the Predator the most apparent quality of the prequel. The silence that follows Amber Midthunder’s Naru into the desert is palpable. The film’s pre-colonial setting also, of course, helps replace the explosions and gunfire of earlier ones. Predator films with a calmer and more intimate form of warfare. It’s a prequel that sees the original film’s indulgence in bravado and macho posturing replaced with the quiet awe of life’s first journey into the unknown.
There are still parallels to be drawn between Prey and 1987 Predator, even beyond some of the more direct references to the prequel. Both films see their protagonists cut off from their own society, traversing an uncharted wasteland where they are hunted by the Predator, which remains a largely unseen threat throughout. Structurally, the original and its prequel open with a rescue mission, which engages the protagonists in a deadly game of cat and mouse with the Predator, culminating in a grueling final showdown between two hunters. In many ways, Prey is a reimagining as much as a prequel.
Prey good to follow Predatorkeeping his Feral Predator masked or otherwise obscured for most of his screen time, with the film’s abundant stillness often punctuated by the creature’s distinctive vocal clicks. Leaving the audience with only fleeting impressions of the creature’s presence, Prey keeps the suspense at the edge of your seat throughout. This tension reaches its climax in a final confrontation that decisively answers the central question of the film: who is the hunter and who is the hunted?
In his heart, Prey is a coming-of-age story – albeit cold and unforgiving. Amber Midthunder delivers a stunning performance as Naru, who yearns to prove herself as a hunter. As his older brother Taabe (Dakota Beavers) explains, in their Comanche tribe, one can only earn the role of hunter by undertaking the ordeal of hunting what hunts you. As she leaves the safe and familiar world of her tribe, hunting down the Predator, Naru is tested. Every test and trial she encounters helps her understand the deadly prey she now pursues.
Whereas Prey can be considered unconventional Predator In many ways, the fact that the central conflict revolves around a girl’s journey to adulthood is perhaps the most surprising element of all. However, this bold decision pays off. When Naru finally faces off against the Predator, audiences no longer watch one seasoned killer go head-to-head with another, but see the pinnacle of Naru’s development as a character. She is not a physical powerhouse like Predatorby Arnold Schwarzenegger, but instead relies on the skills, wit and instincts she honed over the course of the film to take on a truly terrifying adversary. And PreyPredator is terrifying.
Prey director Dan Trachtenberg decided he needed to redesign the Predator for his prequel film, feeling that with Prey Set 300 years ago, Predators should also be a little more primitive than seen before. The stripped down, less armored look makes for a Predator that looks wilder and more monstrous, earning it the nickname “Feral”. The creature is huge – Naru at one point notes that its tracks suggest it’s larger than a bear, which the Predator itself soon demonstrates horribly. Gone is the iconic Predator mask seen in previous entries in the franchise, replaced by a fearsome skull mask, worn as a trophy. And when the mask falls, Prey‘s Predator proves she’s still a ***** ugly mother.
The wild and hostile landscape in which the Predator and Naru chase each other is in many ways the star of the film. This desert is used in every scene to elevate Preypredominantly visual mode of storytelling. A gray, dead wasteland serves as the backdrop when Naru and Taabe are offered as bait for the Predator. The parting of the tall grass marks the advance of the cloaked creature as it pursues Naru. Naru’s emergence from a mud pit marks a moment of rebirth, seeing her learn to rely on herself for the first time. Moving the narrative to a time when much of the American landscape was still wild ultimately enhances the film’s primal hunter/prey dynamic.
The cast of Prey are dazzling. Amber Midthunder does a spectacular job of rising to the challenge of playing a lead role that has little dialogue. Much of her story is told in her actions, body language and expressions and it’s a mark of her talent that she brings Naru to life. Also particularly acclaimed is Dakota Beavers, who made her debut in Prey. A franchise blockbuster of this scale is no easy task for a first acting role, but Beavers brings Taabe such brotherly warmth, humor and strength of spirit that anyone could take it. for a seasoned Hollywood star.
Prey puts the fear back in Predator franchise. All the adrenaline-pumping action is still there, but worked into a narrative that works on suspense, where it seems any moment the Predator or some other terrible danger might strike. In Amber Midthunder’s Naru, the film finds a protagonist who isn’t just another action hero, but for whom the conflict with the Predator is a deeply personal and spiritual moment. Therefore, PreyThe quiet hunt of the wilderness, in which the roles of predator and prey become interchangeable, is perhaps the most terrifying and emotionally satisfying story that Predator franchise has ever produced.
Rating: 9/10
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