Running Time: 99 minutes
This feature from Walt Disney Studios and 20th Century Studios will debut exclusively on Hulu August 5th.
As many movie enthusiasts will know, one of the best action pictures to come out of the 1980s was Predator (1987). The feature boasted a star at the top of his game trading quips with a motley crew of soldiers and squaring off against a memorable and formidable otherworldly monster. Many would have anticipated that its success would have spawned a long-running franchise. Alas, most follow-ups simply haven’t risen to expectations. A recent chapter in 2018 had its moments, but still didn’t make a lasting impression. Prey is the most recent attempt at revitalizing the series and serves as a prequel to the original. It boasts an interesting concept, but once again fails to deliver jolts or thrills.
Set in 1719, the story follows Naru (Amber Midthunder), a teenager living in the Comanche Nation on the Northern Great Plains. After noting strange footprints in the area, she attempts to convince her brother Taabe (Dakota Beavers), family and other hunters that their community may be in peril. Despite her amazing hunting skills, no one will take her seriously and believe that it must be a lion or bear. A frustrated Naru decides to venture out on her own and stop the responsible party herself. She eventually encounters The Predator (Dane DiLiegro), a massive, muscular alien hunting Earth’s most dangerous prey. A number of battles ensue, with the lead, as well as hunters from the Comanche and other groups cross paths with the monster.
The idea of bringing an alien beast to an earlier time period and seeing a terrified community with less-advanced technology desperately fight off the imposing invader is a promising one. Unfortunately, the movie never explicitly endangers or threatens the home habitat of the central characters. The headstrong Naru heads out with her dog into the wild and the majority of the movie is spent in the open expanse. Strangely enough, while there are dangers experienced along the way due to inexperience, she doesn’t even come into direct contact with The Predator until after the midway point of the film. And since the lead only has her dog as a companion, there’s little in the way of clever or insightful banter that other films in the series have possessed.
While the screenplay does a good job of developing the relationship and minor tension between the protagonist and her brother (who takes her claims seriously, but is often forced to promote her ideas in more moderate ways) other characters do not fare nearly as well. The rest of the Comanches (as well as a group of nasty French fur trappers) are written in a one-note fashion, simply ignoring and/or abusing the lead. They come across as overly ignorant and by the time they appear, are nothing more than target practice for the antagonist. As for the creature itself, The Predator is depicted in a similar way to previous films, only this version wears less armor and flexes more muscles than earlier incarnations.
The locations are nicely shot and, of course, later sequences in the film involving those under assault by the monster do result in a couple of impressive and effectively pieced-together battles. But again, a story with a protagonist who is considerably sharper to most other human characters (and the alien, for that matter) nullifies much of the suspense and leaves the entire enterprise feeling flat.
It’s an unfortunate situation, seeing as a great deal of tension and thrills could have been eked out of this scenario. Perhaps another pass or two at the screenplay that would have helped develop more supporting characters and raised the dramatic stakes. Those who love this famous alien creature will certainly watch the movie regardless, but Prey feels like yet another missed opportunity. In the end, one can understand why Disney and Fox have chosen to premiere this title on streaming platforms.