Prey Review: Predator Vs Comanche Warriors
Prey is the fifth and newest entry in the somewhat patchy Predator franchise, or seventh if you include the Alien Vs Predator movies. But who’s counting? Prey takes place among a tribe of Comanche hunters in 1719. Among them is Naru, a young female Comanche (Amber Midthunder), who desperately wants to be taken seriously as a warrior and hunter, but is constantly kept in check by the male members of her tribe. When she becomes aware of a strange and savage presence stalking the forest, she chooses this as the quarry she will hunt and kill to prove her worth.
Prey is a prequel to the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger action classic, Predator (directed by John McTiernan). On the surface the Predator formula is a beautifully simple one. Take memorable characters, put them in an already dangerous location, and then drop in a predator and see what happens. It is surprising, then, that the franchise that followed has had so many false-starts. Of course, not every movie director has John McTiernan’s action chops, but perhaps the biggest issue for all but the 1987 original, was the lack of a worthy foe for the predator. Who can possibly match up to Arnold in all his rippling, glistening 1980s glory? Surely, once you’ve seen Arnie take down an alien killing machine there’s really nowhere left to go.
Prey might just convince you otherwise. By going back to a time and place where human beings had to be deadly hunters in order to survive, director Dan Trachtenberg and writer Patrick Aison may have found the predator’s most dangerous foe yet. The Comanche’s have generally been dealt a bad hand when it comes to onscreen representations, having been depicted in countless westerns (rightly or wrongly) as bloodthirsty, ruthless savages. It is satisfying, therefore, that in Prey they are the heroes of the piece, are very much human beings, and yet their reputation for being badasses is kept intact. Seeing a tribe of Comanche warriors take it to a predator with spears, arrows and tomahawks is undoubtedly the best predator vs anything bout since 1987.
Although Prey is a prequel in a long-established franchise, it successfully stands on its own, and in some ways sets up the idea of the predator even more effectively than the original movie. In the 1987 Predator, we are told that the predator is the ultimate intergalactic big-game hunter, looking to take down worthy prey for sport. Here that idea is set up with greater clarity. We see the predator exploring its new surroundings and we see it trying out different adversaries, tackling snakes, wolves, a bear, until finally settling on humans. Its modus operandi is even used against it. Naru, a young woman, is not seen by the predator as a threat, which enables her to survive and plot against her quarry. Prey, therefore, uses the concept of what the predator is, what it does and why, to greater effect than any other movie in the franchise, while at the same time providing a pleasing feminist twist.
Aesthetically Prey separates itself from other franchise entries. It looks gorgeous, and in its early stages, has a measured, almost meditative tone, which befits a depiction of life on the great plains. Certainly, the majesty of the landscape is well captured. At times one could almost be watching a Terrence Malick movie. Unfortunately, one has to say less kind things about some of the special effects. Throughout the movie, the Comanches encounter dangerous animals, which they hunt, and which threaten their safety. These are almost entirely rendered in CGI and are almost completely unconvincing.
Thankfully the predator itself looks great – recognisable but different. Its armour is more primitive, more of its face is exposed, and it appears to be a breed of predator we haven’t encountered before. It’s a nice idea that there are different races of predator, just as there are different races of humans.
The cast are strong, though only Midthunder, and Dakota Beaver, who plays Naru’s brother Naabe, are given sufficient development to make an impact. Midthunder acts and looks the part. In her hands Naru is defiant, intelligent, vulnerable and brave. She also has fantastic flowing hair (Prey could easily have had a tie in advertising deal with Vidal Sassoon), and a black stripe across her face that makes her seem every bit the brave warrior maiden she wants to be.
It must be said that Prey does not quite stack up against 1987 Predator. It doesn’t have the iconic characters, the quotable one liners, or the memorable kills. But with its feminist spin, refreshing change of time and location, and a slightly more developed sense of the predator’s behaviour, Prey comes in a respectable second place.
