Film Review: PREY (2022): Amber Midthunder Excels in New Origin Film but the Original Remains the Best

Prey Review

Prey (2022) Film Review, a movie directed by Dan Trachtenberg, written by Patrick Aison and Dan Trachtenberg and starring Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Dane DiLiegro, Stormee Kipp, Michelle Thrush, Julian Black Antelope, Stefany Mathias, Bennett Taylor, Mike Paterson, Nelson Leis, Harlan Blayne Kytwayhat and Samuel Marty.

In 1987, Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in a fast paced, enjoyable action/adventure science fiction film titled Predator about a monster from space who starts hunting a military rescue team. In the sequel, Predator 2, the action moved to Los Angeles with fun results and that picture was a successful movie but didn’t fare well at the box-office for whatever reason. Several sequels and spin-off movies later, we get Prey, a noble, competently made attempt at an origin story. We’ve seen films in this franchise with several “Predators” so the new movie offering audiences basically one “Predator” is a bit disappointing but being this is a prelude to the original film, it still gets credit where credit is due especially for setting the action in the 1700’s and featuring a Camanche warrior as its protagonist.

In the early scenes set on the Northern Great Plains, we meet a young female character eager to hunt as successfully as possible. Her name is Naru (Amber Midthunder) and she has a bond with her brother Taabe (Dakota Beavers) but it doesn’t seem that he believes she is capable of achieving greatness in the specialization of hunting. Taabe shoots down a bird himself but Naru points out that he will have to go through the water to pick it up whereas it would have been easier if Taabe let Naru take her shot at the bird and have it land right by their sides.

Early on, we see a slithering vicious snake get brutally skinned as the Predator of the movie’s title arrives to hunt down some victims himself. Naru must protect her family/tribe from this evil entity and the movie has a great time sending other animals of the wild to fight against the Predator (nicely played by Dane DiLiegro) who is invisible most of the time and has oddly colored computer graphic eyesight which this film offers a glimpse of as per the original movie in the series. What kind of animals go up against the Predator? A wolf, a bear and a dog, to name a few. By the way, the dog of the movie is Naru’s chief companion and the animal plays a nice supporting part in the action here.

For a movie that is solely on streaming, a lot of work has gone into it. There are at least eight minutes of closing credits which demonstrate the craftsmanship that went into making Prey. It’s a solid effort in some respects as it will give new generations an origin story for the Predator but this is not at the level of the 1987 movie. Midthunder does a great job but she’s not Arnold Schwarzenegger who was, perhaps, the biggest action star of his generation at the time the original Predator was released. Having said that, Midthunder does give a “new star is born” performance here and although she’s a little wet behind the ears, she eventually grows into the role by the end of the picture which will have audiences cheering as she stands up for her brother and fights against the chief heavy human character, Big Beard (Mike Paterson).

There are a number of exciting scenes with the Predator who wears a mask which gets knocked off at one or two of the film’s high points. The creature is well designed as per your typical Predator movie but Prey lacks plot development. It’s a simple story with little complexity. I didn’t notice the lack of plot in other Predator films but Prey‘s story line is threadbare. It merely exists to create the action sequences that are showcased in the movie.

Beavers delivers a nice turn as Taabe and keeps the movie interesting as we wonder just if and when he will discover the abilities Naru has to be a great hunter. It’s Midthunder’s movie from beginning to end, though, and she’s welcome to it. One can only hope that they do a sequel to this film with multiple “Predators” to keep things moving even more fiercely than this picture moves despite its lack of plot. With the fine first weekend ratings on Hulu that have been reported, a follow up film could happen.

Prey, while not a very good film, is admirable enough to warrant a viewing on Hulu by science fiction and action movie fans. I’ve read articles claiming this new picture is the best Predator movie ever and all I have to say is that if you were around when the 1987 version was released and find Prey the better film, then I have a strong difference of opinion because Predator was blockbuster material while Prey is simply serviceable entertainment in my own humble opinion. To each his own. Amber Midthunder is still a star-in-the-making either way.

Rating: 6.5/10

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