Director: Dan Trachtenberg
Starring: Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Dane DiLiegro
Year: 2022
The horror movie of the year is here, and it’s part Bone Tomahawk, part Revenant, and all Predator, a great addition to the franchise, and by far the greatest piece we’ve been afforded since the original. Going back to basics, making the simple even more simple, Prey shows how filmmakers can sometimes get it just right, balancing fan service with great craftsmanship, coming out on top with something wonderful. Prey might not be for everyone, it’s gorier than you might expect, but, if you don’t mind turning your head a few times, everything else you see will be worth it.
300 years ago, the Comanche lived in relative peace and freedom on the Great Plains, as yet only seldom troubled by the white invader. But for one group, there was a different alien to their land, and this one came from much farther away. At first thinking it only a mountain lion, but soon understanding the far greater threat, Naru heads out on a quest that will make her an official hunter, with her trusty dog as her companion. Her brother is skeptical of the creature and of the mission, but Naru knows something unnatural is lurking in the forest, and that the way that it kills is inhuman.
Prey really is as good as the original, and very similar in a lot of ways, just set in a different time & landscape, with a very different hero at the center. Naru is young, headstrong, skilled, determined, but untested, and this will be the greatest challenge she ever faces. The Predator is crafty and technologically advanced, but he’s never met human ingenuity before. That’s the core story, but the action soon takes over, and wow is it fun to watch the variety of ways that the characters of this film can die. It’s heart-pounding, it’s grotesque, it’s awe-striking, it’s cool; Prey is a great film with a great foundation, and that’s a gift to audiences.
My rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆