The extraterrestrial hunters at the heart of the Predator franchise have appeared on the big screen many times. The seven-movie franchise often seems unstoppable, overcoming negative reviews, mediocre box-office numbers, and even a few terrible crossovers to return with a new twist every few years.
Some of the installments have come close to matching the success of the original movie. One of the most intriguing, well-executed twists on the series' mythology so far can be found in Prey, the latest film in the franchise.
Prey is directed by Dan Trachtenberg and is based on a novel by Patrick Aison. It's a predator!
The lead character in Prey is Naru, a skilled hunter who is challenging traditional gender roles with her fighting skills and strategic mind. Taabe is Naru's brother and a well established warrior.
Midthunder has an easy time carrying the film. There is plenty of action in the film, but what is a pleasant surprise is how comfortable Midthunder looks in all of them, whether she is fighting a human, a bear, or an alien with a lethal, high-tech arsenal. She's a natural in the hero role, and pitting her character against the massive extraterrestrial antagonist makes her stunt work more impressive.
The level of testosterone in Prey couldn't be compared to the star-filled 1987 film with its constant stream of sweaty, bulging muscles and alpha-male banter, but like its main character. Prey feels like a different film because the characters portrayed by Midthunder, Beavers, and many of the other cast members view the world differently.
Past installments of the franchise are equally important as well.
The need to up the ante often goes too far in order to make the stakes feel higher or the threat more dire. Prey takes a different approach to the human-Predator dynamic than almost all of those films.
In setting the film in 1719, Prey de-powers its human protagonists, stripping them of the high tech weaponry and armor that turned the franchise into an escalating arms race over the years. Naru, Taabe, and the rest of the film's human characters use a lot of weapons. Their survival is turned into a battle of wits and strategy due to the mismatch.
The fact that the main character didn't outmuscle or out-gun the villain in John McTiernan's 1987 film is often overlooked. He didn't think it was true. He used what he found to gain an advantage. Trachtenberg knows the appeal of the first film and uses it in Prey.
Naru and Taabe never felt overmatched in the film despite being technological favorites. The odds are stacked against them, certainly, but there is a sense that their awareness of the advantages they do have, and their ability to tap into them, gives them a better chance at survival than the typical meathead mercenaries and trigger-happy characters that the franchise typically throws at the Pre
Prey goes back to the franchise's roots and delivers something new through a new character with a different set of skills. Trachtenberg and the film's talented cast pull it off remarkably well. Prey is the best film in the series since the original.
The premiere of Prey is on August 5.
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