Dan Trachtenberg might not be a household name yet, but he sure will be soon. Trachtenberg made the hit film 10 Cloverfield Lane and directed the Black Mirror Episode called Playtest. That's about it. Now he's stepped into the world of Predator as he went with his idea some six years ago that has now been fully realized. Back in 1987, an all-star '80s cast led by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Apollo Creed himself Carl Weathers embarked on a violent journey that seemed like a simple rescue operation in the jungle that turned into the discovery of alien life with a nuclear explosion. Even pro-wrestling superstar Jesse Ventura starred in this film. The sequel took it to a major city which in turn collided with the Alien franchise and a couple of reboots.
But now, Prey is set in the year 1719 in the heart of the Comanche Nation where a young, expertly skilled warrior named Naru is still vying for respect from her tribe in being the head warrior. This leads her to hunt her prey, which is in fact a Predator alien who has landed on earth looking for that ultimate game of life and death. Only the Predator is armed with some of those advanced weapons, but unlike in previous films, Prey now offers the twist of its victims fighting with primitive weapons, such as axes, bows and arrows, rocks, or other anything they can get their hands on. This results in some excellent and creative fight scenes that audiences haven't seen before from the franchise and are even more brutal than any gun blast. Naru and her family of warriors are intense and fantastic physically as they battle this large muscular alien with what they have and Tratchenberg's camera perfectly captures the action without many quick cuts, allowing for the action to come full force.
There is an added conflict with the caucasian settlers trying to murder and move the native people, so now there are two brands of violent conflicts happening simultaneously but is presented in such a way that feels fluid and smooth. Prey should have gone full Apocalypto with its language, but instead, to appeal to a wider audience, the film is all set in modern English. This means that the Native Americans speak as someone would speak in the present day and that white enemies have a French accent to keep things a little different. This decision kinda takes its audience out of the time period, because it just doesn't feel quite right. But as time goes on, that awkwardness of that modern language in the 1700s goes away. Still, the film would have been that much more amazing if they fully committed. However, for the first time ever a complete Commanche alternate language option will be available, it's just not the language they're actually speaking on screen.
Prey also connects to the future Predator franchise in a brilliant yet subtle way which will hopefully pave the way for sequels as Tratchenberg has stated that he'd love to make more. And if this is the way they will be delivered, bring them all out, please. Prey is a bold and original way to tell a Predator story, one that pays homage perfectly to the films before it and tells a new story, along with showcasing what Predators looked and acted like long before doing battle with the Austrian Oak. The creativity the film uses in its battle sequences and hiding from the Predator without the use of technology is fantastic. Prey is amazing. Highly Recommended!
Streaming exclusively on Hulu August 5th
