Prey Review

 

Prey is a science fiction action film based on the Predator franchise. It's the fifth film in the series and serves as a prequel to the first four movies. The movie's produced by 20th Century Studios and Davis Entertainment and distributed by Hulu. Prey is written by Dan Trachtenberg and Patrick Aison and directed by Dan Trachtenberg.

The story is it's 1719, and a young Comanche woman named Naru wants to be a hunter. While trying to prove herself worthy of such a title, she soon discovers a vicious creature, far more deadly than any of the animals her tribe of every come across. Now she and her tribe must stop this hunter, or they'll just become just another trophy for seemingly unstoppable beast.

Initial Reaction

The reason for wanting to see this was because I'm a fan of the Predator franchise. So when I new movie was coming I was pretty excited. Yeah unlike some people The Predator didn't stop my excitement for another film in this franchise. Not because I thought that film was a masterpiece by any stretch of the word, I just thought it was okay.

Cons

I've got nothing to say. So just move on to the next part.

Middle Ground

One of the sight issues with Prey is characterization. All of the supporting characters are just fine, nothing I feel like you should truly complain about. Then there's Naru. The movie does feel like it wants to show her struggles and flaws, but at the same time they make a very capable fighter. Which really contradicts what it feels like the filmmakers wanted to do. The slight problem was dialogue. Sometimes when the characters speak, it's fine. Other times they come close almost sounding like we do. Which is kinda odd considering this takes place in the 1700s, and last time I checked that period wasn't anywhere close to the 21st century. There's even one moment where Naru's brother says the classic line "If bleeds, we can kill it". That just came off as forced.

Pros

Now for something more on the bright side, that being the performances. Even though there are slight problems with the script, the actors and actresses actually do a pretty good. Nothing award winning, but considering the dialogue is just okay, I think that deserves some credit. What I also enjoyed from Prey was Trachtenberg's directing. He provided some really great shots of the land, and then there's the moment when the Predator was revealed. It was a very bloody reveal, but at the same time I really badass one for the character. The last thing I'll give credit where it's due, is the action. We still get that typical gorey scenes that one would expect from this franchise, but what I also enjoyed was because this takes place in 1719, meaning no machine guns and such, this meant the filmmakers had to get creative. That doesn't mean I didn't like the previous films action scenes, I'm just saying it's a welcomed addition.

While I do believe the praise for this film is very much overblown, I still think it's a fine film. We've got good performances, great directing from Dan Trachtenberg, and some pretty good action scenes. What's just fine, but still could've used more work was the characters, and the dialogue.

My final rating is Okay.

So that's going to do it for me. Come back on Monday, Aug 15th for my review of the newest Netflix film, Day Shift. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.