Review: Dan Trachtenberg's Predator One-Off 'Prey' Is Exceptional

One of the best action movies of this year is only available at home. Unfortunately, you cannot watch it in theaters, where it belongs and where you will have the best experience with it. Why? Ask Disney… A lot of critics frame their reviews of this movie around that complaint because, well, we have to – this movie kicks ass and funnily enough, Disney decided to screen it in theaters for the critics. , but it's streaming only (I checked). Prey is a unique Predator film unrelated to the Arnold Schwarzenegger franchise beyond the fact that it involves an alien warrior "Predator". It was meant to be a surprise, and I think it would have been an even more exhilarating experience to sit down for an action movie and only find out once it starts that it's actually about a new Predator movie. Nonetheless, I've had the privilege of watching Prey on the big screen and it totally reigns supreme. This is the best theatrical experience I've had this summer since Top Gun: Maverick.

Over the past few decades, 20th Century Fox has tried and tried to revive the Predator franchise - with the 2010 sequel Predators (which was actually pretty good - one of the best sequels ), then again with Shane Black's 2018 film The Predator (which wasn't very good despite Black's involvement); we won't even mention the Alien vs Predator movies because eesh. However, after all this time, the perfect Predator movie has finally arrived. Prey is so good it even rivals John McTiernan's original Predator from 1987, the original action classic, with this new one acting as a homage or a tribute to this film more than anything. It's gritty and muddy but still beautiful and invigorating, it's packed with very tense action, and it's all about using cunning tactics and the environment around you to outsmart and outsmart a vicious Predator warrior bent on slaying. all the animals he encounters. It's the second feature film by Dan Tracthenberg, who has gone from podcasting to becoming a top Hollywood director, after 10 Cloverfield Lane previously. It's not a second slump - I enjoyed it even more than his movie Cloverfield.

Prey is one of those contemporary stories of female empowerment that does well and doesn't come across as forced or performative. Fort Peck Sioux Tribe actress Amber Midthunder plays Naru, a young Comanche warrior who protects her tribe from a monster. She tries to prove herself as a warrior, but aside from her brother Taabe (played by Dakota Beavers), all the other male warriors look down on her. They think that she does not belong to them and they prefer that she stay with the other women. But she is defiant and goes out alone to hunt and scout, often accompanied by her dog Sarii, played perfectly by a pooch named Coco. I love how Prey is a dog movie, even though Sarii doesn't fight too much, it's always a joy to have that kind of dog presence. After a Predator is dropped on Comanche Nation lands around 1719, Naru ends up fighting it because it won't stop at anything and will likely come and kill her entire tribe if she doesn't. There are a few other plot twists, but the small-scale storytelling does wonders for this concept. And don't worry - all the action is big and thrilling.

I loved every last second of Prey. I wanted to stand up and clap so many times. That is why it's a must in the theater with an audience that's ready to be there. They'll laugh, cheer, and cheer at all the best scenes - this movie deserves that adoration. Trachtenberg and his team nailed the action - not only getting the Predator right, but figuring out how to make each new scene exciting as Naru and his fellow tribesmen try to take down this massive monster with bows and arrows, axes and other simple weapons. Plus, it features beautiful mountain backdrops shot on location in Canada by cinematographer Jeff Cutter. And a fantastic score by Sarah Schachner. I also disagree with a few complaints I've seen about pacing; the story quickly takes you into Naru's life and follows her rather intimately, sliding like a rollerblade with quiet moments and intense scenes. All I want is to go back to the movies and see this again right now. Alas, he...