Prey (2022)

You’d think that one of the last things the cinematic world needed was a new Predator film, especially after the supposed disaster of Shane Black’s The Predator (2018), which I have to say I’ve not seen. Perhaps it’s fitting then, that Dan Trachtenberg’s fresh spin on the character isn’t being released in cinemas; it’s a straight to Disney Plus release. What is a shame however, is that Trachtenberg’s film is more than good enough to warrant a place in theaters, and would look excellent on the big screen. Prey predates all the previous Predator films, set in Northern Great Plains of North America in 1719. It focuses on a young Comanche woman, Naru, who is trained as a healer, but her dream is to be a great hunter like her brother Taabe. Whilst out tracking deer, she spots something in the sky (presumably a Predator ship crash landing, although we never see it, much to the films betterment). Although the film then plays out much like you’d expect as the Predator hunts her tribe and takes them apart bit by bit (not that it’s taking sides; it also annihilates a group of French voyageurs) the early setting of the film brings in something not seen before. Instead of machine guns et al being fired repeatedly at the predator, Trachtenberg’s film fascinates by bringing in an entirely different way of tracking and attempting to kill such a beast. Adapting a different time and culture entirely and inserting a well known creature into it creates a genuinely exciting couple of hours that may cover well trodden ground, but impressively adds something completely new to the franchise, itself an achievement thought by many (including me) to be impossible. There are still false steps along the way, mainly in the way the film can be more or less telegraphed from beginning to end, but the way it ensures ticking the genre boxes are varied enough to fully justify its existence. Another key reason the film works is that the Predator isn’t seen for a good while into the film; and that time is spent learning about Naru and her tribe and the way they live, which is key to making the rest of the film more choreographed and believable when it comes to hunting the Predator. Prey is available to stream on Disney Plus, and if you’re not sick to the back teeth of the Alien and Predator franchises, this is surprisingly well worth a watch. 7.1/10