In 1987, director John McTiernan brought to life Predator, the story written by Jim and John Thomas about an otherworldly hunter with deadly technology, capable of making humans his trophies, who goes against a group of elite military men. add to Arnold Schwarzeneggerthe star of the moment in action films, the film was a boom that, in addition to sweeping the box office and boosting the Austrian’s career, sparked a franchise.
In 1990 came the sequel, predator 2. For this episode, the plot moves the hunter to another type of jungle: the city. Critics were ruthless, and instead of seeing the perspective offered by the new story, they chose to kill it. In any case, over the years, the film of Stephen Hopkins received the support it deserved, as a worthy sequel and with a protagonist (Danny Glover) who had nothing to envy to Arnold.
Considering Predator 2 a box office flop, Fox left the alien in cryogenics. Although in 2004 and 2007 there was a crossover between the corporate creatures with Aliens vs. Predator, which were also a failure, it wasn’t until 2010 that the yautja hunter found a new sequel with predators of Antal Nimrod and with Robert Rodriguez The film was well-received and moderately successful, but Fox wasn’t entirely convinced. Eight years later, it’s the turn of Shane Black. The author of Lethal Weapon and the first to die at the hands of the Yautja, freed The predator. With its lame plot and excessive CGI, it broke fans’ hearts and ended up further complicating the franchise’s situation.
Who saw that there was still potential in the story, it’s the director Dan Trachtenberg. The person in charge of the pilot The boys and the famous 10th Cloverfield Lanewrote a script next to Patrick Aaison. Knowing the risk of facing the weight of a dead, faded, and poorly cared for franchise, Dan convinced executives that his script was perfect for resurrecting the Predator. This is how, in the midst of a pandemic, he received the green light to bring his work to life: Prey.
When fans found out Predator came back to the movies, they felt a bead of cold sweat running down their necks, they thought they would face another mess that would surely end up burying the franchise. Fortunately, Prey is quite the opposite. From its journey in promotion, Trachtenberg’s film predicted freshness, mysticism and suppressed the fear of thinking another failure was on the way.
Prey don’t waste time telling something complex, he’s leaving silly and innovative, resume the plot well before those seen in 1987 and tell the first incursion of the hunter Yautja on Earth. To do this, Trachtenberg and Aison place us in the year 1719, within a Comanche tribe of the Great Plains of the USA. There we meet Naru, a young woman who goes against the beliefs of her people, since she wants to be a hunter. While trying to prove her worth, the young Comanche will discover that there is someone else hunting in her territories.
Ambert Middle of the Thunder, the person in charge of portraying Naru, carries the film on his shoulder with a great performance, growing his character as the story unfolds. Despite the tactical disadvantage against the beast, Naru manages to get by and above all to prove that she is capable of what she claims to be: a hunter. This Comanche is quietly up to the Mayor Alan “Dutch” Schaefer (Arnold) and detective Mike Harrigan by LAPD (Danny Glover).
As for the alien, Trachtenberg did a superlative job, presenting a different creature, with new technology, but primitive if compared to that used by his successors. The director plays with the Predator in much the same way as the first two episodes, allowing audiences to see little of it and only showing it in its peak glory at the end of the film, just as King Willie told Harrigan in Predator 2,”You won’t be able to see the demon’s eyes until you call”.
These and other factors make Prey grant the franchise Predator the freshness you wanted and needed years ago. At the same time, this movie lays the groundwork for more stories to arrive in different time settings, which don’t have to be tied to the stories we’ve seen in the movies.
To close, as a point against that can be found is that Prey hasn’t made it to theaters. Couldn’t fully enjoy the visual and audio feast it provides, especially the final battle.
Subscribe to our newsletter to receive all the news and participate in exclusive contests of here.