It’s sometimes mentioned as a positive in a movie review when the movie doesn’t take itself too seriously. This is precisely what happened with The predator (2018), although this tape has gone too far to practically become a parody of the saga that began with Arnold Schwarzenegger over 30 years ago. Now the premiere of Predator: to the press directly to streaming platforms (Disney+, more specifically) did not invite optimism, and it was that whoever took this plus the latest precedents from one of the the aliens the deadliest in movie history – give the xenomorphs the benefit of the doubt – had every right in the world to raise his eyebrows.
Fortunately, it didn’t end that way. Predator: La Presa takes us to nothing less than the United States of the 18th century – thus being the first in chronological order Story-, a territorio comanche, haciendo que por primera vez desde la original, la saga muestre de nuevo unos entornos naturales, siempre que obviemos el planeta de la entrega de 2010. , because they are absolutely beautifulespecially when nature in its entirety comes into play and we enjoy a herd of bison or a bear hunt.
But like the Yautja, we beat around the bush… Predator: The Prey revolves around Naru (Amber Midthunder, with a very convincing performance), a Comanche whose ambition is to be one more hunter of her tribe, just as it is his brother who, by the way, he’s the only minimally built secondary character, which in itself isn’t bad either. Predictably, the rest of the people in her colony don’t look kindly on her, especially the younger boys, who constantly look down on her, inviting her to take on other chores like cooking. food or medicine. Naru constantly feels the need to demonstrate that she is capable of hunting like the mostwhich creates in him an anguish which, at the beginning of the film, leads him to failure, but which he manages to calm until it is difficult to discern who is really “The Prey” in the story .
The other big protagonist is, of course, the stranger himself, with a very different characterization. We’re talking about a time over 200 years before we first saw this species in action, and if man was defending himself with shotguns and Gatling guns in the 1987 movie and now he’s done with bows and axes, nor do we expect to see the Yautja with the same means as then. With a mask that is actually different from what we are used to, his arsenal is of course more advanced than that of humans, but he will surprise us a lot the first time he points his three well-known red lasers. Fans of gadget images need not fear, but on this occasion we find a heavier Predator, even more capable of brute forceand in fact, the first scene in which he shows it is one of the most beautiful that this franchise has left us in its entire history.
The rhythm and its protagonist, the best of the film
The movie has a very positive rhythm and very well adjusted to the duration of the tape. As usual, during the first bars – and we talk about long minutes – we are only given a glimpse of the antagonist: with close-ups of his victims, with invisibility activated, trees moving. .. We fear that Disney wanted to make it just that: a Disney movie. Fortunately, and after realizing how wrong we were, the blood and the viscera make their appearance, although in a subtle way and without falling into the grotesque or the excessive. Your manager, Dan Trachtenbergdoes not want to indulge in unnecessary violence, it is all part of the hunting ritual and the resources to kill that the Yautja deploys, which after all, and we know it, remains an “honorable” rival in combat: hunting simply for its sa own satisfaction, yes, but he does not rejoice in the weak.
Rare is the sci-fi movie, however, that doesn’t have a moment where the viewer frowns. We find here the appearance of bandits of French origin, sort of rednecks of the 18th century which, beyond presenting a nod to the second part, fulfill a function of punching bags. They serve the very spectacle of the film, of course, because whatever the plot, they add absolutely nothing. Truth be told, Naru has enough charisma to bear the brunt of it without needing to introduce those “useful idiots”, and place himself just behind Major Dutch in the list of the saga’s best protagonists. Yes, we know it’s not a huge achievement with the competition that there was, but that doesn’t mean that this Comanche heroine doesn’t make merits during the more than 90 minutes of the film.
In short, Predator: The Prey is undoubtedly second only to the original film as the best of those featuring this alien species. With more discretion but also more seriousness and affection than the two previous ones – and of course, the two infamous Alien vs Predator-, this film is both a tribute to veteran fans and an ideal entry point for newcomers. What a big mistake that I underestimated her for not appearing in the cinema…