Prey Review: A Step in the Right Direction

When going into any Predator movie, one knows exactly what to expect. Alien carnage, futuristic tech, and minimal plot. If this is all you want from a summer movie, you’ve come to the right place.

On the other hand, if you want character development, morals, and plot twists, head in the opposite direction. You’ll be getting none of that here.

When it was announced that Prey was coming exclusively to Hulu, I had mixed emotions. A movie known for its special effects may not hold up to the limited budget of a streaming service. The over-the-top technology plus creature design could cancel out at least half of a movie’s budget in one fell swoop. 

But then I remembered the travesty that was The Predator and realized the franchise couldn’t fall much farther than it already has. Seriously, my fourteen-year-old nephew could have written better dialog than that stinker.

Prey begins by introducing a female Comanche who seems lost among her tribe. Naru is stuck doing the daily chores she is assigned as a woman. Keep in mind that this movie takes place in the 1700s, Naru isn’t expected to do some excessively skilled labor, mostly just gathering. 

Her true passion is to hunt alongside her brother and his friends. This of course is quite laughable to the men. What can a fragile little woman bring to the hunt?

This is nothing new. Heck, it has been happening since the dawn of time. Testosterone-fueled men look down on the weak woman who is far more than she seems. We’ve seen it everywhere from Frozen to Black Widow. 

Like I said earlier, this plot is bare bones. The writers give us just enough to care about the characters remotely. Naru has a family she is close to, they all love her deeply but have little to no faith in her. Everyone else — and I do mean everyone — is just there to be the Predator’s prey. 

This is one of my biggest complaints during the movie’s running time, any side character (including her mother) has little to nothing to do. 

If it is a female Comanche she does busy work, cooking, and a touch of nursing. The men are all hunters who sense the Predator to varying degrees and doubt the validity of Naru’s suspicions. 

There isn’t much in between here aside from Taabe who rides the line of a caring brother and disrespectful competitor. 

Nonetheless, I never expected a deep character analysis. But can we at least get a variety in attitudes towards Naru? Even back in the day, not every man thought that lowly of a woman, right?

When the Comanche discover one of their own missing, a search party is formed to bring him home. Although not completely welcome, Naru forces herself onto the team, letting them know her tracking and nursing skills are essential to a victory. Not to mention that she has learned to hunt by watching her father and brother.

In most movies, statements like these ring true. The female protagonist is shown to be a better and stronger warrior than a majority of her comrades. Here, not so much. 

Each time Naru prepares to go into a battle she is shown to be nervous and almost delicate. Although she has a quick wit about herself, she doubts her abilities when forced into action. 

The amount of times she aims and misses is almost laughable, but the real kicker is that when she finally does get a clear shot, Naru backs down. 

This is seen time and time again when the Comanche take on various wildlife from a lion to a bear and even a rabbit. Naru keeps a steady hand but lacks fortitude even in the most dangerous of situations. I know, I know, sometimes it is better to run and fight another day, but at times Naru seems like a female version of Home Alone’s Kevin McCallister. 

Naru: If they don’t see, I’ll show them.

After a few encounters with the wildlife, I start to get a tad bored. The CGI animals are okay for a short while, but if I wanted to see a nature show, I would have tuned into the Discovery channel. 

The Predator is always there, watching and waiting but takes way too long to become an active member of the hunt. He skins a snake, cool, but ultimately a waste of my time. I never thought a random snake could take out an alien species anyway.

Eventually, after what seems like half of the movie, the Predator decides to make itself completely known when a bear sets its sights on Naru. She is huddled in a corner waiting for the inevitable when the creature side-swipes the bear with an uppercut. 

This is the first of several convenient escapes made by the protagonist. If you believe in luck, Naru has more than just a little of it. 

Now that the Predator is more than just a myth to the Comanche, we get to see some human interaction with the creature from beyond the stars. Finally, the movie moves from Disneynature to Syfy original.

The warriors take on the great hunter throwing everything they got at him. Spears, axes, and stealth prove to be almost enough to keep the creature at bay — keyword almost. 

Naru watches as her brethren are repeatedly struck down like deer in the headlights. They think they know what is coming but are far from prepared to take out someone so well-trained in the hunt.

A decent amount of gore pops up from time to time, including a severed hand and multiple decapitations. The Predator doesn’t shy away from using his technology and tools to maim its prey.

While the battles prove to be fast and furious, they nearly all end the same; Naru runs away with her tail between her legs. By the end of the movie, her last-minute escapes become redundant, showing her to be more of a coward than the hero she is meant to be.

As the action takes center stage, the plot goes out the window leaving us only with the classic game of cat and mouse. Don’t get me wrong, it’s plenty of fun, and you rarely feel bad for rooting for the Predator. After all, a majority of the victims are nameless spacefillers, anyways.

But before the credits role, we have to add in more hapless characters, the colonists. 

I can’t tell you if I find these so-called colonists more funny or annoying. They come off as complete caricatures more than anything else. They’re practically scrapped footage from a yet-to-be-released Pirates of the Caribbean sequel. 

These guys are nothing more than fodder for the Predator and an added antagonist for Naru. They are unneeded in any way — ultimately taking away from the movie more than anything else. 

Eventually, when all the blood splatters and the smoke clears, Naru prepares to finally go one-on-one with the beast. It isn’t completely clear what triggers inside of her to bring her to this point. Seriously, even after watching her brother die she still failed to pull the trigger. 

The final battle is brutal, giving us what we all hoped for throughout the film. We get a sense of peace as Naru is the victor for her people. We all feel a sense of accomplishment as Chief Kehetu similarly honors Naru to the other warriors. 

But as the movie ends I’m left with one nagging question — with the Predator’s first mission failed, why bother coming back to the same planet? 

All in all, this movie proves to be enjoyable. Don’t think too much about what is going on and have some fun with it. Don’t expect anything out of the norm and you’ll be, at the least, satisfied. 

Prey does much to move the Predator franchise in the right direction, and hopefully, it continues in an upward motion. With Disney now owning 20th Century Fox, anything is possible. Heck, maybe we can get a crossover into the MCU!

What did you think of Prey? Where does it fit in with your views of the franchise? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Prey is a Hulu exclusive.

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