Flynn
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The movie Prey is the 5th installment of the Predator series directed by Dan Trachtenberg. It takes place in the 1700's and follows a Comanche warrior by the name of Naru, played by Amber Midthunder who tries to protect her tribe from the Predator.
It was refreshing that the writers decided to use a different environment for the backdrop of the movie. I enjoyed seeing lush forests and streams trickling, instead of the usual urban collage with the typical concrete slabs of buildings taking up each frame.
I am glad that the producers decided to go with real indigenous actors for the Comanche roles, too often Hollywood white washes all of their period pieces making the audience think that ancient Egyptians and Hebrews were from Beverly Hills or that they were corn fed Nebraskan's raised on farms. Using real Native actors gives the movie an authentic feel.
As most Predators movies go, this was one of the best coming in second only to the first one. Usually in the Predator chain of movies I find myself cheering for the Predator because the people the predator/s is/are hunting are bland and have made no real bond or connection with the audience. In Prey I quickly was empathetic to Naru's plight not being taken serious by her tribe and even her brother at times and relegated to being a gatherer instead of a warrior/hunter. Amber Midthunder's portrayal of Naru was an emotional roller coaster ride in itself. She tackles an issue about where a woman belongs, showing us that even back then in the 1700's a woman still had to fight to be heard and to be taken as serious as her male counterparts. Something that resonates to this very day. I found myself being drawn into the character Naru as she has to navigate this kind of male chauvinism from the men in her tribe and even her mother at times.
While this was kind of a departure from the rest of the Predator movies, it still had the signature gore associated with the series. There were still the typical Predator kills and the spraying of blood as the Predator took and wore what it killed as trophies, mainly heads this time around, but the producers did an amazing job not letting that be the sole focus of the movie, it was just a part to make up the whole picture. The fighting scenes were fast paced and could have rivaled some of Hong Kongs greatest martial arts movies if they had lasted more that several seconds being that the Predator was too strong for most anyone unwise enough to take him head on. Coupled with only a few CGI scenes, this rendition of Predator pretty much kept it within the bounds of reality for a period piece. I mean as real as you can get with an alien hunting Natives and French fur trappers for sport.
Overall, this was a fantastic movie with Amber Midthunder doing a spectacular job portraying a young girl wanting to break out of the suffocating confines of gender assigned roles within her tribe. She was very believable in every way showing strength that is needed to not do what is expected of one and still showing the emotional vulnerability of the uncertainty of battling against a creature she had never encountered before.
I strongly suggest anyone that likes period pieces combined with Sci-Fi to watch this flick, you won't be disappointed. It's streaming now on Hulu.
It was refreshing that the writers decided to use a different environment for the backdrop of the movie. I enjoyed seeing lush forests and streams trickling, instead of the usual urban collage with the typical concrete slabs of buildings taking up each frame.
I am glad that the producers decided to go with real indigenous actors for the Comanche roles, too often Hollywood white washes all of their period pieces making the audience think that ancient Egyptians and Hebrews were from Beverly Hills or that they were corn fed Nebraskan's raised on farms. Using real Native actors gives the movie an authentic feel.
As most Predators movies go, this was one of the best coming in second only to the first one. Usually in the Predator chain of movies I find myself cheering for the Predator because the people the predator/s is/are hunting are bland and have made no real bond or connection with the audience. In Prey I quickly was empathetic to Naru's plight not being taken serious by her tribe and even her brother at times and relegated to being a gatherer instead of a warrior/hunter. Amber Midthunder's portrayal of Naru was an emotional roller coaster ride in itself. She tackles an issue about where a woman belongs, showing us that even back then in the 1700's a woman still had to fight to be heard and to be taken as serious as her male counterparts. Something that resonates to this very day. I found myself being drawn into the character Naru as she has to navigate this kind of male chauvinism from the men in her tribe and even her mother at times.
While this was kind of a departure from the rest of the Predator movies, it still had the signature gore associated with the series. There were still the typical Predator kills and the spraying of blood as the Predator took and wore what it killed as trophies, mainly heads this time around, but the producers did an amazing job not letting that be the sole focus of the movie, it was just a part to make up the whole picture. The fighting scenes were fast paced and could have rivaled some of Hong Kongs greatest martial arts movies if they had lasted more that several seconds being that the Predator was too strong for most anyone unwise enough to take him head on. Coupled with only a few CGI scenes, this rendition of Predator pretty much kept it within the bounds of reality for a period piece. I mean as real as you can get with an alien hunting Natives and French fur trappers for sport.
Overall, this was a fantastic movie with Amber Midthunder doing a spectacular job portraying a young girl wanting to break out of the suffocating confines of gender assigned roles within her tribe. She was very believable in every way showing strength that is needed to not do what is expected of one and still showing the emotional vulnerability of the uncertainty of battling against a creature she had never encountered before.
I strongly suggest anyone that likes period pieces combined with Sci-Fi to watch this flick, you won't be disappointed. It's streaming now on Hulu.
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