PREY (2022)

PREY (2022)

Tagline: Nope

(Action, Sci-Fi, Northern Plains Brochure) [R]

If it bleeds... we can kill it.

In this one, we get basically the oldest “Predator” visitation story in the PREDATOR series thus far. We are brought back to the Comanche Nation 303 years ago in the Northern Great Plains. Naru is all about becoming a hunter much to the displeasure of her tribe with the exception of Taabe who has grown to respect her abilities as a tracker and is a bit more supportive. Upon discovering a completely skinned snake among other unnatural occurrences Naru begins to suspect something they have never seen before has come from the sky to hunt anyone it sees as a threat. 

First off, let me say that this thing is missing the one-liners and abundance of machine guns so if you mistakenly came for that, this is the wrong place. This movie has minimal dialog and relies heavily on stunning visuals and superb performances to keep the story rolling. What we get is a different take on the Predator storyline that is still extremely faithful to the core ideas that set this series apart from pretty much anything else out there. 

Dan Trachtenberg is far from my favorite director, but he just crushes it with this one delivering so many beautiful shots it’s almost hard to not want to visit Alberta  Canada where this was filmed. There are ways of doing this stuff that doesn’t work (GRIZZLY 1976) and then you have films like this one that just captures everything the landscape has to offer. One major plus here is the story. I love how this Predator goes about his business and it makes perfect sense for what will likely be the first visit for these aliens. I guess they could make one eventually that happens even before this movie on the timeline so I am trying to leave room for that. I kind of doubt anyone will try one that takes place before this, but who knows. 

Each little touch in here concerning Naru’s progression as a hunter all fits perfectly into this expertly woven cinematic achievement. Anyone putting a review out there saying this is the best PREDATOR movie might be reflecting on all the details put into this one to make this story flow nearly flawlessly. Essentially, they have a solid point. 

Casting wise I have been a fan of Amber Midthunder’s since last year’s THE ICE ROAD and THE MARKSMAN. If there was a movie that was going to solidify her as a force to be reckoned with in a lead role it’s this freakin thing. This is Dakota Beavers's first acting role, but he also kills it in this and I couldn’t be impressed more with how he took on this role. We don’t get a ton of Michelle Thrush as Aruka, but  I liked her in this one and Stormee Kipp was solid as Wasape as well with very little screen time. 

This movie is loaded with awesome weapons and tech while still giving us a feeling that this is an older Predator with no exposure to mankind. It’s really quite an accomplishment how this movie felt so much like the perfect compliment to the original PREDATOR while still maintaining a very unique feel and style. If I was going to nitpick this one I will say that there are a few historical inaccuracies and at least one scene where the heck is Taabe? Is he getting Mcdonald's while Naru is in grave danger or what? It was just a wonky scene. Having said that, there just isn't much to work with in the way of problems. It's pretty incredible. 

I already have the streaming service this came out on, but if you don’t have it, this movie all by itself is worth paying for a month to watch this. I think any fan of the series is going to have an absolute blast. 

This is a 7 out of 7 and I was completely blown away which is very rare when I go in with high expectations. 

GRAPHICS ARE THE PROPERTY OF 20TH-CENTURY STUDIOS AND ARE USED FOR REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY. 

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