Reed Alexander's Horror Review of 'Prey' (2022)

So, this was an excellent extension of the Predator franchise. It really captured most of the feel of the original movie, Predator (1987). This is a pretty good break from the lackluster AvP movies, and the good but kinda silly movie Predators (2010). I haven't seen The Predator (2018), so I'm not sure how it compares, but needless to say, Prey (2022) was a good return to form.

First of all, the premise was fucking fantastic. So damn good, it spawned a series of internet memes suggesting new settings to explore. A predator in colonial Americas? Why not a predator in the age of Samurai? Why not a Predator fighting Vikings? Why not a predator hunting dinosaurs? There is SO FUCKING MUCH you can do with the concept. And it's canon. We know the Predators have been hunting man since the Mayans. We are "The ultimate soft meat" as they call us in the AvP book series. Why not have a predator hunting Homo Erectus? That might be when they decided we were the ultimate game. But yeah, Comanche warriors make for a compelling hunt. They actually do a little better than Arnie and his boys in 1987. Without going into the spoilers, two warriors go toe to toe with the predator and it's FUCKING AWESOME.

Something I find kinda interesting is how they dial back the predator's tech. Believe me, it's still the ultimate killing machine, but its weapons are a little more simplistic. Even the cloaking device is a little more rudimentary. That's kinda neat, thinking about the fact that the predator's arsenal has even evolved a little over the centuries to hunt humans. It even makes the hunting more interesting, noting the different tactics.

Mind you, there is only so far back you can go into the fundamentals of the original Predator (1987). It was a lot scarier not knowing what Arnie and the gang were up against. With what the original gave us, it could have been anything until the big creature reveal. But there's no getting that feeling back. The predator is out of the box and we all know it. Once we knew this was a predator sequel, we all knew what to expect, so the director didn't bother hiding it. Hell, it's showcased. There is no doubt about what's hunting Naru, our female lead played by Amber Midthunder.

Also, I'd like to point out how good the acting is. This is way better than you can expect from a horror movie. No one will be winning any awards, but it's really solid.

So, yeah. All horror heads should watch this. And if you don't enjoy it, you're the problem...

~

SPOILERS!!!

You know what I'm absolutely sick to fucking death of hearing about this movie? That a "fragile little woman" couldn't take on a full grown predator... ANYONE who makes this complaint clearly didn't watch the movie... Because she doesn't. She doesn't take on a full grown predator. She spends the majority of the movie RUNNING THE FUCK AWAY, while the predator wholesale slaughters skilled Comanche warriors. At one point the predator fucking OWNS a full platoon of french frontiersmen who set a trap for it. HELL, there's a scene right before that when Naru gets caught in a game trap and the predator basically decides she's too helpless to kill. This movie made absolutely no bones about how outmatched Naru is. So the argument that she couldn't beat a predator is completely invalid. Even when she sets the perfect trap and finally does kill it, it's by the skin of her fucking teeth. But at no point does she try to fight the fucking thing.

Believe me when I say it, the director was keenly aware of how outmatched the main character is, so your whole argument is completely invalid, based on a fiction, and obviously sexist.

But yeah, watch this movie.