We know the Predator bleeds and we can kill it. We've known that since Arnold Schwarzenegger defeated one of the alien hunters in 1987. Yet, instead of leaning harder into gritty action fare, every movie since has opted for unsatisfying sci-fi ridiculousness.

Prequel movie Prey, which comes to Hulu on Friday (and Disney Plus Star outside the US), leans away from much of that by turning the clock back to 1719 and pitting Native American warrior Naru (Amber Midthunder) against one of these extraterrestrial creatures. It's the kind of stripped-back approach these movies were crying out for, with director Dan Trachtenberg (who previously helmed 10 Cloverfield Lane) crafting an excellent modern take on the original.

We spend the early part of the movie taking in the rugged, untamed wilderness of the Great Northern Plains with the quietly intense Naru. The beautiful cinematography and hypnotic score make it easy to get lost in her world as she hones her skills as a hunter, gets out of some tight scrapes and explores with her delightful canine sidekick Sarii -- their bond is absolutely lovely.

The lone Predator is used sparingly as it operates in parallel, establishing itself as the apex hunter. The retro versions of its other tech are fun to see, even if its iconic cloaking device still feels like cheating.

Their narratives converge in a visceral sequence that'll sear itself into every fan's memory forever, and the movie grabs you by the throat from that moment on as Trachtenberg goes all-out on the action and gore.

However, the final battle is drenched in the shadow of night, making it hard to discern what's happening as both predator and prey unleash an arsenal of gadgets. This makes sense as a contrast to the brightness and clarity of other action scenes, but might require multiple viewings for you to parse all the details.

Prey works because its protagonist isn't the kind of muscle-bound, all-guns-blazing action hero these movies are known for, or part of a forgettable ensemble on some vague sci-fi quest. Instead, Naru is a clever, observant human being, and her occasionally tense relationships with her brother and other fellow Comanche Nation tribespeople give the movie emotional resonance. (There's no tension with her dog though. He's perfect.)

They're still a bunch of badasses, though, wielding their bows and spears with tactical precision and moving through the forest like a special forces squad. This kind of imagery can be cliched in modern settings, but it's incredibly visually engaging here.

We get a satisfying escalation in the dangers they face, too, since their beautiful environment is full of deadly natural threats and foreign poachers (whose French dialogue isn't translated with subtitles, cleverly giving us the sense that they're alien invaders, too). It grounds the movie nicely and builds up to the Predator rather than flinging us straight into the sci-fi deep end.

It's also extremely cool that the movie was produced by Jhane Myers, a member of the Comanche nation, and most of the cast are Native American or Canadian First Nation, suggesting an admirable commitment to authenticity. You can also watch with a Comanche dub and subtitles for full cultural immersion, but they weren't available on the prerelease version.

This is easily the best Predator movie we've had since the original, with a well-developed protagonist (and her excellent dog), a rich cultural base and clever use of an iconic movie monster. More sci-fi movies should take this kind of grounded approach, and this franchise should just pit its alien hunters against humans in magnificently realized historical settings from now on.

For now though, stick around and give Prey a watch.

https://www.cnet.com/culture/entertainment/...ftag=CAD767ae48

This is actually kind of cool.

I would love to see a movie about this.

I already can imagine Ken Watanabe as the samurai

Is Predators (3) the one with Adrian Brody as the lead?

It is one of the best after the original.

I was quite impressed with Adrian Brody.

He buffed up a lot for that role and was quite good as action hero.

To bad if did not do well in the box-office.

How come no more complaints about woke anymore about this movie?

When the trailer came out, there were so many criticism about wokeness!

It’s direct to streaming. Hulu in US but it’s available on Disney+ Malaysia. Not going to be in cinema.

Did you see the cartoon at the end? Its about the whole movie but the last scene of the cartoon is they all look to the sky and see spaceships coming

This post has been edited by Namelessone1973: Aug 6 2022, 11:48 PM

But sandman lots of LGBTQ!

How can you be anti woke but support LGBTQ?

SJW just because the lead is a women?

Most people who say it’s woke when they saw the trailer are now saying it’s a one of the best after the original.

This predator does not have lasers yet. It’s set a few hundred years before the first movie.

If you watch the movie, she defeated Predator using brains instead of muscle. Even Arnie defeated the Predator using his brain instead of only his muscle.

I guess you will also complain if Aliens were released today. Your complain will probably be middle age lady defeat Alien queen🤪

It’s their culture. If I am not mistaken, hunting to them is like a sport or rite of passage. They only hunt those who have the ability to fight back as it is more challenging. Most of the time they will let go of those who are weak or can’t fight back.

They travel to thousands of world and I am sure they lost to others before and not only humans. They keep coming back to earth as we are a challenging playground for them.

Which movies show Predators help build pyramids?

AVP movies were never considered canon in both Predator and Aliens franchise.

AVP movies are not recognised as canon in both Aliens and Predator franchise.

So, the two AVP movies can be totally ignored.