Prey

Prey

Starring AmberMidthunder, Dakota Beavers, Dane DiLiegro, Stormee Kipp

Directed by Dan Trachtenberg

The horror genre is well-known for churning out sequel after sequel once it finds a hit, with diminishing results. While "Friday the 13th" is a classic, "Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan" is less revered. "Halloween" is the unquestioned quintessential slasher flick, while "Halloween: Resurrection" shouldn't be mentioned in polite company. The "Predator" franchise follows this formula, producing an action-packed horror survival adventure featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger who goes against alien hunters who can go invisible and wield otherworldly weapons, and includes one of the most meme-tastic moments when he yells, "get to the choppa!" While "Predator 2" was an alright sequel, the subsequent movies that followed (including the abysmal PG-13 neutered showdown films "Alien vs. Predator" and "Alien vs. Predator: Requiem") had a lot to be desired, ending with a passive reboot a few years ago that no one remembers (and rightfully so). So when the director of "10 Cloverfield Lane" announced plans for yet another "Predator" sequel, it was met with groans and guffaws - but then Dan Trachtenberg shut their mouths with "Prey," a prequel that lies perfectly parallel with the original, adding to the rich mythos of the creature and providing a tight, action-packed horror film that should've been put on the big screen.

In 1719, Comanche warrior Naru (Amber Midthunder) has a strong desire to be a hunter like her older brother Taabe (Dakota Beavers), but being a female she's shunned by the other hunters and has to prove herself on her own. She spends the days in the woods honing in on her hunting craft including utilizing her weapons and tracking skills to her full advantage, and when she witnesses something in the sky, feels it's a sign for her to embark on her own kuhtaamia, or right of passage, where she hunts something that's also hunting her. She doesn't know it yet, but her right of passage has already begun, as the alien Predator (Dane DiLiegro) has already started its own hunt, scouring the vast countryside for the most dangerous prey and claiming their skulls for his trophies, and sets his sights on Naru and her fellow Comanche warriors, forcing Naru to rely on her wits, skills, talents, and bravery to combat something that she can't only not see, but who's vastly more talented and wields more deadly weapons.

At its core, the "Predator" series is about an alien race who sends their best hunters to different worlds to become the apex predator, taking down any viable predators to make them the top dog. While some of the sequels have failed to live up to that mantra, "Prey" returns to those roots in every way imaginable. By focusing on the first Predator to land on earth, we get to see how these creatures develop throughout the sequels and see how effortlessly and effectively they hunt, providing not just several intense action sequences involving the use of weapons to literally tear limbs apart, but also a deeply terrifying tale due to the fact that the Predator is invisible, and nothing is scarier than fighting something you can't see.

"Prey" is a unique title for the film, as it doesn't really differentiate between who is the predator and who is the prey. While many think that the Predator - hence his name - is the predator, he's being equally hunted by Naru, serving as one of the most powerful female protagonists in a horror action film since Ellen Ripley. Their pas de deux is horrifyingly beautiful to behold, as they stalk one another through the plains and woodlands, providing some thrilling moments and fantastic blend of CGI and practical effects that pulls you into the story. It's also an empowering tale for Naru, as she was a woman who wanted to do what men did, and was shunned for it, being seen (even by the Predator himself) as someone not worthy of being a warrior, but she proves them all wrong, living up to the concept that we shouldn't be defined by how others see us, but rather use those negative comments to make ourselves even stronger.

Amber Midthunder absolutely shines as Naru, a deeply contemplative warrior who's also fierce and headstrong, and while she isn't always successful, she never lets those setbacks make her quit on her dream. She hunts like an expert hunter and is constantly aware of her surroundings and pays acute attention to the Predator's style, using it to her advantage and adapting to the situations she finds herself in. Her antithesis is veteran prosthetics actor Dane DiLiegro's Predator, who's unique in the pantheon of Predators - he's more athletic, more primal, and employs different weapons than future Predators. His looming presence is intimidating enough when the camouflage wears off, but when he's invisible it's even more terrifying - a force of nature that seemingly can't be stopped, but like the line that's uttered by Schwarzenegger and again here, "if it bleeds, we can kill it" - it's just extremely difficult.

Behind the camera, there's a love not just for the franchise but for the Comanche people as well, including producer Jhane Myers, who's a member of the Comanche nation and took precise care to represent her people as more than just savages that we've seen in other films - in fact, she had the film dubbed in Comanche, a history-making first. Likewise, director Dan Trachtenberg has managed to avoid the stigma of sequels before, and does so once again here. With his stellar "10 Cloverfield Lane," he subverted attention by focusing on three people hunkered down during the alien invasion and centering the story around their personalities and proving that sometimes man is the most dangerous monster. Here, he once again subverts attention by focusing on the distant past, and yet managing to make it seem very here-and-now and timely with its story and focus. By slimming the film to a pleasurable 90-minutes (unlike several other blockbusters nowadays that test audience's patience with over two-hour runtimes), he conducts a tight, taunt thriller that doesn't overstay its welcome, while also giving birth to a new action heroine who can more than hold her own against the best of them.

"Prey" is a prime example of how to do a sequel (or in this case prequel) right by going back to the roots of the original, shedding the bells and whistles that many directors feel audiences clamor for, and giving us what we really want - violence, gore, action, terror, and a wholly rootable hero. It also pays homage to the franchise in big and small ways, one of which occurs to those who closely follow the franchise and find something that ties to the future of the series. Shutting up the naysayers, "Prey" will keep you on the edge of your seat and will be hailed as the best sequel in the 35-year long franchise.

The Score: A+