“You think that I am not a hunter like you. That I am not a threat. That is what makes me dangerous.”

Justin’s rating: If it bleeds, it’s probably not very happy

Justin’s review: Like the Terminator, Robocop, and Alien franchises, the run of Predator movies ended up being all over the place since being established in the ’80s. Yet apart from the horrible Alien crossovers, I think that they’ve ranged from underrated (The Predator) to decent (Predators) to actually pretty great in its own right (Predator 2). And then they went and made a seventh movie which was both highly acclaimed and largely unseen because somebody thought it was a good idea to put this on Hulu instead of releasing it in theaters.

This is Prey, the stealth Predator prequel. And yes, it’s a prequel as it takes place 300 years ago in pre-Revolution North America, where the hunting-obsessed alien race is at an even greater advantage, technologically speaking, over the people in its safari park. In this case, it’s the peoples of the Comanche Nation, who find themselves facing a “monster’ of unimaginable abilities and strength.

But as the slightly clever title switch conveys, Prey is about changing things up a bit. Not only are we taken out of our usual modern-day setting for this series, but the focus on a native tribe at the receiving end of this one-alien invasion is quite the change of pace.

I’d been really eager to see Prey for a while now because I heard so many good things about it. I mean, any time you hear people raving about the cinematography of the seventh installment of a scifi monster movie, that’s got to pique curiosity. And oh man, I totally agree with these praises. As this movie is effectively 100% in the wild away from what we think of as civilization, there’s ample opportunity to highlight the natural beauty of this continent.

You know, before the killing begins.

Our heroine of the hour is Naru (Amber Midthunder), a member of the Comanche in 1719 who’s into parkour, tomahawk throwing, and dog training. She’s among the first to bear witness to the inexplicable, an arrival of a flaming craft from the sky. Naru also is on the cusp of proving herself as a warrior in her own right, so it looks like she’s about to be put to the ultimate test against another prospective fighter — just one not from her world.

The unfortunately rare focus on native protagonists out in the wilds of North America bring some strong Last of the Mohicans vibes to Prey, and that is a compliment (and Sarah Schachner’s gorgeous score bolsters that connection). I don’t think we spend a lot of time envisioning this continent before it had a Dollar General on every block. Prey gave me a taste of what it’d be like if the world was dark, beautiful, and untamed in every direction of the compass.

What begins as a rescue mission for a member of the tribe who got taken by a cougar turns into a two-sided hunt between this warrior party and a somewhat more primitive version of the Predator than we’ve seen to date. The alien is still familiar — brutally strong and looking to kill only what can fight it back.

The Comanches end up getting entangled with a group of French trappers who provide the role of “unsympathetic horror victims” after doing a spate of exposition. Finding herself on her own, Naru realizes that she has to be more clever, more fierce, and more brave than she thought possible — because sheer muscles aren’t on her side.

Prey may not be the absolute best entry in the franchise, but it’s easily in the top three — and the one boasting the best visual style and lead character. It’s hard not to cheer on Naru for being the clear underdog in her tribe and in this matchup. Her sweet retractable hatchet is an amazingly cool weapon to see in action, not to mention a reminder of how these basic weapons were frightfully effective.

It also does the franchise proud with its ferocious action sequences that harken back to the survival elements that we saw in the original. Both predator and prey use the environment  and elements to their advantage, and soon enough, blood of both the red and glowing green variety gush.

Plasma blasts and invisibility cloaks are tough enough to fight against when you have machine guns and Arnold’s quips at hand. It should be laughable to pit the Predator’s arsenal against stone age weapons, but somehow it feels like we’re finally on equal footing. Prey shows that this character and concept can work in many more settings than we originally imagined.

Maybe it doesn’t have as many jokes and punchy one-liners, but you’re going to have a good time with Prey even so. Here’s hoping that those other ’80s franchises take equally bold risks in the future.

Intermission!

• “A long time ago, it is said, a monster came here.”
• I could frame almost every shot of this movie and hang it on my wall. Last time I felt that way was Blade Runner 2049.
• Spider to mouse to rattlesnake to Predator
• These nighttime scenes are incredibly dark at times
• Predator vs. wolf
• Whole lotta sweet bunnies in this movie
• Alien flesh-melting acid gives those skulls that high sheen!
• Surprise bog is surprising
• That bear charging was terrifying
• Beaver dams are not bear proof
• Predator vs. bear
• “If it bleeds, we can kill it.”
• The French trappers almost had a good moment there, with the net
• Reloading times in 1719 do not favor the defenders
• The pistol shot richocheting back was pretty funny
• “I’m smarter than a beaver.”
• When the Predator steps on your groin, try not to yell. It’s a dead giveaway.
• Predator takes a whole lot of punishment — including a pistol shot to the head — and keeps on ticking. Respect for that.
• The final picture in the credits — and what it means for the tribe