The latest film in the Predator film series has arrived and the first under Disney ownership since their purchase of 20th Century Fox. “Prey” takes a look back in order to move the franchise forward and it does this by setting in amongst the Comanche community roughly three hundred years in the past. The film follows a young girl named Naru (Amber Midthunder) who looks to become a warrior but in a male-dominated setting, only her brother is relatively supportive of her ambition and talks about when she will face a trial which she must endure to show her worth. At the same time, a Predator has arrived and begins to hunt the local wildlife. Naru sees evidence of his work and tries to convince the tribe that the carnage they are finding is not the work of a bear or a mountain lion as the community believes. When the nature of the threat manifests itself, Naru must find the courage and skills to track and face the enemy who threatens to destroy her tribe. The film is directed by Dan Trachtenberg and he mixes a good amount of action along with a very interesting setting and characters to create an engaging tale. There are some moments that the FX was not as sharp as one might expect but the sequences with the Predator are filled with action and suspense and should make fans of the franchise very happy. The film at times does require some leaps of faith from the audience but in the end, “Prey” is a satisfying film that is superior to “The Predator” and rates as one of the stronger entries in the series and that the franchise is in good hands for the future. It will be interesting to see where the franchise goes next as there is lots of material for the franchise to explore, but for now, “Prey” is a refreshing take on the series and one fans should enjoy. 4 stars out of 5

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/prey-spoiler-free-review "Prey lives up to high expectations, being the first movie in the Predator saga to come close to or even surpass the original. Dan Trachtenberg is able to restore the franchise by focusing on a compelling protagonist and the motivational essence of the primary creature, as well as creating one of the most dazzling films of 2022. Both the cinematography and the score take advantage of the on-location filmmaking to create an almost epic atmosphere, whether through gorgeous wide shots that will leave every viewer amazed or through violent, macabre, exceptionally choreographed action sequences in conjunction with long takes. Amber Midthunder delivers one of the best performances of her career. For fans of the saga, horror, and/or action, it's not easy to find something better this year." Rating: A-

Sometimes it's best to let the dead rest in peace and such is the case, with the much exhumed, Predator franchise. The original has, quite deservedly,become a cult classic. What came after ranges from passable to truly awful acts of grave robbing. Prey is not awful. It has wonderful cinematic's and a superficially believable, 18th century world. A world on the cusp of modernisation and change but one that still holds on to, the fading reality embraced by its native inhabitants. Regrettably, that's far as we get. What comes after is a revisionist construct, that does not reflect life, as it was, in this era. Instead we get feminism, at a time when its presence would have been akin, to finding an automatic wrist watch, in an Egyptian tomb. If by some miracle you can overlook this nonsensical plot turn, it doesn't get any better. Our hero, a slim young girl, apparently has the wherewithal to take on and defeat, a savage interplanetary killer. A killer, as we can recall from the first film, who chewed through all but one member, of a hardcore team, of special forces mercenaries. Sure, Arnie's character did use old style tactics, in the end, to defeat the beast. That said, he's a huge, profoundly physical man, cast as someone with no end of combat training and even then he barely made it out alive. No matter, old world patriarchy defying girl, who has to run like stink from a simple bear the predator easily dispatches, magically gets the job done. Do I need say more? If utter suspension of disbelief is your thing this just might work for you. My advice, watch or re-watch the original and suspend your disbelief that the spin offs that came after, were ever made. 4/10.

I guess I have to start by saying that this movie was a lot better than some of the latest entries in the Predator franchise but then, that is not really difficult so it does not say that much. Personally, I think this movie is rather mediocre. Cinematically it is not a bad movie. I liked the footage for the most part. Story wise, well, for the first half of the movie I found it rather boring actually. There was some brief scenes with a wolf and later a bear that had some action in it but for the most part the main protagonist ran around moping and whining and trying to pretend to be worthy of being a great warrior. Somewhat unrealistic of course since Hollywood, of course, had cast a woman in the role. Not that I have anything against it per see but at the time this movie is supposed to happen a women, native Indian or not, stayed at home doing the chores whether Hollywood tries to pretend otherwise or not. As I said, I m still okay with that but she spends most of the time fumbling, stumbling and when a threat comes around she runs and looks scared. Not the kind of great warrior charisma that I was hoping for in the main protagonist. When it finally starts to get interesting she stumbles into a bloody animal trap and gets caught by a hunting party. The latter which of course is portrayed as the typical Hollywood stereotype of “white man bad”. Minor details like, having your foot caught in that kind of steel trap would render you useless for the rest of the movie, is of course ignored. The later half of the movie has some action in it at least which is dragged down by the main protagonists moping and the fact that, when she finally has the chance of taking a shot, she just stares stupidly for half a minute and voila, the chance is gone. On the good side is that the actors are doing a pretty decent job of the not so great script they were given and, as I mentioned, cinematically it is a quite good movie. The action, when it happens, is pretty good if one ignores the Hollywood stupidities and the not so kick-behind main protagonist. Overall the movie is watchable and, as I wrote, better than previous instalments in the franchise but that is about it.

CinemaSerf

6.0/10

Aug 15, 2022

OK. Please explain. Is this just supposed to be "Pocahontas" meets "Predator"? Just because it calls itself an "origin" story doesn't mean it needed to be made - and I'm sorry, but I just didn't understand whom this is for. It has none of the suspense or tension of the original Arnie film from 1987, and I kept expecting Peabo Bryson to burst into song at some point as these hopelessly out-gunned/arrowed/tomahawked Commanche - and, to be fair, most of their critter counterparts, seem to be on the menu of this visiting alien creature who has invisibility, enduring strength and some pretty whizzy weapons at his disposal. It is a little bit gory, but no more so that you might see on your latest Blumhouse effort, and to be fair it doesn't hang about - there is plenty of action once it gets started. The acting, however, is really neither here nor there and of course, there isn't the slightest degree of jeopardy as the whole thing sort of lurches along to a quirkily silly ending that made me smile. The effects are pretty old hat and though the human characters are tenacious and courageous enough, the story has just too much of the ridiculous David and Goliath to it. I did wonder why it didn't get a cinema release, but now I have seen it, I reckon I know why. It's watchable enough, but I can't say it's much good or the least memorable.

The Movie Mob

8.0/10

Aug 19, 2022

**Overall : Prey brings new life to the Predator series, and I hope there is more to come.** The Predator franchise has been all over the map when it comes to quality, settings, and story. With entries ranging from the incredible 1987 Predator to the awful 2018 attempt, The Predator. Thankfully, Prey shines as the best film in the Predator series since the original. This prequel takes a while to get going as it establishes character motivations and the dangers of the Great Plains. But once it gets going, it just gets better and better! Prey remains faithful to the original, blending horror and action with the elusive alien killer eliminating its prey one by one. But this time, the improved effects and primitive setting make the action more visceral and scary. I could go on and on about how brilliantly the time period raised the stakes, how excellent Amber Midthunder’s heroine was, or how fantastic Dan Trachtenberg’s directing was. Prey returns the Predator franchise to its best form by avoiding the cheese and focusing on the horror of the hunt.