Prey, movie for the Predator series (2022)
image © 20th Century Studio (Disney)
Article updated: 2023.01.13
The Prey (2022) is a survival thriller film. The movie was reviewed by Kadmon.
Product: Prey, movie for the Predator series (2022)
Original title: Prey
Series: Predator series
Previous entries in the series: -
Setting: historical alternate / fantasy Earth (Alien & Predator universe)
Product type: Film, Genre: survival thriller, Style: sci-fi, fantasy, thriller, survival thriller, action, futuristic action, creature
Release: Premiere: 2022.07.21 (Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival), Release: 2022.08.05
Reviewer: Kadmon, Type: Male, 40s, Preferences: Immersive, logical story, consistent setting, prefers surprises to spoilers, prefers establishing elements before referencing them
Watched: very recent (2022.08), first time
Rating: Weak (2- out of 3 points), Enjoyment: Bad (1 out of 3 points)
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This is my review of Prey, a survival thriller movie for the Predator series from 2022. It's about girl trying to survive her first real hunt, while a creature hunts people around her. The Prey film is watchable, but I only recommend it, if you don't have anything better to do.
If you'd like to be surprised by the Prey film, I don't recommend you to watch the trailer beyond 0:40, because it gives away too much of the plot.
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Review (spoiler-free) - Prey, movie (2022)
I've known for a while that they are working on a Predator prequel. Even though the last Predator movie I've enjoyed was made in 1990, I still watch all those awful sequels, waiting for some miracle to happen. I hope that Prey will become this miracle that I'll be finally able to like. I didn't watch the trailer, nor did I check any reviews before sitting down to watch the movie.
The Prey movie is about a girl trying to survive her first real hunt, while a creature hunts people around her.
The basics of the story might be good, but the choice of the protagonists and the actual execution of the story is weak. The fate of the protagonist constantly depends on luck, making the action scenes boring. The consistency is all over the place - there are unnecessary scenes, and there are important things that just happen off-screen. There is a character arc for the main protagonist. There are a few logical problems.
The cinematography is okay. The action scenes are good. They are brutal and gory, but you can follow what is happening. Some of the special effects are good. However, the CGI animals are very visibly out of place. Due to the close-ups, extreme close-ups and blurry shots, I assume the movie was made to be watched on a small screen.
We don't really get to know the characters. Their portrayal by the actors is fine
The music (by Sarah Schachner) is acceptable, reminiscent of score of the first Predator movie (it even uses some of the motifs), and sometimes The Last of the Mohicans (1992). I've listened to the soundtrack separately, and it's probably a better way to enjoy it, not being distracted by the movie.
Most of the movie is in English, but there is another language (I assume, the language of the natives) that's spoken sometimes. I find this strange, as it would imply that the other times they indeed use proper English, instead of their own.
Compared to the rest of the Predator franchise, I've found this to be the weakest, although Prey competes with The Predator for this title.
Prey is a watchable survival thriller, that I think a select few fans of the genre might enjoy.
My experience
I was not satisfied with Prey (2022). I prefer stories with well-thought, logical plots, relatable characters, and Prey couldn't deliver that.
Rating: Weak (2- out of 3 points). Prey is a watchable film, with multiple problems.
Enjoyment: Bad (1 out of 3 points). I didn't like Prey at all, but I admit that I've compared it to Predator (1987), that was better in every aspect. Had I seen Prey (2022) without any knowledge about the original Predator movie, I think I'd have given it a Weak (2- out of 3 points) rating.
Rewatchability: Low. I think it's mostly the surprise of the story that makes you feel interested, but I can imagine some people getting connected to this story somehow and enjoying a second watching..
Chance of watching it again: No.
Chance of watching a sequel: Good question. Up to this point I've watched every Predator movie, so I'll probably also watch the next one, but I'm starting to lose hope.
Prey, movie for the Predator series (2022)
image © 20th Century Studio (Disney)
Will you enjoy this?
If you like mystery or thriller movies, you might like Prey.
If you like supernatural or fantasy movies, you might like Prey.
If you like horror or action thriller movies (Alien, Predator), you might like the film, although there are not many action scenes or scary scenes in the Prey movie.
If you'd like to get comedic moments in your movies, Prey will disappoint you, as it's mostly serious.
If you can get through the first half hour of the movie still interested, the rest will be something similar, just more intense.
If you enjoyed the previous Predator movies, you might be interested in this story.
If you don't mind illogical elements in your movies, you can enjoy this.
If you hate subtitles, you are partially in luck, as the non-English languages are not translated in subtitles. However, they are not translated at all, letting you guess what were they talking about.
If you prefer visuals over story, this movie has some nice visuals.
If you hate depiction of violence and gore, you should probably avoid Predator movies entirely.
Do you need to see the other films in the series to enjoy this?
On the contrary. I feel that the more you know about the Predator movies, the less you will enjoy Prey, as you would be able to expect elements, and also, you would then compare Prey to those better movies.
Otherwise, I think there's enough explanation that you'll understand what's going on without seeing the rest of the series.
However, if you have seen Predator 2 (1990), you'll understand it better, what happens at the end of the movie.
Watching for plot points
If you are interested in wilderness survival thriller stories, I think it's worth watching the Prey movie for the plot points. Even if it's only to learn from its mistakes.
Should you watch this on your own screen at home, or is it worth going to the cinema?
As currently it's not shown in a cinema, it's a somewhat moot question, but I assume that the movie - as it stands now -, would look out of place on a large screen, due to the choice of shots and the bad CGI creatures. The scenic shots however, might look better.
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Prey, movie for the Predator series (2022)
image © 20th Century Studio (Disney)
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Review with spoilers - Prey, movie (2022)
I tried to like the Prey movie, but I just couldn't.
It's a bit too slow. By 30 minutes, I started to get bored, because nothing really happened, and there was no tension. When at 55 minutes, the girl was captured, I thought this would be a great time to give it a break.
Beyond the random native words, the European settlers also speak their own language instead of English, making the random use of English an odd creative choice.
I preferred the male protagonist, Taabe in every aspect. He is more likeable, and the actor is really good in portraying the character.
Subverting the expectations
The movie tries to subvert the expectations of those who have seen the previous movies. This is fine, it doesn't take away from the movie, and they don't focus on these too much that it would detract from the story itself.
- Cloaked in the water: When the Predator wades into the water, while cloaked, the fans would think that the cloaking will flash, like it did in every other movie. However, this cloaking device is water resistant.
- The targeting triangle: When the triangle of dots appear, the fans would think it's the targeting triangle for the plasma-caster. However, the dots start to move independently, and it is revealed that it's not a plasma-caster, but a rod-caster.
- Meeting with the hunters: When the targeting triangle appears on the hunter, the fans would think it just teasing the hunters, because in the previous movies, the Predator didn't just kill people who didn't mean any harm to it. At least, it gave them a fighting chance by using close combat weapons. However, this Predator doesn't care about the code of those Predators, it just shoots the hunters. It would have also shot the dog, even though the dog clearly didn't carry any kind of ranged weapon.
- The net: When a man gets caught in the net, the fans would think it will hold the captive, until the Predator has time to deal with him. However, a device starts to work, and it shreds the captive into small pieces.
- The mask: When the girl gets the mask from the Predator, the fans would think that the Predator will have a hard time breathing in the hostile environment. However, this Predator is a tough guy, and it doesn't seem to be affected.
Cover
Some covers of the movie are okay, although almost all of them spoils that the movie will be about a girl fighting a Predator.
The trailer
The trailer spoils major points of the movie. If you prefer spoilers, it's a great trailer for the Prey film. If you prefer to avoid spoilers, it could ruin the movie for you.
Promise of the first scene
Before the first scene, there's narration that a monster came there a long time ago. Then we see Native Americans doing their daily chores. It's not a strong promise, but due to the title and that narration, I assume that the monster will return to haunt this Native American tribe.
Execution: Now I think, that the narration was a framing device, and the story is told in the future, after these events happened. So, I was mislead immediately. I'm not satisfied with the promise.
Prey, movie for the Predator series (2022)
image © 20th Century Studio (Disney)
Plot summary / Synopsis
1719, the Northern Great Plains: We see a native American tribe. A girl (Amber Midthunder as Naru), who sleeps with face paintings, wakes up in her tent. While hunting for a deer with her dog (Coco as Sarii), she sees some strange thing in the sky (a spaceship?). She thinks that she has seen a Thunderbird, and it's a sign that she is ready for the Great Hunt. She talks about this with her brother (Dakota Beavers as Taabe). She dreams to be a hunter, although she is not very good at it yet.
We see that a cloaked, almost invisible creature (Dane DiLiegro as a Predator) gets out of the spaceship. We see the creature kill a snake.
One of the tribe members (Samuel Marty as Puhi) gets taken by a lion. A team gathers to get him back. The girl joins them, to be their tracker. They find the wounded man, treat his wounds, and prepare to bring him back. Her brother decides that he wants to stay, to hunt at night. While going home, the girl sees a footprint, belonging to the creature. She decides to go back to warn her brother. When she joins them, her brother decides that it's time for her Great Hunt, and that she should be the one to hunt the lion. While they are waiting for the lion to appear, the lion ambushes them. The girl tries to stab it, but she is terrified, and as she backs away, a fall knocks her unconscious. Her brother kills the lion, and brings the girl back to the camp.
The brother is nominated as the new warchief by the previous warchief, who is old and sickly.
The next day, the girl decides that she's going to find the creature that left those footprints. The girl creates a magical throwing axe that she is able to call back to her hand with the use of some ropes.
The creature kills a wolf. It takes the head, and creates a trophy out of the skull.
The girl finds a whole herd of bisons, killed and skinned. Then the girl falls into a mud pit, and uses her magical throwing axe to get out. Then she gets attacked by a bear, but the creature arrives, distracting the bear. The two fight for a while, then the creature kills the bear, but the girl escapes.
She is found by her tribe members, who want to bring her home, but she becomes violent and attacks them. Then the creature attacks them, and kills the rest of the team, but the girl escapes.
The girl is captured by Europeans. It turns out that her brother was also captured. They are tied to a tree, to be used as bait, as the Europeans try to hunt the creature. The creature kills the Europeans and the brother of the girl, but the girl escapes.
Observing the creature, the girl knows that it can turn invisible, it is able to see even hiding targets, and that it probably won't kill people who don't pose a threat to it. She also notices that one of her herbs is able to lower her temperature so low that she'll be invisible to the creature, so she uses it, and captures a European to use as bait. The girl is able to ambush the creature, and steal its helmet. This distracts the creature, so she is able to get some of his weapons, cutting an arm off from the creature, and causing serious wounds. Then she manages to get the creature into the swamp that she fell into earlier. She managed to put the helmet in the right position, so when the creature shot its rod-caster, it killed the creature instead.
The girl gets back to their camp, and she is nominated the new warchief.
The mid-credit scene implies that multiple Predator spaceships arrive, interrupting the ceremony.
The setting
Alternate fantasy Earth, 1719.
In this universe, extra-terrestrial aliens exist. You are also able to create throwing axes that come back to your hand, by using magical rope. (In our real world, the rope trick just wouldn't work.)
There's also a magical herb, that can lower the temperature of a human to such a low temperature that a Predator is unable to see it. (That would probably kill anybody in the real world.)
The protagonist probably has magically or biologically enhanced regenerative powers. The source of her powers is not explained.
The Predator
It is able to lift the weight of a fully grown grizzly bear, and press it above its head. It is able to run a lot faster than a human. Even in his combat fatigue, it can run 2 or 3 times faster than an unencumbered human fighter. It can jump from tree to tree (and the trees are able to support its weight, so the Predator probably wears some kind of suspensor device.) It has very good reflexes, it can catch an axe thrown at it.
This Predator is also able to breathe the atmosphere of Earth (unlike the others, who had breathing problems without their masks).
Predator technology
The cloaking device: It is able to make the wearer invisible, even if the user is in the water.
Helmet: It is required to use the targeting computer.
Rod-caster: It is able to shoot small rods, the size of arrows. It can aim three separate rods at the same time, with the use of the helmet.
Sword-spear: It has a weapon that looks like a spear, but it can be separated to be used as dual-wielded swords.
Shield: It has a device, that can be activated to create a shield out of plates. It's also very sharp, so opening it can cut things (humans, trees) apart.
Grinder: A net that can capture people. There's a device on it that tightens the net, cutting the contents apart.
Wristband with destructive drones: The wristband can be set to count down. Then three drones are released that can cause a huge explosion.
Healing glue: It can use a transparent glue to heal its wounds.
Suspensor: Many scenes show that the Predator is able to make itself weight less. I assume it uses some gadget to lower its weight.
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Prey, movie for the Predator series (2022)
image © 20th Century Studio (Disney)
Analysis of the story - Prey, movie (2022)
I didn't like the story, there were so many plot-related, dramatic and visual problems that prevented me from enjoying Prey.
The message of the story
"If you make sure that the rest of your competition dies, you will be nominated the winner." "You should always follow your dreams, even if it leads to the death of your whole family."
"Even if you are a girl with no training at all, if you have supernatural strength and agility, a magical herb and a magical throwing axe, you will be able to defeat strong opponents."
The structure of the story
The scenes of the Prey film are mostly played in sequence, following the same storyline. There are some scenes that show events happening parallel to each other.
There's no single viewpoint character, but we see most of the story through the viewpoint of Naru.
It has the usual arc of the dramatic structure - introduction, action, resolution.
Fan-service
Scenes and elements from previous films:
Predator (1987)
- "If it bleeds, we can kill it."
- Predator heat vision.
- Creating a skull trophy out of a head. It's a human head in Predator, a wolf head in Prey.
- A native American is cut across the chest. In Predator, he did it to himself. In this movie, the Europeans cut him.
- A native American wears a medicine pouch around the neck, as noticed by AcidGlow.
- The protagonist gets submerged in mud.
- The protagonist prepares primitive traps, hoping to kill the Predator.
- The helmeted head of the Predator looks somewhat similar to the original, unused Predator helmet design.
Predator 2 (1990)
- The Predator using a net.
- The Predator healing itself.
- The "Raphael Adolini 1715" gun. It was given by a guy to the girl. The gun got in the possessions of the Predators later, and gave it to Mike Harrigan in 1997.
Things I liked
- I liked it that the creators made new gadgets for the Predator to play with.
- I liked the animation at the end.
- The dog was cute.
Problematic elements
The title: Who is the "Prey" the title refers to? There's the protagonist, but she is a would-be hunter, and the Predator never actively hunts her, so she is not a prey either. There's the Predator, who might be the prey in the end, but so was the Predator of the first movie, when Dutch started to hunt it, so it's also not very fitting. There are multiple animals and people that are being preyed on, but then it would be in plural.
Misleading prologue: As the story begins, we are told that "A long time ago, it is said, a monster came here.", and I thought that it refers to the past, so we'll see the return of the monster. But, after watching the movie, I'm almost sure that the narration is set in the future compared to the present of the movie, and what we see is the time when the monster - the Predator - came there. It's confusing this way, it would have been nice to indicate the different timelines.
Unlikeable protagonist: This is probably the main problem. We get the girl, who is not only lazy to do her chores, but she can be outright dangerous to her own people, and we see how cruel she can be to strangers. It's very hard to feel empathy to her, making it very hard for the audience to care for her, and we spend most of the movie's runtime watching her exploits.
She doesn't look reasonable. When questioned, she said that she wanted to become a hunter, because the others believed that she couldn't. They probably also believed that should couldn't fly, yet, she didn't try to grow wings.
It was also strange that she is able to hurt innocent animals and tribespeople, but she is unable to hurt the mountain lion that was directly attacking her. I'm not sure what did the creators want to show with this.
I liked the character of the brother a lot more. As the creators were intent on a female character, they could have just used the characteristics of the brother in the girl, and it would have made the movie a lot better.
Masculine woman: It's a small thing, but I'm getting tired of the masculine woman trope. It would be nice to see a new action movie with a female protagonist, who is not a man in a female body, but a proper, feminine character, who has goals beyond beating the toughest local guy, and killing the largest animal around.
Native society: I'm almost sure that everyone in the society have some daily chores to do. I assume if you don't do your job in a society, you'll be reprimanded. However, nobody seems to care that the girl just disappears in the woods to play with her dog.
Unlikeable people: Thinking about it, most of the people we see in the movie are unlikeable. Most of the girl's tribe, and all of Europeans are either stupid or rude. The movie makes it very hard for the audience to root for anybody but the Predator.
Trouble for the sake of the plot: If the local tribe wouldn't have done anything, and would have just waited until the Predator finished its hunt, they all would have stayed safe. It took the recklessness of the girl to pull the rest of the warriors into the situation, leading to their deaths. The Predator otherwise didn't threaten their people or their camp, and would have probably gone to deal with the Europeans, who would provide a better challenge.
Lack of introductions: Unless I've missed it, I think they've fist named the main protagonist in the second half of the movie. Until then, I couldn't refer to her in my thoughts other than "the girl". If the characters have names, use them as soon as possible, to help the audience differentiate between them, and understand when someone gets referred to by name.
The Predator: What does the Predator want here? We see it wrestling with every possible animal, from small snakes to giant grizzly bears. It doesn't seem to have a clear aim. If it knows that there are Europeans with firearms around, and it aims to get the most sporting opponent, why does it spend it's time killing local wildlife instead of going to the European camp?
The CGI animals: The fact that they couldn't animate the animals properly wouldn't be a problem in a regular movie. However, we get extreme close-ups of the poorly made creatures, and there are full scenes dedicated to the interactions of those animals. If they couldn't do them right, they should have just left these scenes out.
Off-screen happenings: Many things just happen off-screen, while we watch either boring scenes, or scenes with bad CGI.
Foreshadowing: While I liked that they've found an iron chain in the middle of the forest in the beginning, showing that they had some connection with European settlers, it would have been better to at least make a mention about them.
Lack of restraint: The creators couldn't wait to build the tension, they just had to show the Predator doing things that the Predators do. Sure, the audience who sits down to watch this movie, will more than likely know that it's a Predator who does the killing. So, you really don't have to show the Predator to them, because it won't surprise them, if anything, it just takes the tension out of them.
Very crowded area: Usually one place has one apex predator. Here, we have seen a mountain lion, a grizzly bear, and a wolf. Not to mention the Europeans.
Ferocious animals: When the Predator confronts the local wildlife, all of them are eager to attack it. Even predators are wary of things they don't recognise, and they back away from things they don't know. The artificial smells of a modern person is enough for a predator to stay back, unless it's starving. Even a snake is clever enough not to attack as long as it can just slide away, as it wouldn't be able to eat the Predator. The wolf might be upset because the Predator let the rabbit get away, but I find it unlikely that it would be furious enough to attack the Predator. The bear is a good question, as it was in an attack mentality, when it was interrupted by the Predator, and when it knocked the Predator back, the bear tried to get away, it was the Predator who didn't let it go.
Fantasy elements: While I don't mind fantasy in stories, these should be established at the beginning of the story. Also, the limits of these fantasy elements should be also shown, so the viewer could know what to expect. Prey (2022) just throws in some fantasy elements in the middle of the movie without any explanation.
- The magical throwing axe: It's not a coincidence that people didn't use weapons like that. If you throw the axe hard enough that it sticks into the tree, then pulling it out would break the rope. If the rope is strong enough to bear the pull, then it's heavy enough to weight down the axe when it's being thrown. Also, when she throws the axe in the swamp, every time she throws it, she pushes herself deeper into the swamp. So, she wouldn't just float on the top. Then, as she is weighted down not just by her own - considerable - weight, but the weight of the mud, she wouldn't be able to pull herself out (unless it's a magical rope).
- Magical herb: The girl uses a herb to lower her temperature. Even if such a herb would exist, when lowering the temperature, the blood flows from the appendages to the main body, making her hands and feet feel numb. Even in the unlikely event that she could stay stand up, she wouldn't be able to fight.
- Supernatural abilities: The girl has incredible strength, she can do feats that would be hard for even very strong fighters. In a fight scene, she just sticks a dagger with one hand into a man's head, that goes through his skull, and get out on the other side, with seemingly no effort. She also jumps from heights that would probably break her bones when she lands, with no problem at all.
Waterproof cloaking device: In the first Predator movie, that is set in the 1980s, the cloaking device is sensitive to water, making it look like water short circuits the device. The cloaking device this Predator uses 200 years before that, seems resistant to water.
The girl as a hunter: No matter how hard she aspires to be a hunter, in the movie, we see that she is not very good at it yet. The only time she finally catches a prey is with the help of her magical throwing axe (and even that happens off-screen). Any other times we see that she neglects the rules of the hunt (sneaking on fellow hunters), and neglects her hunting equipment (using a wet bow). She could only escape every dangerous situation due to luck, and she could only defeat the Predator, because the creators set her up to that. So, if it were up to her, the tribe would starve (but luckily, they'll be probably killed by the Predator assault hinted in the mid-credits scene).
The bow: It's a small thing but the girl seems to constantly have the bowstring on the bow, not just when she is about to use it. This would just put extra strain on the poor bow.
It's also extremely optimistic of her to try to use her bow just after it was immersed in the swamp. She should know that it's close to useless because of the loose bowstring, and it could damage the wet bow when she pulls it.
The Predator killing the tribe members: When the Predator first kills people, it kills the least sympathetic character, then the rest of the tribe members we didn't like. And we didn't like them, because we have just seen that the protagonist girl attacked them in a fit of rage, and got beaten by these guys, who defended themselves. So, these "victims" are the worst possible choices to make the audience feel anything towards their deaths. If there was no fight between them, at least we would have been neutral, so it would be up to the specific audience member whether they feel something or doesn't.
The cigar: When the girl finds the slain bisons, she finds a cigar, indicating that this was done by European settlers. However, for me, it was not clear that was a cigar - I've just seen some rod-like shape. It would have been useful, to add some dialogue, or more visual clues to indicate this.
The abilities of the girl: At the end of the first day, she gets a concussion, that makes her black out. Then, on the second day, she also gets a concussion, that makes her black out again. Repeated head injuries can cause serious damage, as the brain doesn't have time to heal. Then, on the second day, she also gets her leg caught in a mechanical bear trap. Although we can't know the extent of her injuries, we know it causes some, because she treats her wounds later. So, she will be probably limping until it's healed. Then, on the third day, before the battle, she is tied to a tree, standing, without the ability to move. That will certainly affect how fit she will be to fight - without some warming up exercises, she is likely to strain her muscles. As none of these injuries seem to cause any effect on her, I assume she has regenerative powers. (Update: In an early version of the script, the girl was a witch-doctor, who was able to tap into the supernatural. Maybe these are what remained of that version, but in this version of the movie, there's no explanation how she gets her supernatural powers.)
The big battle between the Predator and the Europeans: No matter how well choreographed the fight is, if we don't care for the well-being of the combatants on either side. We don't even know the Europeans, and they don't seem like nice people. We know the Predator slightly better, but we are supposed to root for the girl, so it won't be a bad thing if the Predator got hurt. So, these take the tension out of an otherwise good scene. If the whole thing happened off-screen, it wouldn't have affected the outcome of the movie.
Getting into close combat: Native Americans avoided close combat, if possible. They used ranged weapons (spears, bows, later rifles). They were great hunters, and they did practice aiming at moving targets, but they didn't want to get close to them, as long as they could avoid that, because that wouldn't be safe. They didn't have close combat drills, they didn't fight in formations, unlike the Europeans, who were using these methods. So, I find it unlikely that the girl - after two concussions, getting tied up, with no close combat training - would be able to handle a group of guys, who were prepared to fight the Predator, and who had probably trained for that.
Using the helmet against the Predator: This doesn't really make sense. The Predator was able to use the helmet by controlling it with his mind / eyes (probably due to the contact to his head). Then, the girl stole the helmet. She was able to put it in the perfectly right position that when the Predator uses its rod-caster, it will blow up its head. However - if the rod-caster requires the targeting system - that was stolen by the girl -, why does the Predator use it? If it can be switched from computer targeted to hand targeted, why does it still use the computer targeting? How was the girl able to predict this? How was the girl able to predict the exact position of the Predator?
Constantly lucky: I get it that the movie would end pretty soon if the girl weren't this lucky, but after a while it gets boring that the Predator kills everything, but the girl just luckily gets away. The creators at least could have shown some effort in coming up ways for the girl to get away or hide properly.
Becoming the warchief: Why did the girl become the new warchief? Weren't there any more able guys left, or did the Predator kill everyone? I'd assume that to become a warchief, one has to have some specific qualities and abilities. It probably doesn't go to everyone who completes their Great Hunt. And we have seen that the girl is lazy, careless, rebellious, vicious to her own tribespeople, and takes unnecessary risks. These are not the qualities I'd like to see in my warchief.
Weakening the antagonist of the whole series: This is a serious problem of horror franchises. The first story builds on an unbeatable enemy, that gets defeated by a competent and lucky individual. We cheer, because we know that this was an exceptional act of victory. However, every additional time we see that unbeatable enemy getting beaten not only affects that specific story, but it weakens the antagonist even in the previous instalments. The more time we see that enemy defeated, the less of an achievement was to defeat it for the first time. That's why it would be probably better to tell stories where the Predator is not defeated, but find some way where the protagonists still achieve their goal.
Unanswered questions
- Why does the native American girl sleep in make-up?
- How does the rope help the girl in hitting those rabbits? We have seen that she wasn't able to hit them without the rope. Then, she ties the rope to the axe. Then some magic happens off-screen, and we only get to see that she has killed plenty of rabbits.
- Why did the girl want to defeat the Predator? She didn't even know what it is. It didn't do anything personal against her.
- Why did the Europeans kill the herd of bisons? And why did they spend time to skin them, if they just left the flesh rotting? (Update: I've heard that they did it to starve the natives, so they would have an easier time to conquer them later, but it would have been great to include this information in the story itself.)
- How did Adolini's gun get back to the Predators? Will it happen off-screen? Or do they plan to show the Predator assault to us?
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Possibilities of improvement
- Deal with the magical rope in one way or another:
- Get rid of it:
- Cut the scene when she creates a magical throwing axe.
- Cut around the scene when she uses the magical throwing axe in the swamp. She falls into the mud, then struggles a bit, then the next we see her out of the pit. This way the knowledge about the mud pit remains, but the scene doesn't get ridiculous.
- Trim the action scenes when she uses the magical throwing axe.
- Add dialogue, telling us that the Predators have been hunting here before, and the magical rope was left by them, that's why it has magical properties.
- Get rid of it:
- Cut the scenes in the beginning, showing the Predator.
- Cut the scenes that only show us the bad CGI animals (or create a better render of them).
- Cut the part in the ending when the girl becomes the new warchief, because it doesn't add to the story, and it's ridiculous.
- Add subtitles to everything that's not English.
- Make the girl the viewpoint character. We see most of the story through her anyway, and it would get rid of some scenes that are not necessary for the story.
- Add some dialogue that they believe that the Predator wants to kill the whole tribe. This would add at least some tension, and it would make it necessary to deal with the Predator so they could survive. Otherwise, if they just sat back, and waited for the Predator to finish the hunt, all of them would have been safe.
How it could have been better?
Focus on a relatable young hunter who is preparing for his or her Great Hunt. Make us care about this hunter, and the fellow tribespeople.
Instead of being constantly lucky to get away, show us how this hunter has prepared for becoming a hunter, and has abilities to hide and evade the Predator.
Actuallly, getting rid of the Predator entirely, and using some other creature (maybe one from Native American mythology) might have made a better story.
If the girl would have sacrificed herself to kill the creature to save her tribe, it might have given it more of an emotional impact.
When the creators realised they can't make acceptable animated animals, they should have got rid of those scenes. Or make a cut without them. Then, they'd get a complete movie, and if the animators are able to finish a final version by the time of release, then they could just re-edit those scene into the movie.
As Gulyás Timon recommended, the Predator could have been worshipped by the locals, then some unfortunate event could have lead to the Predator killing the whole tribe, giving some reason for the girl to be so determined to defeat the Predator.
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How does it compare to the other works of the creators?
From the writer (Patrick Aison), I haven't seen any other stories. After this, I'm not sure I'd like to see another.
I haven't seen any other works of the writer (Dan Trachtenberg). I was not satisfied with his story.
From the director (Dan Trachtenberg), I've seen 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016), and an episode of The Boys (The Name of the Game, 2019), and both of those were good. I have no clue how much of the movie's blunders depended on the director, but Prey was not a good movie.
How does it compare to the other films in the series?
Prey (2022) couldn't come close to the rest of the Predator franchise. The first two movies were way better. The second two movies not good, but at least interesting. Prey has a protagonist you don't care about, and a boring story without any tension. Even The Predator (2018) might be considered a better movie (even though it has a lot of problems).
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Behind the scenes
Thoughts about the reviews of others
Some reviewers praise the movie for showing historical details - realistic Comanches, and realistic costume design. I think that's a cool feature, but these details should be secondary to a good story.
Other reviewers point it out that the technology used by the Europeans (rifle cartridges, mechanical traps) was about a hundred years ahead of their time. This shows that the creators didn't really care about those historical details, they just cared about the portrayal of the Native Americans.
Some think that the hunter guys antagonise the girl because she is a girl. The truth is, they probably constantly antagonise each other, trying to find points of weakness that can be used to hurt the others. As the girl can be easily bullied by the mention of her being a girl, she makes an easy target for them.
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Prey, movie for the Predator series (2022)
image © 20th Century Studio (Disney)
Uses for the film - Prey, movie (2022)
Plot
- Set in a historical alternate / fantasy setting.
- A person (a girl) wants to belong to a profession (hunter) that's not conforming to the social norms.
- A person (a girl) sets out to hunt for a prey, that's supposedly very hard to hunt.
- The person succeeds in hunting.
- A person (a hunter belonging to an alien species) goes to a remote place, to hunt as a challenge.
Scenes
- The scenic shots are nice, they could be used to depict some forests.
- The natives hunting and fighting the animals could be used to depict natives (or other hunter-gatherer people) hunting.
- The Predator fighting the wolf or the bear could be used to depict an invisible demon fighting animals.
Designs
Scenario ideas - Role-playing game scenario ideas
Scenario ideas - Wargame scenario ideas
Retrieve the victim: One of the attackers have been taken. The defender sets up the playing area, and places the wounded victim in the middle. Then writes it on a piece of paper where does the defending creature hiding. Then the attacking team is deployed on the edge of the playing area. It takes two models to move the wounded victim. If the attackers enter the area where the creature is hiding, or if the defending player activates the creature, the creature is revealed. The attackers win, if they are able to escape the playing area with the victim still alive, while more than half of the attackers are also alive. The defender wins if they kill more than half of the attackers.
Requires treatment (harder for the attacker): The wounded victim has to be treated before it could be moved. Any model can try to treat it - roll a d6, on a 1, the victim is stabilised. If there is a healer in the team, they can stabilise the victim on a roll of 1-4. If they don't stabilise the victim, roll a d6 at the end of every turn the victim was moved, and on a 6, the victim receives a hit.
Multiple creatures (harder for the attacker): There are multiple, smaller creatures, rather than a single, bigger one. They can hide in separate places.
Saved by an ambush (three player game): There's a defending force that got surrounded by an attacker force. Suddenly, an ambushing force arrives, assaulting the attackers. The defending player sets up the playing area, and places the defending models in the middle third of the playing area. Then the attacker player deploys their models anywhere outside of the middle third, but they have to be at least one movement away from the edge of the playing area. Then the ambusher deploys any number of their models on the edges of the playing area, while the rest can be deployed later as reinforcements. The defending player wins if more than half of their force leaves the playing area, and they get bonus points for killing attackers. The attacker force wins if more than half of the defenders are killed, while more than half of the attackers are still alive, and they get bonus points for killing any ambushers. The ambusher wins if more than half of the attackers are killed, while more than half of the ambushers are alive.
Setting traps: There's a very strong attacker, against weak defenders. The defender player sets up the playing area. The defender deploys 6 traps, mark their place with scenery, and write their location on a paper. The defender can choose from two kinds of traps - direct traps, and location traps. Then the defender deploys their models, including a leader model - they can start the game hidden. Write down their location. The hidden models are put on the playing area, if the attacker enters the same location they are in, or if the defender player activate them. The the attacker deploys the attacker model on any edge of the playing area. This attacker has armour that has a high chance of deflecting the attacks of the defenders, and it has weapons that have a high chance of hitting a defender, and a high chance of killing them. The attacker wins if they kill the leader of the defenders. The defender wins if they kill the attacker. It's a draw if the attacker is killed, but the leader of the defenders is also dead.
- Direct traps: These only activate, if a model is within one step away from the trap. These traps have a decent chance (more than 50%) of causing a hit on the attacker. These traps affect any model that come close.
- Location traps: These activate as soon as a model enters the location where the trap is. These traps have some chance (15-30%) of causing a hit on the attacker. These traps don't affect the defender models, as long as they are unaffected by psychological effects (panic, stupidity), so regular defender models can move through the locations without .activating the traps.
Third force (three player game): There's an additional force, who are attacking the defenders. They can be either as strong as the defenders, but less numerous, or weaker, but they have as many models as the defenders. This additional force wants to defeat the defenders, either unaware of the strong attacker, or using the confusion to get rid of the defenders. The additional force wins if they defeat the leader of the defenders, or they kill more than half of the defender models. The strong attacker has to kill the leaders of both the defenders and the additional force to win.
Miniatures - 1/50-1/60 (28-32mm scale)
European settlers: Human-sized (S3) Early Modern (Advanced) human civilians with rifles.
Native Americans: Human-sized (S3) Primitive (Archaic) human civilians.
Native American hunters: Human-sized (S3) Primitive (Archaic) human warriors with spears and bows.
Predator: Large (S4) Futuristic (Advanced) humanoid in Predator likeness, in armour, carrying various weapons.
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Similar stories - Prey, movie (2022)
Graphic novels
Predator: Primal (1997): In a contemporary setting, a creature (Predator) hunts wildlife in the wilderness (forest).
Movies
Hua Mulan (2009): In a historical setting, a person (girl) sets out to belong to a profession (warrior), against the approval of the society. Hua Mulan is a much better movie than Prey (2022).
Mulan (1998): In a historical fantasy setting, a person (girl) sets out to belong to a profession (warrior), against the approval of the society. Mulan is a much better movie than Prey (2022).
Predator (1987): In a contemporary setting, a creature (Predator) hunts people in the wilderness (tropical jungle). Predator is a much better movie than Prey (2022).
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Frequently asked questions - Prey, movie (2022)
Will the Prey movie be available with English audio dub?
Unlikely. Currently (in 2022.08.06) Prey is not available with a complete English audio dub, nor English subtitles. Most part of the Comanche language spoken is dubbed / subtitled though.
Is the Prey film based on a book or comics?
No, Prey is not based on either books or comics, but it builds on the Predator creature from the Predator series.
Is the Prey film a remake or reboot?
No, the Prey film is not a remake, and probably not a reboot.
Is there a post credit scene in Prey? Does Prey have end credit scenes? Does Prey have a post credit scene?
Yes, there's a mid-credit scene in Prey, showing that multiple Predator spaceships arrive after the final scene.
Where can I see Prey? What is Prey playing on? What streaming service is Prey on? Where can I watch Prey online? Is Prey available on Netflix? Is Prey on Amazon?
As of 2022.08.05, Prey is available on Disney+, and on Hulu in the USA.
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Resources - Prey, movie (2022)
Official
20th Century Studios: Prey: Official article.
Hulu: Prey: Official article.
Information
IMDB: Prey (I) (2022): Database article.
WikiPedia: Prey (2022 film): Database article.
Letterboxd: Prey 2022: Database article.
Rotten Tomatoes: Prey 2022: Database article.
TVTropes: Film / Prey (2022): Database article.
XenoPedia: Prey (film): Database article.
Creation
: Concept art article.¤
Reviews with no spoilers - Prey film (2022)
: Review video about the Prey film with no spoilers.¤
Reviews with spoilers - Prey film (2022)
Alteori: PREY 2022 The Predator Prequel with Native Americans being Hunted: Review video of the Prey movie, with spoilers. Includes a very detailed plot summary.¤
Analysis - Prey movie (2022)
AcidGlow: Predator Lore - Prey Movie Extra Details - Easter Eggs - Music Composer - Skull Mask - CGI & More: Analysis video, explaining some details of Prey.¤
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Buying the product - Prey, movie (2022)
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Have you seen the Prey film for the Predator series? How do you like the movie? Would you recommend it to others? Do you know reviews or resources you'd like to add? What further thoughts do you have about it? Tell your opinion in the comments!
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