Prey
The seventh instalment in the Predator franchise is better than the brand deserves.
Running With Tomahawk: Amber Midthunder
In our own way, we are all prey. Even though, as a species, we have tamed the largest beasts of the land, we are still vulnerable to the fallout from our own environmental recklessness and to the mutations of microscopic muggers. The last instalment of the Predator franchise, The Predator (2018), tackled the environmental angle, while this, the seventh chapter in the franchise, drops back three hundred years to 1719, setting its scene in the Northern Great Plains of North America. The best bit arrives early on when an ant is caught by a possum which, in turn, is gobbled by a rattlesnake which, inevitably, meets its own grisly fate at the hands of an unseen (invisible) predator.
Our human protagonist is Naru, a young Comanche woman who has been trained as a healer, but who dreams of hunting like a man. Indeed, her female instincts serve her well and unlike the vindictive, boastful young men in her tribe, she senses something untoward in the forest. She not only knows her woodland herbs, but is a natural tracker and when she joins her brother on a hunt for a bear, she reckons there’s something bigger afoot. And it ain’t Bigfoot…
The antagonist of the series is a hard one to best. A seven-foot-tall alien, it is equipped with an arsenal of deadly high-tech weapons, is endowed with thermal night vision and – this is the cruncher – is invisible to the human eye. That’s one tough opponent. All the Comanche warriors have is a naïve gallantry, which really doesn’t get them very far. Even when they duck for cover, the Predator can see right through their hiding place. However, the alien – which seems to enjoy its indiscriminate slaughter of everything in its path – has one tell-tale trait: it emits a low gurgle, just like every other cinematic extraterrestrial, a sound akin to the creak of a rusty door hinge crossed with an expectorant wheeze. And the vocal emanation does get tiresome after a while. Heaven forbid that any sound designer in the future should come up with a novel alien utterance.
Be that as it may, Dan Trachtenberg’s Prey is stunning to behold (it was filmed against the scenic backdrop of Alberta), and presents an authentic portrait of Native American life. It is also refreshing to see genuine indigenous people on screen, and with a feministic angle at that. Amber Midthunder, who is Sioux, makes an engaging heroine, drawing on all her mental and physical wiles, not only to prove herself to her male colleagues, but to survive an invisible killing machine. The stunts, involving both traditional and futuristic fighting techniques are impressive, as is much of the CGI. For a prequel to a 35-year-old franchise, it is a surprisingly accomplished addition.
N.B. Now that it’s common knowledge every mammal, bird and insect has its own unique visual perception, it is perhaps a wasted opportunity here that the Predator remains invisible to all its prey, be it snake, wolf or bear. Maybe a future instalment could address this oversight.
JAMES CAMERON-WILSON
Cast: Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Michelle Thrush, Stormee Kipp, Julian Black Antelope, Bennett Taylor, Dane DiLiegro, Cody Big Tobacco.
Dir Dan Trachtenberg, Pro John Davis, Jhane Myers and Marty P. Ewing, Screenplay Patrick Aison, Ph Jeff Cutter, Pro Des Amelia Brooke and Kara Lindstrom, Ed Angela M. Catanzaro and Claudia Castello, Music Sarah Schachner, Costumes Stephanie Porter, Sound James Miller, Dialect coach Melissa Grogan.
20th Century Studios/Davis Entertainment/Lawrence Gordon Productions-Hulu/Disney+.
100 mins. USA. 2022. UK and US Rel: 5 August 2022. Available on Disney+. Cert. 16.
