Prey review: A knife to the heart of the rotting corpse that is the Predator franchise

The Predator was truly a one-of-a-kind film. A combination of brawn, action and intelligence, the first film was an instant classic. Starring the biceps and pectoral muscles of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Predator told the tale of a group of special forces soldiers sent far behind enemy lines on a secret rescue mission but find themselves hunted by a force that is not of this world. The film had it all, funny and memorable one-liners, incredibly visceral action and a movie monster that would not only stand the test of time but become one of the most iconic villains in cinema history. A sequel was quickly shoved out into the theatres and while it wasn’t a bad film, it just couldn’t capture the magic of its predecessor. Fast forward a few decades and we have a sort of ‘soft reboot’ of the franchise. Prey is directed by Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane) and stars ‎Amber Midthunder as a waif-like ‘warrior’ tasked with taking down an unstoppable extraterrestrial hunter. So, should you spend your Friday evening watching Prey? Well, if you can suspend disbelief and let your mind wander for 90 minutes, then you might enjoy the film. But, if you have an eye for cinema and prefer well-written, believable characters, I’d suggest you stick to the OG. Here’s why. 

Hollywood has been trying to shove the ‘strong female character’ trope down our throats for years now and Prey is just another long line of unbelievable failures that make it clear that audiences are not going to pay to be blasted by THE MESSAGE for an hour and a half. Sure, the film looks good, but that’s a prerequisite these days. The least you can do is make your film look pretty, but that’s as far as the good goes. The rest of the film is a badly written script that puts ‘gurrl power’ front and centre all while portraying white men as dirty, savage bandits and thieves, replete with twirly moustaches and the like. The film does try to show the growth of the protagonist but it’s so ham-fisted that it makes watching her progression a tedious chore. Early on in the film, Amber is almost killed while hunting a mountain lion but is saved by her much more capable brother. It’s clear that he’s a much better warrior but when it comes to facing the Predator, he becomes the dumbest person in the film. It's like the writers had to cram in every dumb cliche about useless men in one scene.

Talking about the Predator, the new creature looks fine, just fine. It’s not a bad design but it’s so illogical that you’re left questioning if this monster is all that its cracked up to be. The Predator in this film is a dumb hulking mess that cannot understand basic physics and logic. In contrast, the creature in the first film was a mean, intelligent and methodical hunter that took out a troop of special forces without breaking a sweat, all while remaining hidden in the jungle. The Predator in this film is an idiot that doesn’t understand its cloaking tech and is more of a big and dumb brawler without any skill or finesse. It’s a complete joke that just shows the audience that this wasn’t about The Predator, it was about ‘empowering women’ and all the garbage that comes with that kind of regressive ideology. 

The final battle is laughable with silly setups and a payoff that just makes you yawn. It’s a fight that is not only unbelievable but implausible. The entire thing was written and directed to show that ‘gurrll power’ is all you need to defeat a brutal alien hunter. Prey is a flaccid mess that only serves to further THE MESSAGE without any real stakes, heroes or even a workable script. This film is a spit in the face of every Predator fan but then again this is what Hollywood has come to. Avoid this film like the plague. Watch the original film instead and marvel at how much better all media used to be back in the day. 

Prey is currently streaming on Disney+Hotstar. 

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