Action franchises tend to go bigger with every new installment, and "Predator" is no exception. Where the original 1987 film pits a small group of sweat-soaked paramilitaries against a Predator (aka. Yautja) in a dense South American jungle, its first two sequels expand the setting to a dystopian version of Los Angeles circa 1997 and then an entire extraterrestrial planet. But while "The Predator" tried to dial things back to muddled results, director Dan Trachtenberg's prequel "Prey" is much more successful, with its story unfolding on the unconquered Great Plains in the early 18th century.
Winding the clock back simultaneously gives Trachtenberg an organic excuse to simplify the Predator's arsenal, which helps to level the playing field for the alien hunter and the film's human protagonist: the aspiring Comanche warrior Naru (Amber Midthunder). This approach of stripping "Predator" down to its basics also extends to the themes in "Prey." Much like...
Winding the clock back simultaneously gives Trachtenberg an organic excuse to simplify the Predator's arsenal, which helps to level the playing field for the alien hunter and the film's human protagonist: the aspiring Comanche warrior Naru (Amber Midthunder). This approach of stripping "Predator" down to its basics also extends to the themes in "Prey." Much like...
- 10/3/2023
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
As exciting and well-made as "Prey" was, it was a major bummer to see it relegated to a straight-to-streaming debut last year. But the film still has plenty going for it that rewards revisiting the action again and again. One of the biggest sources of its appeal, of course, comes from the shrewd casting of Amber Midthunder as our main hero Naru, and the choice to set the story in 1700s America, which allowed for an all-too-rare focus on an Indigenous tribe of Comanches. Drop a seemingly unstoppable Predator into the mix and, well, it's obvious why viewers responded so eagerly to director Dan Trachtenberg's latest effort.
With the 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD release once again putting the film in the news, /Film's Ethan Anderton recently had the chance to talk to the filmmaker about all the factors that went into making "Prey" as tense and thrilling as it turned out to be.
With the 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD release once again putting the film in the news, /Film's Ethan Anderton recently had the chance to talk to the filmmaker about all the factors that went into making "Prey" as tense and thrilling as it turned out to be.
- 10/3/2023
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
Representation in films and television isn’t only about race and ethnicity. It’s also about giving deserved respect to genres and recognizing the allies who do the work to ensure those stories are appropriately told. That’s what director Dan Trachtenberg achieves with the science-fiction horror flick “Prey,” while working hand-in-hand with Indigenous producer Jhane Myers. The Hulu film is among the nominated contenders for outstanding television movie, making Myers the first Indigenous woman ever nominated for producing at the Emmys.
“Those conversations were not hard,” Myers tells Variety about working with Trachtenberg. “He was open. Plus, with Amber [Midthunder] being Native and most of our cast, it was organic. That’s what makes this film remarkable. I can tell you this: until this day, we’ve never argued.”
Myers, a Comanche and Blackfeet American Indian, has long advocated for Native language, cultural advising and advancement in the entertainment industry.
“Those conversations were not hard,” Myers tells Variety about working with Trachtenberg. “He was open. Plus, with Amber [Midthunder] being Native and most of our cast, it was organic. That’s what makes this film remarkable. I can tell you this: until this day, we’ve never argued.”
Myers, a Comanche and Blackfeet American Indian, has long advocated for Native language, cultural advising and advancement in the entertainment industry.
- 8/24/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
It’s impossible to describe the 2022 Hulu release of “Prey” as anything other than a massive success on every level. As a prequel breathing new life into the long-running “Predator” franchise, the film excels. As an underdog tale of a young Comanche healer determined to prove herself as a hunter, the movie thrives. As a love letter to a too-often sidelined indigenous community, the feature hums. And as a tense and brutal action installment, “Prey” absolutely rips.
For its efforts, “Prey” and the people involved with its creation nabbed six Emmy nominations, including mentions for picture editing, music composition, sound editing, writing and directing of a limited or anthology series or movie, as well as a nomination for Outstanding Television Movie.
Dan Trachtenberg, who scored nominations for both directing and writing, spoke with TheWrap recently about how the film started taking shape decades ago in his mind, the process of...
For its efforts, “Prey” and the people involved with its creation nabbed six Emmy nominations, including mentions for picture editing, music composition, sound editing, writing and directing of a limited or anthology series or movie, as well as a nomination for Outstanding Television Movie.
Dan Trachtenberg, who scored nominations for both directing and writing, spoke with TheWrap recently about how the film started taking shape decades ago in his mind, the process of...
- 8/24/2023
- by Libby Hill
- The Wrap
“Prey” is here.
The latest installment in the “Predator” franchise follows a young female Comanche warrior (Amber Midthunder) who runs afoul of our favorite alien hunter in 1717, 300 years before the original film takes place. But it harkens back to the original film’s spirit of pitting a single soldier (what was once Arnold Schwarzenegger is now Midthunder) in an element battle to the death.
But what is the ultimate outcome of the conflict?
We break down who survives (and what is left of them).
Major spoilers for “Prey” follow.
Back to 1997
Before we jump into the specifics of “Prey,” we have to briefly talk about a moment from one of the earlier movies in the franchise.
At the end of “Predator 2,” released way back in 1990, LA cop Mike Harrigan (Danny Glover) mortally wounds the predator that has come to futuristic, gang-riddled 1997 Los Angeles. (Also a big part of futuristic 1997 Los Angeles?...
The latest installment in the “Predator” franchise follows a young female Comanche warrior (Amber Midthunder) who runs afoul of our favorite alien hunter in 1717, 300 years before the original film takes place. But it harkens back to the original film’s spirit of pitting a single soldier (what was once Arnold Schwarzenegger is now Midthunder) in an element battle to the death.
But what is the ultimate outcome of the conflict?
We break down who survives (and what is left of them).
Major spoilers for “Prey” follow.
Back to 1997
Before we jump into the specifics of “Prey,” we have to briefly talk about a moment from one of the earlier movies in the franchise.
At the end of “Predator 2,” released way back in 1990, LA cop Mike Harrigan (Danny Glover) mortally wounds the predator that has come to futuristic, gang-riddled 1997 Los Angeles. (Also a big part of futuristic 1997 Los Angeles?...
- 8/12/2022
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
It was well into the 21st century before 20th Century Studios made another great Predator film. With the help of Hulu, they finally did it by going back in time. "Prey" follows Naru, a young Comanche girl, through the Great Plains circa 1719. She wants to be a hunter just like her brother but faces the ultimate initiation when she runs into the Predator and becomes its prey.
"Predator" from 1987 is arguably the scariest movie ever set in broad daylight, but it didn't start that way. After weeks of shooting in a sweltering Mexican jungle, the monster costume finally showed up, and everyone was underwhelmed. "Probably...
The post Every Main Character in Prey Ranked Worst to Best appeared first on /Film.
"Predator" from 1987 is arguably the scariest movie ever set in broad daylight, but it didn't start that way. After weeks of shooting in a sweltering Mexican jungle, the monster costume finally showed up, and everyone was underwhelmed. "Probably...
The post Every Main Character in Prey Ranked Worst to Best appeared first on /Film.
- 8/10/2022
- by Gino Orlandini
- Slash Film
The "Predator" franchise has been two things over its years in the pop culture landscape: enduring and inconsistent. Sequels have never followed in rapid succession, so fans have been forced to wait for long stretches of time between installments. And when those installments do come, they are usually a radical departure from what came before. Just look at what was recently done with "Prey" on Hulu, which takes the action back to the Great Plains in the 1700s and pits the hunter against Comanche Indians. Well, fortunately, the folks at Marvel Comics are here to ensure that we all have something...
The post Marvel's Predator #1 Review: A Big, Ambitious, And Futuristic Exploration Of The Hunter appeared first on /Film.
The post Marvel's Predator #1 Review: A Big, Ambitious, And Futuristic Exploration Of The Hunter appeared first on /Film.
- 8/10/2022
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
This article contains Prey spoilers.
It must be gratifying for filmmakers to know that the Monday after Prey’s premiere on Hulu (and Disney+ in Europe), many were debating whether the Predator prequel should’ve been released in theaters. The quality is certainly good enough with the film generally impressing most critics as demonstrated by its 92 percent “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. A majority of viewers also seem pleased if social media chatter is to be believed.
The emerging consensus about this one seems to be that director Dan Trachtenberg and a cast of primarily Indigenous actors knocked it out of the park, making the first truly gripping Predator movie since the original was released in 1987. And, truly, the final movements of Prey where Amber Midthunder’s tenacious Comanche warrior, Naru, lures a Predator into the ultimate deathtrap is as exciting a showdown between a human and a “Yautja” as we’ve ever seen onscreen.
It must be gratifying for filmmakers to know that the Monday after Prey’s premiere on Hulu (and Disney+ in Europe), many were debating whether the Predator prequel should’ve been released in theaters. The quality is certainly good enough with the film generally impressing most critics as demonstrated by its 92 percent “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. A majority of viewers also seem pleased if social media chatter is to be believed.
The emerging consensus about this one seems to be that director Dan Trachtenberg and a cast of primarily Indigenous actors knocked it out of the park, making the first truly gripping Predator movie since the original was released in 1987. And, truly, the final movements of Prey where Amber Midthunder’s tenacious Comanche warrior, Naru, lures a Predator into the ultimate deathtrap is as exciting a showdown between a human and a “Yautja” as we’ve ever seen onscreen.
- 8/9/2022
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Click here to read the full article.
In 1987, Dan Trachtenberg was too young to see John McTiernan’s R-rated Predator, but the older kids in his karate tournament carpool insisted on telling him the whole movie anyway. And at the time, Trachtenberg distinctly remembers a story involving Sonny Landham’s half-Sioux tracker, Billy Sole, who died in a dramatic fight with the Predator. The only problem is that no such scene exists, something Trachtenberg would later figure out. Billy does decide to face the creature head on, but the scene cuts away, leaving the audience with only his blood-curdling scream to infer death.
Oddly enough, rumors have persisted for years that Billy Sole’s full death scene was included in rare VHS releases or TV edits, but there is no concrete evidence to support that such a scene is anything but a myth. Thankfully, a mere rumor led to something very real 35 years later.
In 1987, Dan Trachtenberg was too young to see John McTiernan’s R-rated Predator, but the older kids in his karate tournament carpool insisted on telling him the whole movie anyway. And at the time, Trachtenberg distinctly remembers a story involving Sonny Landham’s half-Sioux tracker, Billy Sole, who died in a dramatic fight with the Predator. The only problem is that no such scene exists, something Trachtenberg would later figure out. Billy does decide to face the creature head on, but the scene cuts away, leaving the audience with only his blood-curdling scream to infer death.
Oddly enough, rumors have persisted for years that Billy Sole’s full death scene was included in rare VHS releases or TV edits, but there is no concrete evidence to support that such a scene is anything but a myth. Thankfully, a mere rumor led to something very real 35 years later.
- 8/9/2022
- by Brian Davids
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
This article contains Prey spoilers.
Who knew the secret to the Predator franchise’s future was to always go back in time? It seems director Dan Trachtenberg did! This weekend’s Prey is the culmination of years of passion, and years of planning, from the filmmaker who wrested the Predator movies away from their recent and failed experiments of franchise-building in the future. Instead the new movie finds a simple and potent blend of historical fiction and sci-fi fantasy when one of those aliens from above decides to go hunting on Comanche lands during the early 1700s.
It’s there we find the first good protagonist in this franchise since Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1987. But Amber Midthunder’s Naru is neither an Austrian Übermensch or a great warrior (yet) among her people. Rather she is a young woman determined to prove she is the latter, including to her older brother Taabe (Dakota Beavers). In the end,...
Who knew the secret to the Predator franchise’s future was to always go back in time? It seems director Dan Trachtenberg did! This weekend’s Prey is the culmination of years of passion, and years of planning, from the filmmaker who wrested the Predator movies away from their recent and failed experiments of franchise-building in the future. Instead the new movie finds a simple and potent blend of historical fiction and sci-fi fantasy when one of those aliens from above decides to go hunting on Comanche lands during the early 1700s.
It’s there we find the first good protagonist in this franchise since Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1987. But Amber Midthunder’s Naru is neither an Austrian Übermensch or a great warrior (yet) among her people. Rather she is a young woman determined to prove she is the latter, including to her older brother Taabe (Dakota Beavers). In the end,...
- 8/5/2022
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
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