Prey

I have no idea what sort of strange process has led a blockbuster-caliber Predator movie, Prey, to land itself an exclusive debut on Hulu, of all places, ...

It’s a classic, but nostalgia does some amount of work here looking back, and I can’t say for sure because I haven’t seen Arnold’s version in probably 15 years. I cannot speak highly enough about the two central performances from Prey’s indigenous actors, Amber Midthunder and Dakota Beavers, where this should be a star-making turn for both of them. Danger lurks nearby as French trappers are starting to harvest game for skins, and only Naru seems to understand that an even greater threat looms, the mysterious, unseen, intergalactic stalker.

The fifth installment in the Predator franchise, Prey, directed by Dan Trachtenberg, serves as a prequel to the first four films. The movie takes place in the ...

At the movie’s end, Naru and Sarii return to their community together, as two triumphant victors who have just saved the day. But at least the dog doesn’t!) Later, during the final battle, that good, good doggo literally brings Naru her ax at the pivotal moment, allowing Naru to chop off Predator’s head. But shout-out to Trachtenberg, who has a story by credit in addition to directing, and screenwriter Patrick Aison, because Sarii does not, in fact, die in Prey. There are several close calls, first when Sarii distracts a grizzly bear to help Naru escape attack—again, the absolute best dog—and disappears in the aftermath of the bear fight. Sarii is more than just a good dog. Personally, I spent the entirety of Prey‘s one hour and 27-minute runtime was spent in a state of low-level anxiety over the fate of the protagonist’s very good doggo. The movie takes place in the year 1719, in the Northern Great Plains of North America, where the Comanche Nation lived and prospered.

TechRadar chats to Prey's cast and crew about creating the most inclusive Predator movie ever – and the franchise's best entry since 1987.

Just as Prey allows for positive representation of the Comanche lifestyle in a Hollywood movie, the movie's setting and cultural exploration also opens up new avenues for the Predator franchise. Regardless of whether Disney and 20th Century Studios greenlight more Predator movies, Prey performs its dual role with aplomb: making the Predator franchise worth revisiting, and providing a platform for audiences to educate and immerse themselves in a completely different culture. "I think studios are often scared to be the first to take a risk," Midthunder muses. It gives us the opportunity to be represented in a way we're proud of." "The way it was introduced to me was as a character story – I only knew it was about a young Comanche woman who wanted to be a hunter, and I thought that was really interesting. Speaking of Comanche language, Prey is the first movie of its kind fully available in a Comanche language dubbed format. "That led to the development of its shield, which represents this older kind of weaponry, but they way it unfurls feels far more advanced [than a human version]. So there's a bit of a Rock, Paper, Scissors going on, where the humans have certain weapons, but the Predator has its own similar version of that weaponry, so Naru and company are always seeing an advanced version of what they have. I really wanted to make something that gets that same thrill back in a way that's fun, new, and exciting for the franchise." "It would've shown Naru wanting to be a hunter, heading out into the woods to prove herself, and then seeing something in the sky – and we wouldn't show what that was. What ensues is a fraught game of survival as the duo engage in a lengthy battle to determine who the true apex predator is. The result of Trachtenberg's four-year journey is Prey, a prequel film – although he doesn't personally refer to it as such – that simultaneously looks to revive the series and deliver a Predator movie that fans can be proud of.

Dan Trachtenberg's new Predator prequel movie Prey is out now on Hulu, and it's getting rave reviews. Set 300 years before the iconic 1987 original starring ...

And that is an ominous sign for the Comanche who have it at the end of Prey. This means that another Predator visits the Great Plains where Naru’s tribe is located at some point in the future. The pistol proves a vital tool in Naru’s fight against the Predator, and when she returns victorious, she gives it to the former war chief of her settlement. But once you stop to think about it a little bit more…this has some seriously dark implications for the future of Naru and her companions. During the course of her adventure, she and her brother Taabe (Dakota Beavers) run afoul of poachers in the wilderness. While Prey is a groundbreaking film that keeps viewers on their toes, it still adheres to the structure of most Predator movies: the Predator (Dane DiLiegro) kills a lot of people until only Naru remains to face it on her own.

The horror sci-fi series is cleverly revived by 10 Cloverfield Lane director Dan Trachtenberg, with Amber Midthunder commanding as a tracker with a secret ...

Directed by Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane), it’s a prequel to the Predator series that stays true to the essence of the original – stylishly violent, stickily graphic, impossibly tense – while also working satisfyingly as a self-contained entity. But ingrained sexism works in her favour: the assumption that as a woman she’s not a credible threat turns out to be her secret weapon. So often it’s just a cynical means to squeeze a little more juice out of an already dead and desiccated franchise, or a reboot that paints a layer of self-referential irony over a much-loved original.

How "Prey" composer Sash Schachner balanced gory action sound with the emotional journey of Naru.

When it came to the “Predator” theme, she says, “That came about almost in full form right away. “I recorded with Robert on several wind instruments one evening over Zoom and asked him at the end if he sang at all.” On Mirabel’s vocals, she says, “It was one of those perfect moments to give that extra layer of depth to the film.” Says Schachner, “The key was to not be afraid to say something in a film with so little dialogue.”

"Prey" star Amber Midthunder also talks about wearing Indigenous designers while promoting the new "Predator" installment.

And just for me to get familiar with the Comanche language — it’s not at all like the language I grew up [with] — it felt to me like a personal gift to get so closely acquainted with the culture and the language as well. The movie was originally pitched to shoot it entirely in Comanche. When we auditioned, we did all of our scenes in English and Comanche to make sure we could do it and how it might play. This is how it really was for some of my ancestors. At some point in history, this was how things really looked. When you look at our art and our clothing, we have things that you don’t often see, whether that’s patterns or materials like shells and beadwork or earth paints. Indigenous artists and Indigenous creators have so much to offer and are truly an untapped resource — whether that’s fashion or filmmaking or business.

The Predator prequel movie Prey is the first film to feature both English and Comanche audio options. Here's how you can watch Prey's Comanche dub.

Although it is easier to comprehend the story in English for the majority of audiences, watching Prey in Comanche would enable viewers to honor the language and cultural heritage that is at the core of this narrative. And there's never been a brand-new movie that's been released, like this on Disney+, that you have an option to watch it in Comanche because it's never happened for any Native language." If you are watching Prey through Disney +, click on the audio icon in the top corner of your screen and simply exchange the English audio for the Comanche dubbing. When you hit play on this title through these streaming platforms, the film will automatically start in English. To alter the audio settings to Comanche through Hulu, click the settings button after the film starts playing and change the language. Despite not landing in theaters, the film was made with the intention of giving the audience the same masterful cinematic vision as the previous films did. The dubbed version of the film is available to watch through Hulu and Disney + on August 5.

Dan Trachtenberg and Amber Midthunder's new Predator prequel, Prey, is drawing strong reviews from across the critical and fan worlds this weekend, ...

Trachtenberg notes that he was inspired to add a dog to the film by his love for The Road Warrior. But it turns out there is a peril to adding a lovable dog companion to your movie: “Everyone as we were developing it and showing cuts to friends and family, was like, ‘More dog! It was very exciting, lots of cheers would happen when we finally got a great take with Coco.” She was literally adopted to be in this movie, and she just happened to be very high-energy.”

The protagonist, Naru (Amber Midthunder, who I had not seen before but would be happy to watch again) is not a super-fit super-soldier, but rather a smart and ...

These are much better conversations to be having than the inevitable small squib of “whoops, another Predator series stumble” if the film had finished in second place (or worse) at the theaters behind Bullet Train, which stars Brad Pitt, playing a Brad Pitt-like character doing very Brad Pitt-like things, Brad Pitt-ily. Where the Predator movies tend to be best appreciated (and drag themselves into the black, financially) is in the home: video rentals when those were a thing, and endless cable and streaming viewings today. The first is a purely practical, economic decision: The Predator series has been, shall we say, extremely hit or miss in terms of quality and box office, and the most recent installment of the series (2018’s The Predator) was both a critical whiff and a financial bust, grossing just $53 million domestically ($160M globally) against a nearly $90 million budget. You can’t see this in the theaters, but you should probably see it on the largest screen you can, with a nice sound system if you can manage it. — but in an era of super heroes smacking around super villains in the Inevitable CGI-Filled Final Battle, there’s a certain sameness to it all at this point. The characters in this film are not roided-out mercs, cops or a murder’s row of assassins and psychopaths, they’re just people, in this case members of a Comanche tribe from the early 18th century.

"Naru is easily one of the best new protagonists in the Predator franchise," one new fan of Midthunder's says on Twitter. "Amber Midthunder deserves ALL the ...

Amber Midthunder was so amazing as Naru." That in and of itself is a really incredible statement.” Prey is directed by Dan Trachtenberg and written by Patrick Aison. The film stars Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Michelle Thrush, Stormee Kipp, Julian Black Antelope, and Dane DiLiegro. Its story follows a Comanche tribe coming under attack by a highly advanced predator hunting humans for sport. "PREY is by far one of the best movies I’ve seen this year," says another fan. Honestly loved everything about this movie." It's clear from the social media response following the film's release on Hulu that people by and large are very much enjoying Midthunder's introduction into the franchise with her performance as Naru.

The new Predator franchise entry, Prey, wouldn't be half the movie it is without its canine star Coco. But Coco wasn't exactly a trained professional.

She was such a delight to have around, she was so fun and very playful. She was not a movie dog, she was literally adopted to be in this movie, and she just happened to be very high-energy. Coco was adopted for the movie and lacked movie dog training, so they were sort of just trying to get her to "act" and hope for the best. Always a nail-biting moment for us on set, 'Is Coco gonna like, make her mark and do what she needs to do?' It was sometimes a journey to get there, but eventually she always did. Trachtenberg explained that while Coco was a very good girl, she was a little too excitable sometimes. In an interview with Dexerto, Trachtenberg and Midthunder revealed that while they loved scenes with Coco so much that the crew kept putting her into new ones, she was also a "hot mess" who required some extra patience on set.

Predator prequel Prey -- that's fun to say out loud -- came to Hulu on Friday (and Disney Plus Star outside the US), bringing the iconic sci-fi series back ...

Prey apparently overwrites the events of the 1996 comic Predator: 1718, in which one of the aliens teams up with a pirate captain to battle his mutinous crew. After the human triumphs, a bunch of other Predators decloak and seem ready to murder him. The final image pans to show a Predator ship coming out of storm clouds over Naru's camp, implying that the aliens attacked again. It mirrors the sequence in which her brother Taabe ( Dakota Beavers) did so with the lion earlier in the movie, after she failed to. Having seen her fellow Comanche Nation warriors and the deeply unpleasant French poachers slaughtered by the Predator, Naru lures the beast into a trap in the dark forest. It sees one of the alien hunters going up against Comanche Nation tribespeople like Naru ( Amber Midthunder), and it's absolutely excellent.