As someone who was a young teenager in the early 2000s, I missed out on watching a lot of the great action movies from the 1980s. I’ve been slowly catching up over the years, but I’m embarrassed to say that I haven’t seen them all. One of my favorites, however, is Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Predator. It was a great eighties movie.
I was excited when Prey was announced, because it was such a great twist on the Predator lore. Putting the story in the early 1700s in the Comanche Nation was a fantastic setting that hopefully breathes new life into the franchise. This was so well done that I hope they see the potential in placing Predator stories throughout the world. Roman Empire? Samurai Japan? Mali Empire? Let’s go!
Naru, played by Amber Midthunder, was a tremendous protagonist alongside her dog Sarii. I had to research what kind of dog graced our screen, because I wasn’t sure what kind of good girl she was. Come to find out she’s a carolina dog! You would think that, having lived in North Carolina for the first 27 years of my life, I would know all about this breed, but I did not. She was perfect.
Anyway, back to Naru… She had such a presence in her scenes, and her physicality was off the charts. Her not just wanting to but needing to prove herself as a hunter to her family and tribe was endearing. But, also, her showing off her eventual path to War Chief through using all of her knowledge in healing, tracking, and fighting proved that she was a worthy and capable leader.
The fight scenes were well choreographed, and Dane DiLiegro was absolutely menacing as the Predator. High marks all around.
Plus, the movie was 99 minutes long! What a tremendous throwback of an action movie. Get in. Have a great movie. Get out.
