The reviews for Prey have arrived, and they more or less unanimously agree that the film is a refreshing update for the franchise. The series began 35 years ago with the Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle Predator, which saw the hulking star and a team of commandos attempt to square off against an alien hunter in the jungle. Since then, the Predators have stalked the urban jungle of Los Angeles in Predator 2 (1990), hunted humans on their home world in Predator (2010), and taken over suburbia in The Predator (2018), as well as fought the Xenomorphs from the Alien franchise in both Antarctica and small-town America in 2004's Alien vs. Predator and its 2007 sequel.
The franchise has still found new places to go in the new film Prey, from 10 Cloverfield Lane director Dan Trachtenberg. The project, which is launching exclusively on Hulu on August 5, 2022, is set centuries in the past in the Comanche Nation in 1719. It will follow a young warrior named Naru (Amber Midthunder), who must protect her tribe against the onslaught of the technologically advanced being. The cast also includes Dakota Beavers, Dane DiLiegro, Stormee Kipp, Michelle Thrush, and Julian Black Antelope, bringing to life a screenplay by Patrick Aison, a TV veteran from Wayward Pines and Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan.
Today, the embargo has lifted and critics across various publications have been allowed to release their reviews of Prey, just two days shy of its release. So far, they have been almost unanimous in their praise of the film as a refreshing new take on an established franchise. While they differ in their takes on the specifics of the film, including the bare-bones plot, overall their reviews are overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the exciting new setting and Midthunder's riveting performance. Check out selected quotes from critics below:
Graeme Guttman, Screen Rant:
A lean action thriller, Prey takes Predator back to its ultra-violent roots and proves itself as a worthy entry in the franchise's mythology.
James Dyer, Empire:
With its ferocious heroine, authentic period setting, and a bloody string of inventive action beats (frantic flight through tall grass; pile-on in the ash-rain of a burned-out forest; heart-pounding confrontation with an ornery bear), Trachtenberg’s film breathes new life into a long-deflated series.
Kate Erbland, IndieWire:
Turns out, even the most wrung-out IP — we’re talking about a series that was eventually forced to crossover with another action-centric alien film, to deeply stupid results — can still tap into truly smart new ideas.
Owen Gleiberman, Variety:
It’s clear that even a “Predator” movie can now be styled as a lesson in how to be. But maybe, in the case of this franchise, that marks a slight improvement over movies that wanted to be nothing but what has come before.
Tom Jorgensen, IGN:
Dan Trachtenberg’s Prey never lets up. It’s full of the Predator franchise’s trademark violence and tension, but it’s the ferocious, star-making turn from Amber Midthunder that stands as its greatest strength. The movie’s sole focus on her lead character, Naru, means that the supporting roster comes off a little wooden, but when Prey’s tracking the young warrior’s duel with the Predator -- full of powerful imagery and creative kills -- it rarely falters.
Carly Lane, Collider:
Above all the movie's engaging dynamics, however, this movie is Midthunder's to carry on her shoulders, and she proves more than adept at being not only our window into this rugged and oft-cruel world of survival, but a lead worthy of rooting for until the end credits roll.
Frank Scheck, THR:
There’s no denying that director Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane) has effectively gotten back to the basics. There’s enough carnage and violent action on display to satisfy Predator fans whose cinematic bloodlust knows no bounds, and the dramatic change in milieu provides some much-needed freshness.
So far, Rotten Tomatoes has Prey standing at an incredible rating of 100%. While the number is certain to shrink as more reviews are added, it's looking like the film is well on its way toward becoming Certified Fresh on the review aggregation platform. If that were the case, it would be the first film in the franchise to achieve that distinction since the original Predator. It would also be only the third film of seven to achieve a positive score on the platform, as every other film has been deemed Rotten, with the exception of Predators, which is sitting at a comfortable 65%.
Although the Predator is an iconic figure from American pop culture, it has an unusually disparate franchise. By standing on its own and taking a new direction, Prey actually fits in with the franchise more than might be expected. This time, it is just doing so in a way that critics really seem to be responding to, and hopefully audiences will feel the same.
Source: Various (see above)
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