Prey

The Predator is used to stalking the jungles or modern civilization on the big screen. But for his latest hunt, Prey, he stalks the 18th-century wilderness on Hulu. A change in scenery usually hurts no one. This film proves it.

It's 1719 in the Northern Great Plains. Naru (Amber Midthunder) is a young Comanche who wishes to prove herself a hunter like her brother, Taabe (Dakota Beavers). She joins Taabe on a hunt for a mountain lion and helps him finish it off. But Naru slowly realizes that there's something else hunting nearby. It's vicious enough to skin a live snake and strong enough to lift a grizzly. Its weaponry is beyond anything she's ever seen. It's a Predator (Dane DiLegero), and Naru will have to use her wits to avoid becoming Prey.

Director Dan Trachtenberg and his co-writer, Patrick Aison, are more invested in character drama than heavy action. As such, it's a slow start before Naru meets the Predator in person. We get glimpses of it as it lands on Earth and hunts predatory creatures. It's about 45 minutes (out of 99) before that encounter. On the other hand, we get a few interesting glimpses into Comanche culture. Naru and Taabe have a good sibling dynamic and Naru herself is a compelling character. Her ingenious methods to get out of trouble should earn her many fans. The slow start pays off with her final fight with the Predator.

A French trapping party are the film's sub-villains. We see their handiwork with a field of skinned buffalo. It's a striking scene that we think is the Predator's doing. We instead see the Predator uses its nifty gadgets on them in spectacular fashion. They're so villainous that it's satisfying when Naru gets the Predator to finish off their leader (Mike Patterson). Their only likable member is Raphael Adolini (Bennett Taylor), a name recognizable to anyone familiar with the Predator comics.

There's some spectacular scenery visualized by production designer Kara Lindstrom and cinematographer Jeff Cutter. These include the Great Plains and a burned-out forest. These need to be seen on the biggest TVs you have. The Predator itself is a strong blend of practical makeup and CGI effects. Its flickering invisibility makes it quite menacing before it finally de-cloaks. Sarah Schachner's foreboding score is a great enhancement to its nightmarish presence.

Prey is a slow movie for a relatively short runtime. But it got me interested in learning more about Comanche vocabulary. It's a compelling kuhtaamia (rite of passage) for its lead character and her final confrontation with the Predator is spectacular. Hopefully, future Predator movies will learn something from Prey. It's a good reason to stick around with Hulu. See it soon.