Prey

I will go against the flow. The Predator saga needed a return to the sources and uncomplicated simplicity, but this concept was completely at odds with my idea of effective filmmaking. Unlike the original, which is a textbook thriller where everything works perfectly, Prey doesn't work dramaturgically at all and mires the viewer in uninteresting dialogue, zero tension, absent character development and continuous action, but it becomes so routine in the first few minutes that it quickly gets boring. Moreover, the abundance of digital animals and CGI effects in places where they are not needed, makes it unbelievable. This was supposed to be the most natural Predator, instead it's the most artificial of them all. It’s not there. (10/08/2022)

Prey is a high-octane adventure with pleasant Indian poetics and the spectacular return of the second-best movie monster ever. The screenplay flows and contains nice details and surprises, and the action is beautifully fluid and kinetic. The woman-power element is natural and believable, while the attractive “savage versus savage in the wilderness” motif is put to excellent use. The actors and costumes are respectable, and the unknown Amber Midthunder puts in ten times more effort than the Oscar-winning Adrien Brody (in Nimród Antal’s otherwise solid Predators). There are a few minor things in the film that could be open to criticism; for example, the final fight could have been better thought out and less rushed, but these are just details in relation to the general level of viewer satisfaction. No film franchise is ever dead; it’s just waiting for the right guy to come along. Within this one, Dan Trachtenberg went the farthest in choosing his own path, put his heart into it and achieved the greatest success. This is a film by a talented filmmaker and movie fan, made for movie fans. (10/08/2022)

A bit of a better made-for-TV movie. The few panoramic shots try to give the impression of visual richness and grandeur à la National Geographic, but for the vast majority of the time it's just a visually poorer film that doesn't belong in the cinema and the streaming format suits it. It doesn't lack a few neatly severed heads, what it lacks the oppressive atmosphere of the first one, which is on a completely different level. The Indians lack believability, and when I compare it to the likes of Mel Gibson's Apocalypto, which literally worked wonders with a comparable budget in terms of period authenticity and visual gore, I almost want to cry. A female protagonist in a predator franchise is an interesting idea, unfortunately in a film where only the bear scene stands out from the average. And no, the heroine's final fight, which turns the Predator into an incompetent moron, I really didn't buy that one. Arnold could beat such a naive slob with just his farts. (06/08/2022)

Finally a sequel to Predator that is very similar to the legendary first film. It doesn't trump it in the depressing, sometimes even horror atmosphere, and of course not in the originality of the initial creative idea either, but Prey certainly doesn't put it to shame. The plot is relatively coherent (similar to the scheme of the first one), the hunter himself has plenty of space and a couple of scenes are really delicious. There’s the bear scene, already mentioned here, which is OK, but too digital. Paradoxically, the best scene IMHO is not led by the Predator, but by young Amber Midthunder, who at one point dispatches a couple of smirking sleazebags, and she does it nicely without a single cut, in a perfectly clear manner and with the right amount of explicit violence. Overall, the creators are not afraid of brutality, on the contrary. It's still a B movie, but it's ambitious, suspenseful, and for once even the average viewer can enjoy it. (08/08/2022)

I’m thrilled! Thiis is exactly the kind of story Predator needed. As much as I love Black's last foray, the western concept is a hit, and there are plenty of beautiful parallels between the alien hunter's quest and the lives of the Comanche heroes. The film doesn't rush anywhere and I liked how mysterious and suspenseful it is even for the viewer who knows what's going on, who landed in those woods and what they're after. Everything makes sense (the Predator gradually raises the bar by what he hunts and how he hunts, the protagonist also gains abilities, and she's not alone, although the trailers made it seem so), it's fun, clever, original, imaginative, action-packed and mysterious... It easily keeps up with the original and the second one. And I want the second part, because it's definitely on the cards and the end credits hinted at it. PS: I would like to single out Sarah Schachner's music, which easily made do without the Silvestri theme. (06/08/2022)