Prey (Predator Prequel Film)

Amber Midthunder was born because the Universe decided the world was lacking the woman with the most badassed female name in human history, and rectified that mistake. It's for the best.

I love that the white settlers are Frenchmen that we don't get the translations for. THEY are the savages, and the language barrier REALLY pushes that button. On some level they are more evil than the Predator. The Predator has rules and guidelines he follows. These settlers are nothing but chaos agents.

It's interesting that the biggest handicap Naru has going for her at the beginning is the rank chauvinism and toxic misogyny of 18th Century Comanche Nation. And damn it, that's plausible! In the end, Naru is the Last Woman Standing because nobody actually understands how dangerous she is. She is experiencing catharsis on three different levels. She didn't just beat the Predator, she beat the settlers, and the expectations of her own condescending people.

Also want to say that her final fight with the Predator was more close quarters than any previous protagonist ever managed. True, the killshot was a Predator gun redirected at itself, but she did a LOT better in hand-to-hand combat than any of the other male leads. And she did it all without a machine gun, or really much of any real gun of any kind (that musket really did NOT want to work for her). Axes get the job done against Predators just fine.

Just to reiterate what a creative premise this is, the French settlers unleash everything they have on the Predator, and they then they pause to take several minutes to reload their muskets. And it's like they expected the Predator to courteously wait them out. Sorry, assholes, the Predator DOES follow game rules, but that's just ridiculous.

I actually thought Naru was probably in more mortal danger in the quicksand scene than she was at any point with the Predator.

I loved the movie, and I have to say, this is probably an underrated franchise by film critics. I've literally liked every movie but the second. Its shaky quality reputation is entirely undeserved. It's usually great.

I loved it. 4 stars.