PREY will get a release on HULU and Disney+ on August 5, 2022. But is this new Predator reboot any good? Let’s find out…
The OG Predator film was immense. In fact, I’d go as far as saying it was one of the best action films of the 1980s. It had everything – guns, explosions, one-liners, an invisible interstellar-traveling reptile, Arnie, and Carl Weathers in his prime. You literally couldn’t ask for more.
Since then, the franchise hasn’t done too well. Its sequel, Predator 2, wasn’t too bad, but it now looks and feels pretty dated. Alien vs. Predator was awful. Ditto its sequel. Predators was OK, and Shane Black’s recent reboot, The Predator, didn’t exactly end up being a fan favorite either, which is why expectations about PREY were low – very, very low.
Me? I was always cautiously optimistic because A) I love Predator movies, I’ll watch literally any movie that has a Predator in it, and B) its director is very, very good.
PREY is directed by 10 Cloverfield Lane’s Dan Trachtenberg, of course, and anyone who’s seen that film knows that Dan really knows what he’s doing when it comes to pacing and suspense.
PREY Plot & Story
Even before I knew Dan Trachtenberg was directing, I was pretty excited about the plot of PREY: it takes place 300 years before the original film in the Comanche Nation, so no guns, no tech, and even the predator is a little less technically savvy than the one from the original film. It’s like the OG predator’s grandpappy’s origin story.
The plot itself is relatively simple: a young female hunter must protect herself and a tribe from the predator, who’s landed on earth to hunt earth’s most deadly species, humans. But it is the simplicity of the story and its time that will make the film so good; it removes ALL the tech, on both sides, and forces the protagonists to use their skills and wits to outdo each other – just like at the end of the original Predator movie.
If that sounds good to you, as a Predator fan, I have even better news: PREY is getting massively impressive reviews and praise from its advanced screening at Comic Con 2022.
One screening of the movie and got a standing ovation! For a predator film! That’s more or less unprecedented, proving Dan Trachtenberg’s vision for this film is exactly what fans have been hoping for…
PREY Reviews
Prey is my favorite Predator movie. (Coming from someone who’s a big fan of the original and also 2010’s Predators.) Love how the story is a deeply personal journey — one powered by Comanche tradition just as much as it is by Predator-sparked thrills.
Collider
Prey is exactly what fans want in a Predator movie — bloody deaths, insane weapons, and ties to other films in the franchise. Technically the first Predator movie, Prey is an absolute blast thanks to crazy kills and jump scares. Get ready to love Amber Midthunder!
Tessa Smith
I honestly think #Prey might be the best Predator movie. Not since the first movie, just best, period. It’s got all the tense action, but it adds compelling characters, Amber Midthunder as Naru is a revelation, It’s Predator broken down to its core elements and rebuilt better.
CinemaBlend
Want to watch PREY when it gets a release date on August 5? You’ll need to either have a HULU account (if you’re in the USA) or a Disney+ account for everywhere else.
Roll on, August 5!
