Prey

Grade: B-

The neat thing about a prequel is that if you haven’t seen the film(s) that came before (or, chronologically, “after”), you can start with the prequel, and it should stand on its own for you. It is the beginning, after all. Prey, a new Hulu Original, is a prequel/origin story for the Predator series, which began in 1987 with the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie.

The films are about a mysterious invisible enemy that stalks and hunts humans and animals in the jungle. Some of their technology, structural make-up, and equipment are quite advanced for 2022, let alone 1719, when Prey takes place. While certain individual scenes and episodes were satisfying and skillfully made, after a while, it all felt so futile to me. We know the predator will be around for at least two movies after the events of this one, so…what are we doing here?

Amber Midthunder is memorable as our heroine Naru, a young warrior who tags along with the men of her tribe, wishing to hunt like them and prove herself. I enjoyed a delicious moment of poetic justice when one of the men is in the midst of mansplaining to Naru about how she should go back to their village and focus on cooking rather than hunting, and that “we’ve got this” – and his tirade is abruptly interrupted and silenced.

Prey is lean on exposition and character development, and instead cuts right to the chase. The locations are gorgeous, it is edited well, and the sound is effective. This should earn some well-deserved technical Oscar nominations. I am recommending Prey just barely, as it is tight and efficient. It feels raw and real, with no cinematic chemicals, preservatives, or other fluff. You have to admire that.

Grade: B-