Prey Review: Critics Call Amber Midthunder's Predator Film a Gripping Action Thriller, Claim It to Be the Best Since the Original Arnold Schwarzenegger Film

The first reviews for Prey are out and it looks like we finally have a great Predator film on our hands for the first time since the original. Directed by Dan Trachtenberg, Prey sees Amber Midthunder's Naru, a Comanche warrior take on the Predator in an effort to save those close to her. Prey: The Predator Stands Tall In This New Poster For Dan Trachtenberg's Upcoming Action Flick! (View Pic).

The reviews for the film are particularly praising the hard-hitting action and the tense atmosphere of the film. Many are even calling it to be the best Predator film since the original Arnold Schwarzenegger release. So, let's take a look at some of the reviews of the film and see what's being said over here.

Watch The Trailer:

The Hollywood Reporter: It’s not because there isn’t a fearsome alien on hand who hunts down humans and other species for the sheer enjoyment of it. Rather, it’s that this fifth entry in the long-running franchise (not counting the Alien vs. Predator entries, discuss) differs rather dramatically from its predecessors. For one thing, it has a heroine instead of a hero, who happens to be a young Indigenous woman. For another, the story takes place some 300 years ago in the Great Plains, so the most formidable high-tech human weaponry on display are the muskets wielded by French fur trappers. Despite all this, Prey, premiering domestically on Hulu, winds up being one of the more formidable installments in the series.

Collider: The only real downside to Prey is the streaming format through which it'll be released, with the 20th Century movie being shuttled over to drop on Hulu later this week. It's no hyperbole to say that this is a film that demands to be seen on as big a screen as possible, if only in order to thoroughly appreciate one of the best action movies of the year thus far, let alone one of the best Predator movies since the first.

CNET: This is easily the best Predator movie we've had since the original, with a well-developed protagonist (and her excellent dog), a rich cultural base and clever use of an iconic movie monster. More sci-fi movies should take this kind of grounded approach, and this franchise should just pit its alien hunters against humans in magnificently realized historical settings from now on.

Variety: By the time Naru stands opposite the Predator in hand-to-face-pincer combat, coating herself in the creature’s phosphorescent green blood, it’s clear that even a “Predator” movie can now be styled as a lesson in how to be. But maybe, in the case of this franchise, that marks a slight improvement over movies that wanted to be nothing but what has come before.

IGN: Dan Trachtenberg’s Prey never lets up. It’s full of the Predator franchise’s trademark violence and tension, but it’s the ferocious, star-making turn from Amber Midthunder that stands as its greatest strength. The movie’s sole focus on her lead character, Naru, means that the supporting roster comes off a little wooden, but when Prey’s tracking the young warrior’s duel with the Predator -- full of powerful imagery and creative kills -- it rarely falters. Prey: The Battle Between a Comanche Warrior and Predator Looks Frightening in This New Poster! (View Pic).

The Verge: Ultimately what makes Prey work is its simplicity. It never strays from its concept, instead slowly building up the tension before reaching a very exciting battle. It also adds to Predator’s fascinating lore. Prey made me wish the Predator franchise was turned into something like Assassin’s Creed, with each new entry touching on a different time period, exploring the mythos from a new lens.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 04, 2022 02:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).