Prey
The day of the prey
The 1980s was marked by muscular heroes, who dominated action-adventure films. Among them, the ones that stood out were Sylvester Stallone, with his characters Rocky and Rambo, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, who also lived some memorable roles, such as Conan and Terminator. But in one of the movies he starred, he ended up becoming a supporting actor, because the character created a life of its own. This film was “Predator” (USA, 1987), which spawned several sequels, the last of which was the great “Prey” (USA, 2022).
The story takes place around 1700, when most of America was still wild and inhabited by natives of various ethnicities. Somewhere in the American Midwest, where the Comanches lived, is the tribe of teenage girl Naru (Amber Midthunder). Contrary to the tradition of his people, Naru does not conform herself to the activities of the women of the tribe and wanted to be a hunter and warrior, a role restricted to men.
Naru has the discreet support of Brother Taabe (Dakota Beavers) and healer Aruka (Michelle Trhush), but obviously suffers disapproval from the rest of the tribe, especially the boys. Even so, Naru insists on participating in all the hunting activities she can.
It is in this environment that the region receives an unusual visit. A Predator (Dane DiLiegro) is left on Earth for a hunting season, where it will face the animals of the environment.
The first to realize that there is something strange was Naru, who in addition to finding an abnormal footprint, notices some incomprehensible signs in the region. However, no one believes her, preferring to believe that there is just another bear.
But when Naru becomes embodied in the forest to investigate, and a group is sent to search for her, the first contact with the alien is frighteningly deadly. The girl carefully observes all the characteristics she can, as she feels that she will need to use this knowledge to face the monster.
To complicate matters, a group of French fur hunters captures Naru and Taabe, to use them as bait to kill the Predator. As one could expect, with their rudimentary weapons, the hunters are no match for the alien, and what follows is a carnage. It will be up to the two brothers to endure the final battle against the Predator, and only one side can win.
Although the story is somewhat predictable, “Prey” is a great movie, not only for honoring the historical character, but also for bringing some innovative aspects, little seen in the cinema. As an example, the Predator was given an ethical sense, since he did not attack anything that did not pose a threat to him. But, the most surprising was to have the female and native protagonist, two conditions treated to this day as “inferior”. Those who think the world has evolved in this matter have not seen the headlines in Canada and Brazil, where natives are killed simply by their ethnicity.
It was very interesting to see native people as protagonists and white men as villains for a change. The film not only has native characters but most of the cast has Native American or Canadian descent. Amber Midthunder is the granddaughter of a Sioux woman, and although her surname seems native, it actually came from an adaptation of the Norwegian name of her paternal grandfather, Midthund. As the locations were in Alberta, Canada, much of the cast came from there.
The film brings many references to previous films, such as Schwarzenegger’s character mud bath, the self-inflicted chest cuts by the character Poncho (Richard Chaves), or the gauntlet bomb in the first Predator.
Of course, much of what is shown on the screen affronts reality and logic, such as the fact that the native Comanches never found French hunters, as they lived in regions very far from each other. Hypothermia caused by a plant that would be the weapon used by Naru to become “invisible” would also prevent her from fighting. But what’s worth in the end is the fun, and that the movie provides a lot.
The Predator franchise, in addition to the 1987 film, also had “Predator 2” (USA, 1990), with Danny Glover, “Predators” (USA, 2010), with Adrien Brody and Alice Braga, “The Predator” (USA, 2018), “AVP: vs. Predator” (USA, 2004), “AVPR: Aliens vs Predator – Requiem” (USA, 2007).
While the exploration of old hits often leads to the exhaustion of good characters, with the success of “Prey” it’s not hard to imagine that the almost unbeatable alien hunter will still have long life in the screens.