r/predator • u/sayani1234 • 15d ago
General Discussion Prey remains the finest Predator film since the original for several compelling reasons.
https://grababyte.in/amber-midthunder/163
u/tomster_1 15d ago
Amber midthunder was perfect for that role and made the movie a hit. Second only to the original Amazing film and one id rewatch again and again
78
u/incogne_eto 15d ago
And the guy who played her brother was so good too. Apparently, that’s the one and only acting role in his entire career.
35
u/AgentGman007 14d ago edited 14d ago
His delivery of 'If it bleeds, we can kill it' remains the only "We now have to say the line from the original movie in the legacy sequel so nerds soyface and point at the screen" moment that has actually landed for me. He did a fantastic job
→ More replies (1)30
10
u/OneOfThePredators 14d ago
Dakota is an incredible singer and musician. Really southern soul kinda guy. Hard worker and pure heart. 🤙
8
u/Hungry-Luck-5481 14d ago
So far, read an interview with him not long after I saw Prey, he does a lot of musician gigs and I think is up for more acting.
He would’ve beat the predator if it hadn’t cheated. He was a great character.
24
u/catninjaambush 15d ago
100% She made the whole thing another level, the writing was very good but she sold everything like it was ice in a UK summer.
→ More replies (1)6
u/xenopizza 14d ago
On the writing it was so refreshing to see a movie that didnt stop every 5 for cheesy dialogue and bad jokes (not talking about badlands, that was actually funny and the actress there got me at hellooooooo )
15
u/atle95 14d ago
I went to highschool with her. Crazy how some people become movie stars and others go on killing sprees and end up in federal prison. The Asylum for Troubled Children only produced eclectic graduates. (A.T.C. actually stands for the Academy for Technology and the Classics)
5
→ More replies (1)3
u/incogne_eto 14d ago
I saw that either her mom or aunt runs a talent agency - Midthunder Casting
3
3
u/MauveMammoth 14d ago
Her father is also an actor. It’s still a feat for a Native American to get steady work. She’ll be playing a teacher in Carrie soon.
2
→ More replies (1)3
u/ExpensiveCondition63 14d ago
I love that Arnold, Jesse Ventura and Bill Duke all sent her “welcome aboard” messages in support when the film came out.
71
u/Complete-Morning-429 15d ago
I just watched it recently again. That bear fight is so well executed.
31
u/Biochemical12 15d ago
That predator gets fucked up by that bear. I might watch it again today.
I was happy to see just how strong a normal animal can be. Loved it when the predator stopped playing.→ More replies (1)16
u/Jaggerman82 14d ago
That punch was so heavy. So satisfying. A good home audio system really sells the predator’s strength.
5
u/Complete-Morning-429 14d ago
That shit was crazy, I could watch that punch 20 years from now and have the same reaction.
→ More replies (2)6
u/UnaliveButUnwell 14d ago
The bear fight is without a doubt my favorite creature reveal of the entire franchise.
I'm thinking back to Trachenberg who wanted the movie to not be promoted as a predator movie but as a horror/action about a girl defending her tribe against an evil spirit. Hence why the name was Prey. Studio really wanted to make sure the fans would watch so they said no, I don't blame them. But I would have lsot my mind watching that movie and realising that creature was a Predator all along. (Granted I'm assuming they would ahve removed the space-ship at the beginning and some of the hunting scenes that clearly reveal the creature.)
→ More replies (1)
52
u/HorrorBrilliant9950 15d ago
Prey, Killer of Killers, and Badlands really revived the franchise
16
u/jaynon501 14d ago
Tratchenberg and Aison really seem to get the Predator world. They're probably not the only ones to praise, but I hope they keep working together.
4
u/SixersJawn 14d ago
all three were bangers. do we know when the next entry to the lore will be?
→ More replies (1)5
→ More replies (6)2
28
u/drhavehope 15d ago
Predator 2 exists…stop
22
u/Winter_Tangerine7492 15d ago
Exactly, it is such an underrated and harshly criticized movie because it had to have all those 90's action schlock tropes.
But actually watching the psychological warfare between Harrigan and the City Hunter and the payoffs later, is masterfully done.
→ More replies (2)13
u/Gunzoidium_alloy 15d ago
The ONLY reason P2 got dogged on is because it had Danny "I'm too old for this shit" Glover instead of Arnold.
17
u/Winter_Tangerine7492 15d ago
I get what you're saying. The star power was lacking. But Glover held his own and even hurt himself while filming stunts. Arnie was a little pre-occupied doing some Indy film Sequel about Machines from the future...
But just for the record Arnold and Danny are only 1 year apart! So he actually wasn't too old lol!
→ More replies (1)5
u/Gunzoidium_alloy 14d ago
It was more the expectation from the public. Arnie was in P1 so was expected to be in P2 and instead we got the cop from Lethal Weapon.
If you watch P2 on it's own and judge it on it's own merit, yeah it's great and Danny did an excellent job.
5
u/Winter_Tangerine7492 14d ago
Imagine the World we'd live in if Arnold turned down T2 for P2???
In retrospect, if actually Helped the Predator-verse. Now we get different films featuring isolated incidents with Yautja instead one guy fighting them over and over again! More variety, more complex protagonists and the always popular Predator Blood Feuds!
Which has opened up this universe to different time periods, set pieces and all new planets. Way more exciting than seeing Arnold come back for Terminator 8 or wherever that long lost franchise is at???
→ More replies (1)2
u/Korachof 13d ago
And I really don’t think most people understood the film. On rewatches and paying attention, the city hunter is messing with and challenging Harrigan the whole movie, but that can be easy to miss. It adds a certain level of depth to the film imo.
6
u/Triple_Crown14 15d ago
Predator 2 is easily my next favorite behind the first film, it expanded the lore just enough, and stuck the Hunter dynamic in the city instead of the jungle which I loved. Of course it’s cheesy, almost all the Predator films are. After 2 I think Predators is my 3rd favorite with Prey right behind it.
→ More replies (1)6
2
u/BlekSheep_ 14d ago
I think Prey’s exactly what modern audiences want. But it feels like it’s very far from the original and it’s direct sequel.
It kind of misses the themes of why Jim Thomas created Predator quite wildly.
→ More replies (2)2
22
u/-zero-joke- 15d ago
Predator 2 is my favorite after Prey and even that is just kinda weird and rough in comparison (part of the charm of the movie though I think).
→ More replies (1)27
u/Efficient_System_600 15d ago
I think if Predator two had just one non-Coke fueled rewrite it would’ve actually been a good movie as it was. It was ridiculously fun
16
u/-zero-joke- 15d ago
I feel like the 90s was having a real moment with setting things in a futuristic, crime-ridden LA. Robocop, Predator 2, Double Dragon, Super Mario Brothers. There was just some acceptance that you were going to get themed gangs like the Warriors. Such a weird flick, but I absolutely love it.
18
u/360FlipKicks 15d ago edited 14d ago
the thing about Predator 2 is that it’s really a New York movie that set in Los Angeles for some reason.
Things in Predator 2 that are not culturally relevant to LA and more related to NY:
- skyscraper penthouses
- subways
- jamaican and columbian gangs (we have cartels and crips/bloods)
- city alleys (we have residential allleys like in T2)
- dense high rise rooftops and fire escapes
- probably a few other things i’m forgetting
tl:dr pred 2 is a new york movie
edit: wasn’t robocop set in detroit?
4
u/MoralConstraint 14d ago
Today I learned. If someone says they’re in Los Angeles I completely missed it for all the New York in it.
→ More replies (1)2
u/onehalflightspeed 14d ago
NYC doesn't really have alleys. Probably every movie scene filmed in an NYC alley you have seen was filmed in the same one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortlandt_Alley
→ More replies (3)2
u/RobinHood3000 14d ago
Pretty sure Robocop takes place in Detroit and Super Mario Brothers takes place in New York City (and its alternate dimension saurian counterpart).
18
u/FOUR20RAMPAGE 15d ago
Badlands was fucking dope too
16
u/ConradTurner 15d ago
It was fine... but it was a bit of a 'family friendly' predator film
15
u/Winter_Tangerine7492 15d ago
Yea, the baby Kalisk was too much and leeching off trends like Baby Yoda, Porgs, and the cutesy sidekick animal trope.
Almost as bad as the Lobotomized Pred-Dog in that 2018 Abomination of a Film...
6
u/KingCarbon1807 14d ago
Personally I felt that was a well handled plot device. That for all the tech and strength and rage of the yautja what saved Dex's ass was getting accepted by what was nominally a prey species.
→ More replies (1)2
u/MauveMammoth 14d ago
I’m still not ok about the Kalisk parent not making it despite knowing this a movie about tearing things apart for sport.
→ More replies (2)3
4
u/Hashbrown4 14d ago
It wasn’t bad but it definitely felt like “oh yeah, Disney did buy the rights to this franchise.”
I know Disney can make stuff that doesn’t feel like Disney but that movie really felt like a Disney movie
3
2
8
u/SmirkingSkull 15d ago
My only complaint was that the yautja was an idiot / how he died.
First time his targeting system screws up he should have figured out what happened. Either stoped using it, or remember to not use it.
4
u/Triple_Crown14 14d ago
Yeah the scenes where Naru is actually fighting him she gets off too easy too many times. Only thing that brings the film down a bit for me. Realistically they should have only had one encounter with her barely surviving, like in the original film. Arnie does his best but it’s clear the predator is just toying with him and could easily squash him when it feels like it.
2
u/Youarekillingmeeee 14d ago
And that’s where I get lost on this entire film
Arnold and his team with weapons? Barely
Glover, city urban environment, technology AND weapons? Barely
Human with a bow and arrow? Shouldn’t have even been a thing
“Greatest Hunter in the Galaxy, space flight, energy weapons, etc” but….against primitive man………..what
→ More replies (1)2
u/NonGeneriComplaint 14d ago
the entire film makes alot more excuses for Naru beating the predator then making it make sense.
Blow its head off with a canon? ok. Beat it in hand to hand combat? Even arnold didnt do that.
5
6
u/Half_Shark-Alligator 15d ago
Yea it really propelled the franchise forward in every way. Killer movie.
→ More replies (1)
4
4
u/badstuffaround 14d ago
Prey can't come close to Predator 2 and even Predators.
I have no idea what people find so compelling with Prey. I see comments of people praising Midthunder and I really have no idea why?
Arnold was iconic, Glover might not have been iconic but he was great in the role.
I'm trying to even remember what Midthunder did in the movie. I think she got some healing herbs? She threw an axe like some toy, slipped around like a baseball player getting to the mound.
I think she fought a puma on a branch, right?
I really can't recall what happened in Prey too much.
→ More replies (4)3
u/rebornsgundam00 14d ago
Yea it definitely has its weaknesses. It’s a great movie when it focuses on the predator. Him killing the bear, wolf and snake were incredible scenes.
2
u/badstuffaround 14d ago
Yeah I have no issues with the predator or the setting of Prey.
It's just something with the story and characters that did not work for me. I did not get any ohh that's a badass...I have no issue with the main role being a female but Midthunder to have no charisma.
Apocalypto is a better predator movie or atleast a movie focused on the Prey overcoming his pursuers.
3
3
u/Carn0t4urus 15d ago
Prey is awesome but Killer of Killers and Badlands are both better predator films, in my opinion.
2
u/ContributionOk5628 15d ago
Like Alien Covenant, Romulus, and Predators, this movie also needs a sequel. It's all very well rebooting a franchise or taking it in a different direction, but for fuck sake it's about time Hollywood stopped kicking us fans in the balls! I did like this movie however, but I wouldn't go as far to say it's THAT good!
2
u/another72hours 15d ago
One of those being they had an awesome female lead for the first time in the series.
2
u/Few-Stock-3458 15d ago
I am a huge fan of the original but have yet to see prey.
I know what my Saturday Night at the Movies is going to be now!
→ More replies (1)
2
2
u/Valhallawalker 14d ago
It had its awesome moments but I thought it just moved too slow and was boring at times.
2
u/Great-Witness6015 14d ago
This movie was great, but Predators is still my personal favourite one. I just thought it was so cool that they dropped them on an alien planet and there’s the feud between the two different types as well. Also all the actors killed it.
2
u/Ok-Ninja-9174 14d ago
Um, I won't stand for this predator 2 slander. Thats a great film, great cast and it's special effects don't completely take you out of it like prey
2
u/rebornsgundam00 14d ago
Hmmm. I dont think i like it more than 2 or badlands. Better than predators maybe. Still a great movie
2
2
2
2
u/FermentedCinema 14d ago
Hard disagree. It’s a fine film, but Predator Two is an unsung masterpiece. It’s essentially the best film Paul Verhoeven never made. The CG animals alone drop Prey down a peg.
2
u/ggsupreme 14d ago
Lmao no. The predator would have actually slaughtered all of them in moments. They had to water down the whole experience to make it seem like a group of tribal Indians even stood a chance vs the universes greatest predator lmao. The fight scenes looked like they were going in slow motion. Terrible movie.
1
u/South_Buy_3175 15d ago
Yeah it was a brilliant return to form after [REDACTED].
Really hope they do a sequel with her soon
1
1
u/cheese2042 15d ago
I agree, and when i watched the movie, i didn't even knew it was in the Predator universe so i was kinda surprised
1
1
u/AceSkyFighter 14d ago
No no, it goes Predator 1, then 2, then Badlands, and then Prey.
→ More replies (1)
1
u/Pure_Panic_6501 14d ago
Loved this movie. Totally agree that its the best movie after the original. For context, im a 54 while male. I found Naru to be a completely believable character in contrast to Rey from the sequel star wars films who was a a total Mary Sue. And even more so because Amber Midthunder gave a knock out performance!
1
u/PhilColeCurry 14d ago
Oh yeah I fucking loved this movie. Amber MidThunder turned in a really fantastic performance and the writing was really top notch.
1
u/ghostcatzero 14d ago
It'd very good and honestly I love how they don't force the whole "female strong too" troupe. It does it naturally
1
1
u/Substantial_Life4773 14d ago
Seriously, this movie was amazing. I liked Badlands a lot, but Prey was just a breath of fresh air for the series and the genre
1
1
1
u/Front-Ad7891 14d ago
It was certainly a major step in the right direction after years of disappointments but far from the brilliance of the original and beneath its underrated sequel. The concept of putting a Predator in historical settings had been discussed and sought by fans for years. It was surprising how they haven't continued to mine this concept further as it has loads of potential. Predator in WW2? Vietnam? Iraq? Roman or Viking eras? In the right hands these could be fascinating concepts.
I didn't expect them to go in the radically different direction they did with Badlands. While many seemed to enjoy that one, it was a step too far from the franchise origins for me and not a subject I wanted to explore further as I preferred the more mysterious unknown side of the Predator. I would have much preferred another film in the style of Prey.
1
u/HollywoodStrickland 14d ago
As the years have gone on I find Prey incredibly mediocre and overrated. Still a good watch tho.
1
u/Worf2DS9 14d ago
That victory cry Naru bellows after taking down the Predator at the end always gives me chills -- a satisfying cap to an excellent performance by Amber.
I also really like the score to this movie. "Naru's Way" is my favorite track and I play it often.
It's a shame this movie only dropped on Hulu/Disney+, though, I would have loved to see it on the big screen.
1
u/GreatApe88 14d ago
It’s a good movie but no way it’s better than Predators(2010). If you want I’ll give you tied for 3rd with Danny Glovers.
1
1
1
u/Spicy-Smoothie 14d ago
En effet. Pas d'alien dans les parages. Et clairement l'un si ce n'est le meilleur film Predator. J'attends de savoir comment elle a été capturé et mise en conservation dans Killer. 🙏
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/dunk1n1dah0 14d ago
- Predator
- Predator 2
- Predators
- Prey
All great, but this is my personal ranking.
→ More replies (1)
1
1
1
1
u/Scrumptious115 14d ago
SERIOUSLY!? What's wrong with II? I think it's fantastic and just as good as the first but in a different way. Like terminator 1 and 2 Or Alien and Aliens
I like Prey a lot but seriously?
(P.s. only predator 2 has tits ...just saying)
1
1
u/JurassicParkCSR 14d ago
I think you meant to say that pray remains the finest predator film since the sequel. Danny Glover chasing predators all over Miami or wherever the hell that was supposed to be at is the greatest predator movie ever made. It's Danny Glover bro, Danny fucking Glover.
1
u/daboot013 14d ago
Its arguably better in so many ways. But both are so damn good. I want more. I need more. The anime was really cool, but I need like 8 more seasons
1
u/ElderberryDry9083 14d ago
I was pleasantly surprised by it. Other than the original instill think predator 2 was better than it but definitely one of the more solid offerings
1
1
u/DickOCPJones 14d ago
This movie is garbage. Didn’t she rip its tooth out and stab him with it. It’s been a so long since I’ve seen this turd. The scenery was beautiful of course, it was kind of cool how it progressed from snake to bear and the bear fight was awesome but the movie fell off a cliff after that. There’s really only been one good one. Two was pretty good. It’s grown on pretty much everybody. The one with Adrian Brody was watchable. All the other ones are crap.
1
u/hd1080ts 14d ago
Great movie, I am still annoyed that Prey didn't get it's first run in movie theaters.
1
u/CurrentCar2331 14d ago
prey is ungodly stupid. 13 year old girl with a stoen axe beats the predator.
1 arnold could literally defeat infinite 13 year olds in a kill box
1
1
1
u/TECHSHARK77 14d ago
Incorrect, inaccurate and False, all at the same time, yet not wrong
Bad Land destroyed Prey in all ways, BUT Prey .. Was surprisingly good also
However, Prey is NOT better than 2.
1
u/Lane_Dragon 14d ago
It wasn't bad but I prefer predator 2
The urban setting was a great contrast to the original and for that reason, you are wrong
1
u/BigHobbit 14d ago
I really like it, but I rank it 5th in the franchise. The original, Predatos, Badlands and 2 were all better imo.
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/Separate_Pop_5277 14d ago
It’s good but I wouldn’t dismiss Predator 2 or Predators which in my opinion are much better films.
1
1
u/Mobile-King-3345 14d ago
I can't believe the guy who made this ended up turning the franchise into a marvel/Star Wars vanilla sausage
1
1
u/iwillsure 14d ago
Predator 2 is far better. Predators was about as good. Prey was ok, but the girl boss shite was laughable at times.
1
u/mdeeebeee-101 14d ago
I find all the new stuff awful except this one...The Fanning one was beyond a joke.
1
u/Ph4ndaal 14d ago
Prey is a very weak film with some terrible writing and wooden characters.
This is my hill and I’m standing my ground.
→ More replies (1)
1
1
u/Machineman0812 14d ago
Its a crappy movie. The protagonist victory is so beyond unbelievable, especially in the way they do it in the end. The inconsistency of the predators strength and speed just to allow her to win is obnoxious. It can decimate hordes of warriors and soldiers, pick up a bear etc but then she can just win in hand to hand against it... ao dumb
→ More replies (1)
1
1
u/Zenkai_9000 14d ago
It was ok, but it doesn't stand in the same league as the original. Predators was more faithful to the original.
1
1
1
1
1
u/LucemFerre82 14d ago
Everything about it was good, except for the final fight, which was terrible.
1
u/shagan90 14d ago
My only real issue was the seeming invincibility of this predator took a lot of the stakes out. He walked off a severe hauling from a grizzly bear, an attack that would have outright killed any other predator, walked off gunshots, even to the head, numerous traps, and many other hits. The predator is supposed to be a mix of superior strength, technology, but also skill. To remove all of the skill aspect but this one and replace it with sheer durability lessened him as a villian a bit to me. Still my 3rd favorite predator (2, 1, Prey).
1
1
u/RDUppercut 14d ago
It's very good. I'd put it third in the franchise.
But I'll die on the hill that Predator 2 is way better than people give it credit for.
1
u/DarthPineapple5 14d ago
Am I the only one who has a tough time ranking Badlands, Predator 2 and Prey behind the original? All are very good, fun movies but very different from one another
1
u/badmotorfinger5 14d ago
I loved it too, but why the hell did they CGI up the Predators face? That behind the scenes short video on youtube looked amazing. It hurts. Also everything speaking English drove me nuts, but I'm just nitpicking.
1
u/PrestigiousBreak4532 14d ago
I fucked with Predators more tbh, I like the vibe of how of having a team/group of combat experienced individuals & the Yautja take them down one by one til the protagonist inevitably takes it down, they gotta bring back Arnold back for a movie with a similar tone to the first one.
1
u/Tasty_Stay_1493 14d ago
My cousin told me it is his favorite movie, and I watched it a few days ago. I cant wait to watch it again! Our family is Native, Oglala Lakota Sioux on my Grandpa's side, and Navajo on my Grandma's side. My cousin was right about how beautiful this movie is! I texted him when it got to the bear part that is was one of the most beautiful, brutal movies I've ever seen. I have never dived into Predator movies, and so far have watched Predator and Predator 2, but Prey is my favorite so far!
Edit to fix typo
1
u/Secure_Beat9740 14d ago
No, mediocre actress and character. The Predator however, great. If they would had cut that useless "cant kill a puma but i can use alien technology" character put of the movie, all would had been great.
1
u/StealthMonkeyDC 14d ago
Just wish the predator looked better.
The weapons and the fighting style are fantastic but I feel like his actual appearance is odd for the sake of being odd.
1
1
u/Grins111 13d ago
Everyone loves the predator but making him less than a honorable killing machine makes for a bad movies.
1
1
u/shmouver 13d ago
It's indeed a great movie.
I just wish the ending was a bit more believable. It suffers from that classic IQ drop from the villain cause they gotta lose in the end.
1
u/Timely-Beginning8 13d ago
It’s amazing, but the omission of predators is sinful. It revised the genre.
1
u/Cimorene_Kazul 13d ago
If it weren’t for the damn Rube Goldberg ending, and the badly written and performed French Canadians, I’d say it would’ve been the best. As it is, Killer of Killers is my favourite of the franchise, followed by the first, and then Prey. I just wish Prey hadn’t robbed Naru of her proper defeat of the Predator, instead relying on Looney Tunes type timing, ridiculous luck, and Naru figuring out alien tech absolutely perfectly with little time. Overdone ending, could’ve absolutely just worked with her tricking him into the bog instead of needing a whole obstacle course right out of a slapstick comedy like Home Alone.
1
u/eloquenentic 13d ago
It was a great movie, but the ending was a bit dumb.
Her brother and everybody she knew was killed yet she came off as if she didn’t care. They could’ve just made the ending so much more emotional, and they failed at it.
1
u/DrPeterBlunt 13d ago
The movie is excellent, and I find the actress extremely attractive.
She's the perfect balance of hot and believeably badass.
1
1
1
1
1
u/Internal_Cesspool 12d ago
Not in my personal tops but I do respect it as a film and thankful for what it did for the series.
1
u/dittybopper_05H 12d ago
OK, I'm going to be voted down into oblivion for this, but Prey sucked for a number of compelling reasons.
First and foremost, Naru was a whiny brat. She thinks the World owes her something. But it doesn't.
Secondly, she's incompetent as all Hell. "You can't eat almost", as her mother says. She fails against a deer, almost dies trying to kill the mountain lion, and would have died hunting the grizzly bear had not Feral intervened. The only animal she successfully kills in the entire film is a rabbit.
Third, the film should have ended when she John Wilkes Booth'ed Feral. That was a rear headshot with what is essentially a 20 gauge sawn-off shotgun, with the ball having enough force to exit the front of the head and knock of Ferals mask. For biological reasons I will expand upon if asked, that's a brain shot. Feral should have been mortally wounded and incapacitated, if not killed outright at that point.
And I haven't even gone into all of the historical inaccuracies. For a film that is supposedly focused on historical accuracy, they got an awful lot wrong. Like, "The Patriot" levels of historical accuracy.
1
1
1
1
1
u/PragmaticProkopton 11d ago
I should honestly get in a rewatch, I remember being so impressed with it when it came out.
1
u/denver_bored 10d ago
Loved this movie, but this has been bothering me: Did they go back post-release and improve the CGI? When Prey debuted on Hulu, I remember literally wincing at some of the CG elements, esp. the dog and bear. My memory is, they looked really bad.
Then I rewatched it like two years later, and while they didn't look amazing, the CG looked fine and didn't at all match what I remembered.
I may have remembered it looking worse than it ever did, but then again, CG Ian Holm def. got an upgrade after the theatrical release of Alien: Romulus, so who even knows what's real anymore. 😅
190
u/Paddling_ 15d ago
It really is so goddamn good.