When Predator – Upgrade hit theaters four years ago, hopes were high that director Shane Black would bring the sci-fi series to life with a gritty action blockbuster brought back to life. However, after scathing reviews, disappointed audience reactions, and weak box office numbers, it turns out this movie didn’t revitalize the franchise — it completely rammed it into the ground.
Only one other film series, which also has its origins in the 1980s, could surpass this bitter defeat: Terminator. Failed twice the Skynet takeover in the past decade in the cinema. Despite star power and nostalgia, neither Terminator: Genisys nor Terminator: Dark Fate has returned to the greatness of time travel action that once spearheaded blockbuster cinema.
From the ashes of Predator – Upgrade has risen a small, unassuming film that is redefining the series: Prey.
Prey reinvents the Predator franchise at Disney+
Although the title is the actual Franchise affiliation concealed, Predator DNA flows through every frame in this survival thriller – and then some. Not only the Terminator, but all of Hollywood can learn from this admirable and bold reinvention. Prey makes a radical decision and confidently saves a discredited brand.
You can watch the trailer for Prey here:
Prey – Trailer (German) HD
Yes, it takes courage to reinvent a series. A lot even. The fact that this is rare in the film and series world is shown by the many reboots and remakes that hardly ever remember one crucial change compared to the original car. No wonder legacyquels are becoming increasingly popular in Hollywood. Even years after a story originally ended, beloved characters can return.
Star Wars and Jurassic Park are two of the greatest examples. Terminator also wanted a piece of the legacy pie with the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton. But the direct connection to Terminator 2 – Judgment Day, the masterpiece of the series, has completely fizzled out. A unique franchise wild card was drawn here and nobody really knew how to play it.
Prey takes a big step back from Predator
The Predator revival, on the other hand, builds the greatest possible distance to its predecessors. The creative minds behind the project — most notably director Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane) and screenwriter Patrick Aison (Jack Ryan) — have taken a big step back to complete the Rethinking the Predator concept. Suddenly, in 1719, we find ourselves in Comanche territory.
©Disney
Birth of a new action heroine: Amber Midthunder as Naru in Prey
Prey jumps far into the past to a place where bows are drawn and tomahawks are honed. There is no sign of automatic firearms or the muscle men of the 1980s. Instead, we learn them determined Naru (Amber Midthunder), who wants to prove herself as a hunter and is not only confronted with hungry bears and French trappers.
But there is another opponent hiding in the bushes that we have never seen in such a setting: a Predator. Although we as viewers are well aware of the danger posed by the three red laser points goes out, none of the characters have any idea what it’s all about. Through his historical location, Prey rethinks one of the most iconic movie monsters.
The Predator series rediscovers its own curiosity
However, since the monster is only as exciting as the protagonist who faces it, Prey spends a lot of time in the Comanche circle at first and shares careful observations about their environment before the central movement of the Predator series takes over the action: the hunt. Two – at first glance unequal – parties meet in a relentless struggle for survival.
©Disney
The fearsome Predator makes its way through the fog
Although Prey presents two completely opposite things at the beginning, there is a smooth transition as the film progresses. The Predator follows the Puma. The sensitively told historical adventure merges with the brutal science fiction action. In between, Prey thinks about it border crossings and intruders in unfamiliar territory, while the role of the hunted and the hunted alternates several times.
The Comanche setting isn’t just a gimmick, it defines the overall character of the film. For the Predator series, which has a very thin mythology, that’s a boon. Where the previous part like a only misunderstanding worked, of what the series is supposed to be, inspires Prey with a love of discovery and curiosity about one’s own possibilities as an anthological franchise.
Even more film series should step out of their comfort zone
The same characters don’t always have to return, and the same story doesn’t always have to be told. Prey proves very well how the core of a brand can be used in many ways if you dare to to leave familiar surroundings. Other series are welcome to be inspired by this, above all the Terminator, which thanks to time travel is just as flexible as the Predator.
For a long time it wasn’t so exciting when the Predator emerged from the fog and three red dots marked the crucial seconds between life and death. Imagine a Terminator meets samurai and the next Predator lands on post-apocalyptic Earth, only to find that whatever it can hunt is dead. There are still so many great ideas to explore.
Prey has been streaming ever since August 5, 2022 at Disney+.
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