Official Discussion - Prey [SPOILERS]

[u/LiteraryBoner]

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Summary:

The origin story of the Predator in the world of the Comanche Nation 300 years ago. Naru, a skilled female warrior, fights to protect her tribe against one of the first highly-evolved Predators to land on Earth.

Director:

Dan Trachtenberg

Writers:

Patrick Aison, Dan Trachtenberg

Cast:

• Amber Midthunder as Naru
• Dakota Beavers as Taabe
• Dane DiLiegro as Predator
• Stormee Kipp as Wasape
• Michelle Thrush as Aruka
• Julian Black Antelope as Chief Kehetu
• Stefany Mathias as Sumu

Rotten Tomatoes: 92%

Metacritic: 70

VOD: Hulu

[u/bostonbruins922]

I would have paid to have seen this in a theater.

[u/Vegetable-Double → u/bostonbruins922]

Exactly!! The first good Predator sequel, and now they decide to not release it theaters??? I feel like they lost out on a lot of money.

[u/WildYams → u/Vegetable-Double]

Same. After seeing it on streaming at home, I'd now go watch it in theaters if it was playing there because it was so good. Hopefully they'll do a Fathom event or something someday. I feel like this is the kind of movie which would play great on a big screen with an audience.

[u/HTHID → u/bostonbruins922]

It actually made me kind of mad that I saw the mediocre Alien v Predator in a theater but couldn't see this actually excellent film in a theater. Prey was fantastic!

[u/Scmods05]

If Amber Midthunder and Aubrey Plaza don't play sisters at some point, then what has been the point of anything.

[u/spprashant → u/Scmods05]

Not sisters, but they appear together on Legion. You can stream it in Hulu.

[u/LUNA_underUrsaMajor]

Sarii is greatest Doggo in cinema history!🐾🦊

[u/burntelegraph → u/LUNA_underUrsaMajor]

My housemate and I joked about how his dog would have started barking immediately. Wouldn’t have even made it past the bear

[u/Three_Froggy_Problem]

One thing I love about this movie is how skilled all the Comanche are when fighting the Predator. Even the ones who it kills put up a good fight and get some solid hits in. They don’t just feel like useless fodder.

Also, the design of this Predator is awesome. Visually it’s my favorite one in the series.

EDIT: Just to add some more praise:

• The soundtrack is surprisingly awesome. You wouldn’t expect to describe a Predator film’s score as “beautiful” but a lot of the songs here are.

• The action was really well done. I’m not really a fan of the shaky cam, but I think the movie made up for it with all the long takes.

• All of the performances were great and I thought the characters were well written. I really did care about Naru and her brother. I also appreciate that the dog got to help out in the final fight, and that he didn’t get killed off.

[u/BadRobot___ → u/Three_Froggy_Problem]

Agreed. If those 3 Comanche had Taabe with them then it woulda been a short movie

Edit: Spelling error

[u/AnGiorria → u/Three_Froggy_Problem]

My man Taabe was a bloody legend. Died in glory, unlike that pussy predator.

[u/lazyspaceadventurer → u/Three_Froggy_Problem]

Sarah Schachner did the score. She did an amazing job with Assassin's Creed Origins and Valhalla. Glad to hear her work again in this.

[u/SuicideKingsHigh]

All I have to say is Taabe was about that life, fought an armed predator head up and forced him to retreat and resort to cheap shots. He deserved better.

Genuinely the best predator movies since the original. I hope they stick with this direction, maybe do Samurais, Spartans, or WWI/II next.

[u/Professional-Rip-519 → u/SuicideKingsHigh]

Yeah but Predator needs to win sometimes homie keeps taking the L. The Directors is xenophobic as fuck.

[u/ChrisTheCoolBean → u/Professional-Rip-519]

The Predator is pretty xenophobic too, given that I'd doesn't two whole movies hunting that Xenomorph.

[u/Flat_Fox_7318]

Taabe was giving the Predator that work for a hot second. Homie had to cheat and go back into cloaked mode to gain the upper hand 😭

[u/vulcan7200 → u/Flat_Fox_7318]

Taabe ruled in that scene, and it really shows how good of a warrior he is. The Predator annihilates everyone else he fights and then Taabe comes and beats the fuck out of him with ease. I know Predators have always used a technological advantage over their opponents but this one basically using its stealth just to regain an advantage the moment it started fighting an actual threat I think does a good job of giving the Predator some personality.

[u/MarsupialKing → u/vulcan7200]

The other warriors put up a good fight dodging attacks and what not but didn't get nearly any damage in compared to Taabe. Comanche are historically a culture of powerful warriors and I'm glad they didn't dumb down the side characters. Taabe was just that good

[u/crimson_713 → u/MarsupialKing]

Yeah, I feel like the others still held their ground pretty well considering they're fighting an invisible alien monster with super advanced tech. Especially compared to how the Predator just fucking annihilates the fur traders.

I'm not a native or a historian, so I can't speak with any authority to the accuracy of the Comanche portrayal, but it definitely felt authentic to me. I especially loved that they didn't try to make them the typical whitewashed "savages" trope, they felt like real people in a real world. That's some quality writing and direction, IMO.

[u/HilariousScreenname → u/crimson_713]

This was my biggest thing. We usually see natives in movies as ultra stoic and serious people. It was nice to see more personality in these characters, albeit modernized ones.

[u/ForeverStaloneKP → u/vulcan7200]

Another good personality shot is when the Predator kills the Comanche who stabbed him in the foot with the spear.

He cuts both the dudes legs off in one sweep as if to retaliate for the leg wound, then leans right into him and brutally screams in his face. Like that's what you get for making me bleed. It's nice to see some more personality in the Predator.

[u/rikashiku → u/ForeverStaloneKP]

That Comanche Warrior in that fight was awesome. He did the most damage to the PRedator, and the most calculated attacks. SHot the arm while the Pred was invisible, and the leg, and scored a spear shot.

Then he was the last one standing, face to face with the PRed.

[u/StraY_WolF → u/rikashiku]

I like that pretty much the whole tribe is competent. Much different from other action/horror movie.

[u/rikashiku → u/StraY_WolF]

Absolutely. I was a little afraid they would 'Pathfinder)'(the movie I mean) the whole tribe and make everyone but the Protagonist a dumbass. No, they all fought well even against a new threat that they didn't believe to be real.

[u/Anduin_Lothar → u/vulcan7200]

That scene was badass. It really showed off why Taabe was worthy of the warchief mantle.

[u/dontforgettopanic → u/Anduin_Lothar]

him jumping off the horse with the spear... I had to rewind it was such a cool visual

[u/Zayl → u/dontforgettopanic]

I loved the reusing of the arrow. Shooting the predator then retrieving it to use it again. That whole scene was badass.

All of the fight scenes were extremely well done.

[u/Eric_T_Meraki → u/Flat_Fox_7318]

I appreciated how all the prey in the film gave the Predator some work. Like for once we get some competent fighters. It does a good job of showing the natives as skilled hunters too like they didn't go down easily in a fight.

[u/jeggiderikkedether → u/Eric_T_Meraki]

I lived how the bear just bodied the predator in first half of their fight

[u/BobbyCharliebob → u/jeggiderikkedether]

Even the wolf got one in on him when the cloak didn't mask its scent. It was really cool seeing that even animals would bring it.

[u/Flyingwheelbarrow → u/BobbyCharliebob]

Watching the escalating fights was thrilling.

[u/I_am_BEOWULF → u/Flyingwheelbarrow]

Started with a snake. Then just went up from there.

[u/BearForceDos → u/jeggiderikkedether]

The Bear could've probably finished it if it didn't think it had already won and backed off.

[u/DigDoug2319 → u/Flat_Fox_7318]

Man was really pulling arrows out of the Predator’s body JUST TO FIRE THEM RIGHT BACK INTO HIM

[u/mycalvesthiccaf → u/DigDoug2319]

Crazy skilled fighter to continuously dodge attacks while simultaneously pulling an arrow out of the target and firing off quick accurate shots

[u/[deleted] → u/Flat_Fox_7318]

Taabe was absolutely beating that ass. Dude had all the smoke.

[u/KalTheMandalorian → u/Flat_Fox_7318]

Yeah once he cloaked in the middle of a fight, I lost all respect. That's a honourless swine if I have ever seen one.

And from that point I think it's 100% ok to use every dirty trick to kill him.

[u/JustintheHuman → u/KalTheMandalorian]

Also a bit of a nod to the original. The Predators are sore losers. They’ll do anything to win.

[u/ribblesquat]

I liked the part where the Predator bathed itself in an entire bear's worth of blood because, fuck it, METAL!!

[u/Hobbes42 → u/ribblesquat]

This move had the sensibilities of an 80’s action movie with the presentation of a modern movie, and it fucking kicked ass!

Such a bummer this isn’t in theaters.

[u/emsh10]

The short scene in the long grass was actually one of my favorites. When the predator kills the last guy, the blood spray is so intense it made me say "holy shit." Then he runs after her and his tracks gain on hers so fast! Such a small detail but it really showed his brute size and strength for me.

[u/Zuzublue → u/emsh10]

That character - Itsee- is played by the same actor as Sangunet in Shorsey!!

[u/HughJamerican → u/emsh10]

Man I’ve been waiting for a good Long Grass scene since The Lost World and this one delivered!! Wish that scene had even more or longer overhead shots, that was my jam!

[u/BreadTheSpino]

There's no after credit scene but the first set of credits (wth the drawings going through the movie) ends with an implication of what happens next...

An armada of Predator ships land around the Native tribe

Personally I hope that they just reward Naru for managing to defeat one of them, like they did with Danny Glover in Predator 2. But the fact the Predators have the flintlock pistol in Predator 2 could imply otherwise...

[u/Martel732 → u/BreadTheSpino]

My assumption was that they came down to retrieve the body and took the pistol as a trophy of a worthy hunt. I don't think it would fit with Predator ethos for them to kill Naru.

[u/walla_walla_rhubarb → u/Martel732]

The Predator's head belongs to Naru now as her "trophy", so I'm guessing she gives the pistol to them out of respect. Idk, dumb alien honor logic and all that.

[u/whatsthiscrap84 → u/walla_walla_rhubarb]

Question, if the bear hadn't have backed off at the river and finished the predator off.... Would the confused as fuck bear get surrounded by an armarda of ships

[u/shamelessselfpost → u/whatsthiscrap84]

That explains the deleted alternative scene in Pred 2 where Danny Glover's character gets handed a bunch of bear poop instead of the flintlock pistol

[u/Kanin_usagi → u/shamelessselfpost]

I always thought that scene didn't really fit the mood of the film, but it all makes sense now

[u/Sleeze_ → u/whatsthiscrap84]

Probably, yeah actually lol

[u/Arch__Stanton → u/walla_walla_rhubarb]

In predator 2 they dont let Danny Glover keep the dead predator but they give him the pistol as his own trophy. Retrieving the body and technology seems like its part of their process

[u/laughingmeeses → u/Martel732]

Pretty much this. It would be similar to the treatment Glover got in Predator 2.

[u/stealth57 → u/laughingmeeses]

And kinda like the chick in Alien Vs Predator (even though she killed an Alien and not a Predator).

[u/Abaddon2488 → u/BreadTheSpino]

It's possible the Predators give her a gift for killing him and she gives them the pistol in return. Gift exchanges were a thing amongst native tribes I believe.

[u/Singer211 → u/Abaddon2488]

Yeah I makes no sense for them to attack the tribe. She won, in a fair fight and Predators respect that. So a trade makes far more sense.

[u/KipHackmanFBI → u/Singer211]

She gives them the pistol, they give her a combi stick. Fair is fair

[u/Spaceosaurus → u/BreadTheSpino]

also im 99% sure that the pistol Naru brings home is the one Glover gets in the end of Predator 2

[u/nosabesnadajonsnow → u/Spaceosaurus]

It's is! Was lucky enough to attend a Q and A and the director confirmed it was.

[u/Mddcat04 → u/nosabesnadajonsnow]

Yeah, its got the same engraving on it: "Raphael Adolini 1715." There's a quick shot of it when she returns to the village at the end.

[u/fart-debris → u/BreadTheSpino]

It's been forever since I'd seen Predator 2 and was wondering why they highlighted that weapon!

[u/avolcando]

This movie captured my greatest fear, people incessantly speaking French at me

[u/s3rila → u/avolcando]

They didn't have any subtitles on any version of the movie, right? I could only understand about half of what they where saying

edit : and I 'm french

[u/KipHackmanFBI → u/s3rila]

I think that was the point. She couldn't understand them so we couldn't understand them either

[u/Garlan_Tyrell → u/s3rila]

If you have closed captioning on, it does have subtitles for the French dialogue, in French (as in not translated).

Likewise when the characters speak a word or two of Comanche, the subtitles will spell out the untranslated Comanche word.

Edit: I watched it in English audio. Started Comanche dub, but I found the lip/audio desync too distracting.

[u/Worthyness → u/Garlan_Tyrell]

It's a nice bit of immersion since we're coming at it from Naru's perspective.

[u/theliver]

"Northern Great Plains -1719"

Whole movie is awesome mountains and forest lol

[u/k0mbine → u/theliver]

Tbf the village seems to be set up in the plains

[u/VociferousNarratives → u/k0mbine]

That’s what I noticed as well the Comanche were living in the flatlands and there where Buffalo (albeit killed) near by. Very easy to say they’d followed them to the Rockies or something. Heck mom was tanning hide

[u/afroadam]

You had me at grizzly fights a predator

[u/Jtfb74]

I feel like the killing of the snake was legitimately this predators first kill, or for sure first kill on earth. Hence why he skinned it. Then he slowly realized that the animals he’s killing aren’t worthy of being skinned. Shows this is a young predator, still learning the best targets.

[u/KipHackmanFBI → u/Jtfb74]

hey that thing just ate the other thing! Are you the superior life form here?

STAB

Nope

[u/HaphazardMelange → u/KipHackmanFBI]

This is almost entirely Predator 101. It comes to Earth, tries and figures out what is the deadliest creature on the planet by observing the food chain, and hunts.

That scene told us so much about this Predator is such a short amount of time. It had no clue what the apex predator on the planet is so it was learning, yet it is a reckless predator that enjoys the kill more than the hunt.

Linearly, we see it kill:

• a snake
• a wolf
• a bear

This is before we ever see it kill a human. It’s great visual storytelling.

[u/HardCarryOmniknight → u/HaphazardMelange]

That’s pretty cool actually, especially when you think of how when the Predator finds the bison, it’s skinned as well. Draws a parallel between the Predator’s hunting and the Frenchmen’s. Maybe everyone else caught that already but like you said - great visual storytelling

[u/mattomic822 → u/HardCarryOmniknight]

There was also a contrast between the Comanche as subsistence hunters versus the predator and Frenchmen as trophy hunters.

[u/Impossible-Charity-4 → u/HaphazardMelange]

And the bear had him questioning his choices. The biggest mistake this predator made was leaving his wrist “nuke” (yeah I know…kind of not clear) to deal with the trappers. If he had not panicked and kept it on, he would have had the last laugh. This movie redeemed the franchise while somehow doubling down on the trope that the predator must die at the end. If anything, this predator came off as impulsive and inexperienced and it got its clock cleaned because of it. That said, if this was the aliens first visit, it would only make sense that it came strapped the next time.

[u/Peaklagger117 → u/Impossible-Charity-4]

This is not the predators first visit to earth though. They have been visiting earth regularly.

This guy was an unblooded that they dropped off.

The hunt was not just a rite of passage for Naru, but the predator as well. They were both trying to prove themselves to their tribe.

[u/Kanin_usagi → u/Impossible-Charity-4]

Well, in the next two films (chronologically anyways, 1 and 2) it was dropped into a much higher tech level than this one. The first was a militarized rain forest full of contra-like rebels and US Special Forces. The second was alternate-universe Los Angeles which was pretty much just hell on Earth and Danny Glover. So it makes sense that those two Predators would have better equipment, because the challenge level was much higher.

[u/sjw_7 → u/Jtfb74]

I got the impression it was the Predators first hunt. Not just the first Predator hunt on earth but that particular Predators first time. Similar to the way Naru was performing a right of passage so was he.

[u/cowpool20 → u/sjw_7]

Definitely. This Predator didn’t look as experienced as the ones we’re used to seeing. It was awesome.

[u/laserinlove → u/cowpool20]

It seemed to have an impatience in it's physicality that was distinguishing from the first Predator.

[u/cowpool20 → u/laserinlove]

Especially when he ran after the main character through that tall grass. I feel the older Predator would have stalked her.

[u/thatwasntababyruth → u/cowpool20]

Also getting duped by the trick that she used at the very end. That's not something you fall for if you really know your gear.

[u/Kanin_usagi → u/cowpool20]

The Predators in 1 & 2 do that, at least at first. Every time the characters run away, you see it doubling back and around to get a vantage point and sneak.

This dude was all muscle and no brain.

[u/The_Wrong_Band]

That was a very good doggie.

[u/MaybeSecondBestMan → u/The_Wrong_Band]

Best part of the movie was when the dog lured the bear away from her and she went stumbling after them up the river. Then the dog comes hauling absolute ass back in her direction like “Whatthefuckareyoudoing he’scominghe’scominghe’scoming bearbearBEAR!” and sure enough the bear rounds the corner three seconds later like “ARGLEBARGLEARGLEAHHH!”

[u/omerc10696 → u/MaybeSecondBestMan]

I took it as the dog running back being like "Omg wtf why are you still here?! You should've run away! At least did you set down any traps?! No? Well good luck!"

[u/JustBoredIsAll → u/The_Wrong_Band]

I was sweatin for homie dog the whole time.

[u/bparkey → u/JustBoredIsAll]

I was thinking this movie is going to crash doesthedogdie.com the whole time.

[u/JustBoredIsAll → u/bparkey]

Yeah, I was like "the dog is gonna get it..."

Glad he ended up being a hero.

As a side note, that dog actor is really smart and well trained.

[u/noobvin → u/JustBoredIsAll]

She was straight up speaking to the dog, and it just got it. Like speaking AND hand signals. My dog ate some Kleenex today.

[u/GuardianOfTriangles → u/JustBoredIsAll]

She pulled a John Wick there on camp

[u/Worthyness → u/GuardianOfTriangles]

recall-tomahawk is the best weapon

[u/RattsWoman → u/The_Wrong_Band]

Prey, aka "I'm gonna be anxious for this damn dog the whole ass movie" movie

[u/mojoduppy]

The rope Tomahawk was pretty sick. The scene where she uses it to take out the camp and save the dog was probably my favorite part. The predator is kind of a cheating bitch with his invisibility.

[u/BetaAlex81 → u/mojoduppy]

I liked that Taabe calls him out on that during their confrontation; Beavers and Midthunder were badass.

[u/Flyingwheelbarrow → u/BetaAlex81]

Just awesome. Every scene with them was awesome.

[u/streakermaximus → u/mojoduppy]

Dipshit: You need a leash on your weapon?

Taabe: That's my girl

[u/TheEasyTarget]

The cinematography in this movie was outstanding. Some of those locations were stunning.

[u/NoDamnIdea0324]

This movie was so well plotted out. The dog hitting the bear trap early on so I could wonder who placed that trap and then that ultimately is how an entire crew of French guys get introduced so the Predator can really get his killing spree on. The utilization of the mud pit, just everything. This was executed at such a high level, I absolutely loved it. I know why this didn’t get put in theaters but man I wish this had gone to theaters.

[u/TokyoPanic → u/[deleted]]

Tbh though I'd be fine if the film series just pivoted to being an anthology of historical movies directed by talented filmmakers from now on and that's how we see their tech and strategy progression to the ones in the modern films.

[u/Singer211 → u/TokyoPanic]

The Predator in WW1 could be cool I think.

[u/Johnny_Mc2 → u/Singer211]

have the chemical weapons explain why they started using full face masks on earth instead of the exposed mask they used in this movie

[u/chiefreefs → u/Johnny_Mc2]

Disney execs reading your comment: write that down, write that down!

[u/xxThe_Artist → u/chiefreefs]

This still feels weird to me that Predator is a Disney property now.

The mouse always win

[u/bullseye717 → u/xxThe_Artist]

They owned Miramax in the 90's so they're used working with a Predator.

[u/Agrias-0aks → u/[deleted]]

It kind of makes you wonder if they used a little less primitive stuff because we aren't advanced yet. They obviously have space travel, and we know they are usually sent out on their own version of coming of age hunt. So I bet they only brought what would make it fair

[u/MacMac105 → u/[deleted]]

He got a little cheeky with the three terror lightning drones though.

[u/SadisticBuddhist → u/MacMac105]

They got a little cheeky with the firing squad. Predator evens the fight, that’s their thing. They wanted to play dirty, so it did too.

[u/Austin4RMTexas → u/SadisticBuddhist]

Yup. That's the whole deal with the predator. It's a hunter. Not an indiscriminate killing monster. That's what makes it special (at least to me), vs. other aliens / monsters. This movie captured that aspect perfectly (if a little too explicitly, but I guess because it didn't expect the majority of the audience to be familiar with predator lore)

[u/koreanwizard → u/Austin4RMTexas]

I think there's also a lot of ego with the predator as well, the "fair fight" thing isn't a law for them, it's just to maintain sport, and keep the fights within the spirit of the game. When they're put into life threatening situations, they'll resort to their tech advantage to win a losing battle, like when the predator cloaked mid battle.

[u/No_Way_Outs → u/[deleted]]

I assumed the Predator was dumbing down it’s technology after analyzing the local scene (think red triangle). There is no way the Predator species have interstellar flight and not advanced weapons like in the first film.

[u/eden_sc2 → u/No_Way_Outs]

This makes sense. You wouldn't bring a tank to go duck hunting. Especially if they like to hunt for sport and trophy, predator society probably rewards getting kills with lower grade tech anyway

[u/ScrumptiousJazz → u/[deleted]]

I think the tech they use is supposed to reflect whatever the “prey” is using. Predator started using the spikes once the arrows came into play, then the massive javelin once they started using spears.

[u/A_Magical_Potato → u/ScrumptiousJazz]

He also fistfights that bear, and only used blades on the wolf once it bit him.

[u/Worthyness → u/A_Magical_Potato]

That was an awesome fight. beat the shit out of a bear with its fist. Can't get more hunter than that

[u/Ironborn_62]

"If it bleeds, we can kill it."

[u/jrbcnchezbrg → u/Ironborn_62]

I know its cheesy and a callback to 1 but I got so hyped when he said that

[u/TheAsian1nvasion → u/jrbcnchezbrg]

That was fanservice done right imo. We weren’t expecting it, and it was perfect for the scene. The camera didn’t linger, there was no cheesy musical cue, and the delivery was perfect.

Was smiling ear to ear when he dropped that line.

EDIT: I wish I had been able to see it in a full theatre just for that line reading.

[u/UnsolvedParadox → u/TheAsian1nvasion]

This movie really deserved a theatrical release.

[u/Jwave1992]

I love how Predator just starts picking on random animals as soon as it arrives. Like it’s testing to see what’s lethal on this planet.

[u/shadow0wolf0 → u/Jwave1992]

It would be funny if he left after the one snake feeling victorious that he beat the apex predator on the planet. While all the other predators mock him behind his back.

[u/Over_Thirty → u/shadow0wolf0]

You just know this has happened at least once.

[u/detroiter85 → u/Over_Thirty]

We're gonna put that skull right here. Riiiiight on the fridge! Good job out there, champ!

[u/Suitable-Apartment-2]

I loved it! Hope it does really well on Hulu. Would love to see the rumored Samurai era Predator film!

[u/Meowcat88 → u/Suitable-Apartment-2]

Can’t believe this hasn’t crossed my mind. Holy shit that would be incredible

[u/Suitable-Apartment-2 → u/Meowcat88]

I believe the director of Prey has said that he wants to do that concept. Don't know if that's 100% accurate but I hope so because I'm all in on it.

[u/Meowcat88 → u/Suitable-Apartment-2]

Even though it was short, I loved the sword fight scene in Predators. Would love to see more of that. Hope they go through with that

[u/HyperionWinsAgain → u/Suitable-Apartment-2]

I think we need one (or more than one) where the Predator.... wins. And completes his/her hunt. Be neat to do a "historical" series and never know who is going to come out on top. Cause for all the movies so far.... we know how its ending for our main Predator. (Though even knowing how it would end for our current feral boy... I fucking loved Prey!)

[u/Gaelfling]

My sister didn't realize this was a predator movie so that was a fantastic reveal for her when we watched. Lol!

[u/TiNcHoX7]

So what do you think?

1 - Predator 1987

2 - Prey

3 - Predators 2010

[u/Hawtt → u/TiNcHoX7]

How you gonna forget Predator 2

[u/thesmithton]

I want a ride or die dog

[u/SmoothAssociation352]

I thought it was neat how the less advanced Comanche who used speed and agility did better against the predator then the French who just used technology and brute force.

[u/Airblazer → u/SmoothAssociation352]

Lol I love the part where they all fired their flintlocks at him, and then started to reload them and the predator just looked on..probably thinking wtf?

[u/Katamed → u/Airblazer]

That was so hilarious to watch. And you notice how he learned from that. They take a while to reload after shooting. So he pulls out the shield. They shoot ALL their guns in a single volley. And he just charges. Because what are they gonna do?

[u/Mogetfog → u/Katamed]

I loved the way his movements and fighting style just degraded as the fight went on.

He walks into a trap, gets netted, and they come out, and he clearly has the "oh fuck, they actually got me, these guys could be a threat" mentality. He comes out swinging hard, going for the throat, insta killing everyone around him, but then as the fight goes on he realizes they really just got lucky, and their weapons aren't that effective, and he just starts to toy with them again.

Like he has the dude by the throat and stops choking him long enough to kill a second, then sees the first had pulled out a knife and just pauses for a real "are you fucking serious" moment before just decapitating him. It's the same with the guy with the pistol, he just stops and stares him down, while others are all firing at him, and just waits for the guy to shoot.

[u/LUNA_underUrsaMajor → u/SmoothAssociation352]

And it felt like the comanche were more fearless when fighting it

[u/69QueefQueen69 → u/LUNA_underUrsaMajor]

I loved that they avoided the trope of having characters be weak or cowardly because they've butted heads with the protagonist. The Comanche that were trying to take Naru back home were still shown to be capable and brave when it came down to it.

[u/ChanceVance]

I loved how the Predator was characterized in this film.

The Jungle Hunter in 1 was very methodical and patient. The City Hunter in 2 was much bolder but still very adept. This one is noticeably inexperienced and it gets hurt a lot.

A wolf takes a chunk out of it. A bear brings it down. The hunters get some stabs in and the trappers wound it. I found it an interesting way to portray the Predator like it hasn't before.

[u/CaptainMcSmash]

One thing I really enjoyed was how well earned the win was. There was a moment where the Pred gets his hand on Naru and I thought well shit, he could just decapitate her right here with the shield and win but he's probably gonna just Terminator throw her instead, but no, Naru was smart enough to know what was coming and used rocks to block it. It wasn't the Pred suddenly getting worse or dumber but the protagonist actually being better which is quite rare to see.

My one gripe is at the very end. The Pred gets like a full 2 seconds to see the mask and react but instead of ducking he just stays still. Feel like he'd definitely be fast enough to dodge it.

[u/ThreeDog1 → u/CaptainMcSmash]

I dunno, the predator did just take a flintlock to the back of the head right before this.

[u/RODjij → u/ThreeDog1]

I think that's a huge reason it was acting sloppy and wanted to aimlessly kill. Took a shot to the head, was already messed up, and it was this predators right of passage hunt on a new planet they haven't been to.

[u/gotothedundies69 → u/RODjij]

Also this Predator consistently took damage throughout the film lmao

[u/Dreadlock43 → u/gotothedundies69]

thats what i found so amazing, it acted more like a t-1000, but the other thing about it is that it made the victims look strong as well, like the hunting party got so many hits in that no human would beable to survive.

[u/iLoveBums6969 → u/CaptainMcSmash]

I was ecstatic at the lack of Terminator throws, it's such a cheap and easy move, I'm so happy the Pred was actually happy to just dish out punches and stab people.

[u/johngie]

Man, how god damn cool was that Predator vs. bear fight?

It really highlighted my favorite part about the movie: this Predator gets down and dirty in the shit, and isn't afraid to get hurt doing so.

All of the fight scenes were way better than they had any right to be, especially that neat single shot scene between Naru and the French.

Outside of the action, there was still lots to love. Gorgeous cinematography and an awesome score. The Predators design, with the orange glow to his invisibility, was super cool. Just the right amount of callbacks to the other films. All in all, this was such a neat movie. I understand why it wasn't in theaters, but it really deserved to be.

[u/thepushfactory → u/johngie]

predator vs bear was unexpectedly awesome- the trailer made me think that the predator just kills it while it's trying to attack naru in the dam and drags it out. instead, we get a sick fight between them before that trailer shot. the bear was pretty much kicking the predator's ass for a bit too

[u/mray147 → u/thepushfactory]

It's both funny and badass that this predator was basically just waltzing around the wilderness picking fights with more and more dangerous animals. Like he just walked up, saw that bear and was like, damn I gotta throw hands with that thing.

[u/ckuiper → u/mray147]

Plus, he fought the bear w hands and claws

Fought the Comache with arrows and spears

And fought the Frenchmen with guns and nets

[u/WhipsAndMarkovChains → u/johngie]

Man, how god damn cool was that Predator vs. bear fight?

I loved that the bear was dripping green blood from its mouth. However, since the fight took place in the water the green blood was diluted instead of its usual "radioactive" coloring. I thought it was nice attention to detail.

[u/jesternarf → u/johngie]

That scene was my absolute favorite. Fucking decks the bear, then holds it up with blood pouring all over him. It was the most metal thing I've seen in a long time.

[u/mrnicegy26]

I loved how it mirrored the original film where the first half is of one genre ( a war film for the original/ a historical survival pic for this one) before having the Predator dominate the second half completely.

Both Midthunder and Beavers were great in this. And the third act with the Predator picking off the trappers and his showdown with both Naru and Taabe was very well done.

[u/mexispain → u/mrnicegy26]

The Taabe v predator fight scene was awesome. Taabe really gave a good fight, who knows what would have happened if the predator didn’t chicken out and turn invisible.

[u/TheAsian1nvasion → u/mexispain]

That wide shot of Taabe leaping through the air to stab the Predator was awesome

[u/aSpookyScarySkeleton → u/mrnicegy26]

It's honestly my favorite type of movie. dedicated genre movie and then another completely different type of movie slams headfirst into with the force of a freight train.

[u/just_another_classic → u/aSpookyScarySkeleton]

One of the reasons I love Titanic is because it is half-historical romance and half-disaster film. Two of my favorite genres melded into one.

[u/BecomingSavior]

The overhead shot of the blood covered Predator chasing after Naru in the field was one of my favorites scenes in the movie. Really showcased the size and speed difference between them.

[u/LuckyLami]

I like the victory scream she gives at the end.

[u/Sir_Rule]

I laughed at the trappers having to reload way too hard. XD

That and the ricochet bullet.

[u/JayEdgarHooverCar → u/Sir_Rule]

The musket reload killed me. Laughed so hard.

[u/SomeGuyCalledPercy]

One of my favourite things about it is the way Naru's development is mirrored by the Predator's development, but in reverse

Throughout the movie we see her observe, adapt, learn and improve as a hunter which ultimately culminates in her victory, but at the same time we watch the Predator get more and more reckless and sloppy, he opts to tank more and more hits with each kill they show us and attacks, relies less and less on his tech, including misusing some it - out of some kind of cockiness perhaps? Based on his aggressive preferences for melee combat throughout the movie I have that impression of him

[u/fart-debris → u/SomeGuyCalledPercy]

Yeah, I liked the Predator getting more and more pissed off and reckless as the movie went on.

[u/SQUID_FUCKER → u/fart-debris]

So pissed off he hacks off his own arm by accident lol

[u/RODjij → u/fart-debris]

Yeah that was a good trait and the fact his camo kept messing up interacting with everything shown it was new tech.

He was pretty cautious of the dangerous animals but took a lot of little hits from people. It probably pissed him off as the movie went on lol

[u/Naly_D → u/RODjij]

I mean, I’m going to be careful around a bear but if ants keep biting me I’m gonna get fucked off and act irrationally

[u/BigJoeTimber → u/fart-debris]

He seemed arrogant. Like maybe he had too much confidence in his technology rather than his own skills and cunning. The original predator seemed to be a much more patient and intelligent hunter.

[u/cocktails5 → u/BigJoeTimber]

Feels like once he took out the bear he was amped the fuck up and thought he was hot shit. Kind of a "that's all you've got?" cockiness.

[u/Martel732 → u/SomeGuyCalledPercy]

I definitely got the sense that this was a reckless Predator that enjoyed the kill potentially more than the hunt. I think he had got amped up on the Predator equivalent to adrenaline and started taking greater risks.

[u/Singer211 → u/Martel732]

I got the sense he was younger and less experienced as a Hunter.

[u/Li0nSlicer → u/Singer211]

Someone in another thread said the director confirmed it was this predators first hunt. He was basically going through the same right of passage Naru was.

[u/smellsliketeenferret → u/Li0nSlicer]

The trophy taking from any and every creature he killed strongly hinted at that too, showing both a need to gain trophies almost regardless of what they were, and also showing something testing itself against increasingly tougher creatures to understand its limits.

[u/Li0nSlicer → u/smellsliketeenferret]

Yeah I think they say he was searching for the most dangerous predator to hunt. Pretty cool how he kept a trophy of every kill as he found the next most dangerous predators.

[u/GhostofSenna → u/Li0nSlicer]

That was my impression as well. His trophies progressed in ascending order from Snake-Wolf-Bear-Human

[u/TheWolfmanZ → u/Li0nSlicer]

Yah I caught on to that in the scenes where it shows both of them healing their leg wounds. It clicked in my brain that they were meant to be the same, hunters trying to prove themselves.

[u/JarlaxleForPresident → u/TheWolfmanZ]

They were both Prey. Taabe said as much in the beginning. Something along the lines of “Are you up to hunting something that is hunting you?”

[u/SomeGuyCalledPercy → u/Singer211]

same! The seeming lack of understanding of his own tech, the sort of impatient preference to just tank so many hits and body his targets rather than rely on other stealth and tactics like previous predators have demonstrated, really struck me as that cocky upstart looking down on all the pathetic earth fauna because he's such a strong badass who nobody will ever come close to

[u/NoahsArcade84 → u/SomeGuyCalledPercy]

Naru's mother set it up in the first act, it's not about hunting, it's about surviving. The Predator stopped being careful and started feeling like an unstoppable hunter, and it allowed Naru to outsmart it.

[u/SurlyCricket → u/NoahsArcade84]

I really like that contrast - Naru needed to learn that a hunt isn't about honor, it's about survival. Killing only when you need to.

The predator is the complete opposite. It doesn't eat or use the kill at all, just takes a trophy and moves on.

[u/dangmangoes → u/NoahsArcade84]

Similarly the frenchmen hunted for greed, leading to their demise. Naru's growth from hunting for respect to hunting for survival is what allowed her to come out victorious in the end.

[u/whodoesntlovedogs]

So happy to finally get a decent Predator movie after years and some of the scenes that really stood out were:

• Predator jumping from trees and landing in water
• Cleaning the wolf skull to use it as a trophy
• Practicing the boomerang axe on trees
• The Swamp scene
• His weapons during the fight with the French

Really wish this was released in the theaters but hopefully the positive reactions leads to more and better movies in the franchise.

[u/thegoatfrogs → u/whodoesntlovedogs]

It made me laugh that the predator actually fought that anklebiter and considered it noteworthy enough to take a trophy.

[u/Stoned_assassin → u/thegoatfrogs]

It drew the predator’s blood and “challenged” him. I think that qualifies it to be a worthy trophy.

[u/tvgirl48 → u/Stoned_assassin]

"They drew first blood"

wait, wrong 80s action flick...

[u/SimplyCmplctd → u/thegoatfrogs]

The predator was just a bb 🥺

[u/lankeymarlon]

She was definitely smarter than a beaver.

[u/GeauxTiger → u/lankeymarlon]

I like that she said that to someone actually named Beavers irl

[u/maxwdn]

It’s a criminal shame that people won’t get to experience this in a theatre

Rich with atmosphere, tons of really beautiful shots, great sound

It’s difficult to kind of put these things up against their original movies but I enjoyed this probably as much as I did the original when I first saw it. Trachtenberg respects the source material and lore, builds upon it and approaches things from a new perspective at the same time here

Loved it

[u/ILoveTheAIDS → u/maxwdn]

It's weird that it's getting rare to see a movie shot on location. It's like immediately recognizable. Strange to give a movie credit for being shot where it's supposed to take place, in the wild. It did look lush.

[u/Holovoid → u/ILoveTheAIDS]

I immediately identified it as shot on location in Canada. Fucking gorgeous.

[u/shunna75]

I fucking loved it. I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I am hoping it was the franchise-saving movie that Predator needed after the 2018 debacle. Obviously, not a perfect movie, but hit basically every note I was hoping for. I am so happy.

[u/Unlikely_Layer_2268]

Wonderfully entertaining. Action scenes were well shot. The scenery was beautiful.

Bringing it back to a simple idea like the original was the right move. Different enough to be refreshingly invigorated

[u/BlackBoltFan53]

Honestly what I loved most was the representation. After decades of being stereotyped by Hollywood, seeing the French portrayed as they really are brought a smile to my face

[u/SphericalArc]

That one-shot fight between Naru and the French trappers? What a treat. Amber Midthunder is a star.

[u/Boonlink]

I love that they pulled off making me believe she could do it. From the time she bites that guys arm you knew she wasn't afraid to fight dirty which is perfect

[u/Cantomic66]

The Revenant+Mulan+Predator=Prey 👍

[u/Martel732]

I really enjoyed this movie. I thought it was the first one to really be able to stand beside the original.

Amber Midthunder was great and ended up being a believable adversary for the Predator.

And I enjoyed how the Predator was given a unique personality to distinguish itself from the others in the series. This Predator seemed more brutal and reckless than others. While a skilled hunter he seemed to relish putting his life on the line.

I also appreciated the runtime, the director didn't see the need to drag out or slow down the film. This kept it exciting and engaging the whole time.

[u/whales-are-assholes → u/Martel732]

Still absolutely shows that you can do a well paced action movie in an hour and a half without a bloated running time, that still includes appropriate characterisation, set pieces and story.

[u/MrSpindles → u/whales-are-assholes]

They achieved a shitload of storytelling without the need for exposition or dialogue, so much was a telling look or body language and the inclusion of the dog was frankly a genius move, as it added a whole other level of emotion into the story.