Prey (2022) (1 Viewer)

[Edwin-S]

Seriously, you guys need to lighten up. People can express their impressions of a flim they haven't seen yet. My impression is that the dissonance between the adversaries technologically should result in nothing but a cakewalk for the alien, considering that in reality European settlers managed to slaughter indigenous tribes with weapons far less advanced than what that thing is using in the film.

Maybe, the director, writers and actors will manage to pull it off believably, but my impression from the trailer is that it is, at the core, patently ridiculous for them to even stand a chance. They could have at least reduced the technological gap by making the predators a little less technologically advanced, considering it takes place hundreds of years before the first one.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Seriously, you guys need to lighten up. People can express their impressions of a flim they haven't seen yet. My impression is that the dissonance between the adversaries technologically should result in nothing but a cakewalk for the alien, considering that in reality European settlers managed to slaughter indigenous tribes with weapons far less advanced than what that thing is using in the film.

Maybe, the director, writers and actors will manage to pull it off believably, but my impression from the trailer is that it is, at the core, patently ridiculous for them to even stand a chance. They could have at least reduced the technological gap by making the predators a little less technologically advanced, considering it takes place hundreds of years before the first one.

Watch the movie then get back to us.

 

[JohnRice]

So, you expect a Predator movie to be realistic?

 

[Robert Crawford]

So, you expect a Predator movie to be realistic?

And, we’re the ones that need to lighten up.

 

[jayembee]

Spoiler

I loved Naru's dog right from the start of the film, and I was telling myself early in the film that if the dog dies I am going to be so pissed off.

The callbacks to the original were mixed for me. Liked the use of a plant that cools the body temperature, but thought the 'if it bleeds we can kill it' should have been dropped as the original usage is pretty iconic.

The leader of the hunters was cartoonishly evil. I suppose they weren't all boy scouts, but a character who was a bit more reserved and calculating would have been more realistic. At least I think so.

Spoiler

Agree with most of your points, but I kept in the quote only the ones I wanted to comment on.

(1) I felt the same way about Sarii (the dog).

(2) Speaking of callbacks, was that flintlock the same one that ended up on...if I'm recalling correctly...the ship in Predator 2? As in, is the owner's name the same? I don't remember if we ever got a clear image of any inscription on the earlier gun.

(3) The best part of the fight with the trappers was when they all fired ineffectively at the Predator, and it just stands there a few feet away from them while they try to reload their muskets.

 

[JohnRice]

FWIW, this is 300 years in the past and the predators don‘t have the same level of technology.

 

[John Sparks]

Hoping for a good movie. Having a fellow forum member over to watch it my home theater

 

[jayembee]

I can't keep track of them all. I think I've seen all except Predators, but can't guarantee it. I don't think I've seen any other than the first one more than once. You have to admit, the original has a unique, amusing "charm" to it.

BTW, there seemed to be some speculation regarding the aspect. It's 2.35:1.

Well, 2.39.

To be frank, what for me keeps the first film in the #1 position is the novelty of it. Sure, there have been plenty of "men fighting monsters" movies before it, but Predator set a modern standard for how to tell that kind of story, even more so than Alien and Aliens. I might be willing to venture that Prey is actually a better movie in some ways, but overall, it's still pretty much the same movie without the originality of the first.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Spoiler

Agree with most of your points, but I kept in the quote only the ones I wanted to comment on.

(1) I felt the same way about Sarii (the dog).

(2) Speaking of callbacks, was that flintlock the same one that ended up on...if I'm recalling correctly...the ship in Predator 2? As in, is the owner's name the same? I don't remember if we ever got a clear image of any inscription on the earlier gun.

(3) The best part of the fight with the trappers was when they all fired ineffectively at the Predator, and it just stands there a few feet away from them while they try to reload their muskets.

Yes, the same one.

 

[jayembee]

They could have at least reduced the technological gap by making the predators a little less technologically advanced, considering it takes place hundreds of years before the first one.

Sure, it was hundreds of years before the first one, but the Predators still had the technological capability to come to Earth that long ago. And they were here even before 1719, if the backstory in AvP can be accepted.

 

[Edwin-S]

So, you expect a Predator movie to be realistic?

It needs to be believable at some core level, not necessarily realistic. It can be fantastical but it can't immediately give an impression that it is ridiculous at its most basic level. Right now, the trailer.leaves me rolling my eyes because of the technological gulf presented in it. It just looks unbelievable at its most basic level.

Like I said, maybe they pull it off. I'll look at it and just shut it off if I think it is too stupid to waste 2 hours on.

 

[Edwin-S]

FWIW, this is 300 years in the past and the predators don‘t have the same level of technology.

The trailer shows that they gave all of the devices from the first one: the laser targeting, the cloaking and the sensors.

 

[JohnRice]

In the end, a pretty decent flick. Be warned that some of the CGI is rather sub-par, but all in all a solid thriller that goes in some unexpected directions.

FWIW, I'm not going to engage in any bickering, or even read anything trying to draw me down that road. Life is too short and I have enough real problems to deal with these days. I am more than happy to discuss the actual movie, though.

 

[Robert Crawford]

FWIW, I'm not going to engage in any bickering, or even read anything trying to draw me down that road. Life is too short and I have enough real problems to deal with these days. I am more than happy to discuss the actual movie, though.

It’s not worth it especially if the person hasn’t even watch the movie. Having an opinion is one thing, but having an informed opinion is on a higher level.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Did a bit of research on Sarii and apparently it is an American Dingo. Considering their origins that was a well thought out choice for Naru's dog seeing as how there is speculation that the breed has its roots in Asia and crossed over the Bering land bridge 4,000 years ago and migrated south.

- Walter.

 

[John Sparks]

I’m up for bickering. When Alien came out, I thought there couldn’t be another better looking alien,..until Predator came along!

 

[Robert Crawford]

My brother just texted me that he liked Prey. I suppose I'll be talking with him about the movie sometime this weekend.

 

[Malcolm R]

The Predators should win easily in every film they've made. That the puny humans overcome the odds is what makes it a "feel good" movie.

Regardless of when the film takes place, even if this is 300 years prior to the original, the Predator is still a species capable of interstellar travel and should have the advanced technology to easily slaughter humans if it really wants to.

Part of the lore of these films (at least earlier films) seems to be that the Predator adheres to a certain code during the hunt, and seems less interested in outright slaughter of the human race than a "good" and honorable hunt of a worthy adversary. That was somewhat apparent in the first Alien vs. Predator film when the Predator chose to team up with the human, whom he deemed a worthy partner, against the alien. Perhaps they forego some of their more advanced technology to ensure a more closely matched contest?

 

[Alex...]

Thoroughly enjoyed this one, the cinematography was beautiful,

Spoiler

Amber going toe to toe with Feral .

was intense, this is what we should've got instead of that lousy talking pred film. This one definitely can stand proudly next to the original. Dan knocked it waaay out of the park, bravo.

 

[sleroi]

First, I have a nitpick with Hulu. Apparently they don't know the difference between a subtitle and closed captioning, so the Comanche dub version contained a lot of unnecessary audio description. I'm not deaf, I just don't speak Comanche.

Now to the movie. Hated the first 40 minutes but stuck it out, loved the rest of the the movie.

Because of the prior films we know more than the characters. And the film did nothing to compensate for that. The lion hunt and the tribe dynamics weren't very interesting. The movie was just slow.

And yes, the bad CGI. The first time we see the Predator we are looking at a high, seemingly aerial shot of the mountain valley and he appears perfectly midscreen, obviously superimposed. And what is he standing on so high up? And then, how convenient during the lion hunt that they find a perfectly symmetrical tree with few leaves and no other trees to block it's view that overlooks the big fake gray CGI sky. Took me right out of the movie.

And also, what was with the lens choices. Deep focus, shallow focus, seemingly at random with no artistic, stylistic, or story telling reasoning behind it. Sometimes the back ground was in focus, sometimes it wasn't. Sometimes only one character was in focus, maybe he's the star of that scene, but seconds later two of the three characters were in focus. What about the third guy? It distracted me more than it made any sense.

Spoiler

At one point Naru comes across a field of buffalo carcasses. Shortly thereafter the predator also finds the buffalo. Then Naru falls into a quicksand like marsh and starts sinking. The Score suddenly became very loud, dramatic drumming. Well, we knew she would make it out or there wouldn't be a movie. And even though the predator was seemingly close behind, there was no cutting to him heading towards Naru, or clicking sounds signaling his presence. Absolutely zero suspense.

Thankfully,

Spoiler

moments later she encounters a bear,

about 43 minutes into the film, and that was surprisingly (based on everything up to that point) intense and suspenseful. The fight was on and the film didn't let up after that.

I really enjoyed the second half of the movie. The action, visual effects, everything, greatly improved. And yes there were a few unexpected turns. I just wish the setup had been better thought out.