Review of Prey (2022) by Skysmoker — 09 Aug 2022

So, I just finished Pray - the latest 2022 Predator movie.

After reading the rave reviews calling it a "masterpiece", "a must see triumph", "soaring epic, intimate storytelling", "one of the best predator movies ever" and so on, I was really interested in this new take.

But somehow, this cinematic triumph never got the cinema release, instead it went direct to Hulu streaming services.

They put a lot of effort to show the Comanche culture. As they said - finally a proper representation.

So it felt really, really weird when one 18th Century Comanche warrior said: "Man, I gotta take a dump" In a perfect streetwise American English accent.

So yes - all the Comanche ppl speak in American English, while evil greasy, dirty, bearded French beyond caricature villains speak French among themselves. When French talk to Comanche though, they speak American English with a French accent?!

Comanche than reply in American English, together with the accent (not French).

Felt like Monty Python - though the laughs were completely unintentional.

Also, I've heard that Americans don't like to read subtitles. Maybe that was the reason why Comanche spoke streetwise English in this movie.

Now, they even made a dubbed Comanche version. So, to represent Comanche in a proper way that has never been done before, first they shot the whole movie in English and then dubbed it to Comanche….

And all that just to please Americans who don't like movies with subtitles. I mean, couldn't they shoot it in Comanche then and dub it to English instead?

That was an original idea - to shoot in Comanche - but Disney scrapped it when it bought out Fox.

Hypocrisy anyone? Hello?

Because dubbed movies usually look like parodies, sorry….

Some of the worst CGI animals in the 21st century I've seen. On the level of MCU CGI.

The bear was laughable, especially the way his butt moved Direction.

It felt like this movie was directed by an Artificial Intelligence that ticked all the necessary boxes of the 21st century PC Hollywood movie in the most banal and obvious ways.

Also, the dog's tail sprung the iron trap. That must have been the heaviest dog tail in the world.

Sometimes I wonder who writes this stuff in the first place, and I can't shake the feeling that it's probably some kids who didn't pay enough attention during history lessons or school in general but went online activist instead and used that as an excuse not to study hard enough.

It seems like our heroine somehow got to watch or play Mortal Kombat in the 18th century, and then she heavily inspired her weapon on Scorpio's.

I just couldn't help hearing "Finish him!" in my head the first time I saw her figuring out how to put the tomahawk on the string and how flawlessly and formidably it worked!

Or maybe that was the writers… Probably one of them played Mortal Kombat and then, while they were "brainstorming", pitched the idea to the others without actually telling them where it was from. They must have been thrilled….

Acting.

She's really great, energy, passion, conviction, physicality, emotion….

Some others though seemed like they came from a student movie The bad, dirty, smelly, greasy French trappers with rotten teeth who made "I'm sooo beyond evil" faces with their exaggerated laughs, and grunts and even growling were amazing!

The most laughable villains since, well, forever?

Costumes, music, sound and Atmos mix were great.

Our hunter wanna be Comanche teenager healer somehow without any training out of the blue takes on 5 dirty, smelly etc… French trappers and kills them more easily than, well, anyone I've seen taking on 5 people, even in Hollywood movies recently. Ok, maybe Brie Larson - but even Ray in Star Wars had to work harder in fights and even train a little to pull off what even Darth Vader never could. Disney….

I guess that's how Hollywood sees the strong female character part nowdays. I really don't understand how and why everyone is praising this movie in an almost identical way, very similar phrases, like they've been told what to think, feel, say, discuss and write.

The World started to feel like Logan's Run's hive mind some time ago anyways, and critical thinking had become in many ways - offensive.

It's almost like politics.

So when it comes to the representation of the amazing Native American culture, after watching Comanche speak modern American streetwise English I suddenly had the need to revisit Dances with Wolves. Despite Kevin Costner's mullet.

There, I will at least hear: "Tatanka" instead of: "Man, I need to take a dump".

When it comes to the strong female characters/empowerment, I feel the need to revisit Ripley, Sarah Connor, Thelma & Louise, Death Proof, Kill Bill, Hours….

Actually anything but this recent banal, obvious and lazy Hollywood trend.

And when it comes to Predators - I'll just watch the ones that weren't friends with Mickey Mouse.