'Prey' movie review: A raw, gripping return to franchise's roots, this 'Predator' movie is a must watch

Dan Trachtenberg's 'Prey' is the fifth installment in the 'Prey' series. It is also a prequel and takes the story back to the early 18th century. I remember thinking pitting a more primitive Predator, alien trophy hunters for whom human individuals are ridiculously easy prey, against a Native American tribe was a fascinating idea, and could make for a great time at the movies if executed well. Thankfully, not only is 'Prey' a riveting action-thriller, but it also gives the long-languishing 'Predator' franchise a shot in the arm. It is a raw, primal return to the franchise's roots and in this scribe's opinion the best film in the series since the 1987 original.

It is 1719. Even as European colonialists compete amongst themselves to capture more and more territory in the New World or the Americas, the indigenous tribes are struggling to ward off invaders and survive. A young Comanche girl Naru (Amber Midthunder) was trained as a healer but yearns to be a hunter like her brother. She spots Predator's aircraft and assumes it is a Thunderbird, a mythological creature believed among certainNorth American tribes to be a symbol of strength. Naru takes it as a sign to prove herself. She accompanies a party hunting for a deadly mountain lion just to do that but proves incapable.

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Her brother Taabe (Dakota Beavers) is the one who hunts the cougar and is declared a War Chief. Soon, however, a cougar becomes a puny threatwhen the Predator (albeitarmed with weapons less advanced than what we have seen in earlier films), begins to pick off the members of the tribe one by one. This is Naru's ultimate chance to prevail over an apex predator. But is Naru, a slip of a girl, really capable of taking down a freaking Predator all by herself?

'Prey' harkens back to movies of yore (well, the 70s and 80s) that had minimal plot and progression in favour of propulsive action. Trachtenberg, working from a spare script by Patrick Aison, sets up an unlikely clash that before the end feels inevitable. The movie has all the gore and bloody scenes one would expect from a 'Predator' movie. The alien warrior kills whoever he deems to be a threat in a variety of ways, each gut-churning bloody than the other.

In fact, I would say, apart from the novel backdrop and protagonists, 'Prey' does not do anything terribly original. But it uses the time period and the wilds to make the human vs alien encounter feel almost primordial. Jeff Cutter's cinematography captures the natural setting of the film almost through the lens of a wildlife filmmaker. It is a jungle, after all, and a tale of a predator versus prey. The varied camera angles signal the simultaneously intimate and grand nature of the central conflict.

The economical script allows the film to build an experience that is almost sensory. The action happens rarely, but when it does, it is always downright spectacular. The CGI is a bit choppy, but splendid stunt work turns fights into gritty and muddy, but still gorgeous and often dance-like.

Watch 'Prey' on the biggest screen possible. It is a shame that 'Prey' did not get a big screen release. The movie is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.