Hulu is releasing Prey on Friday (August 5), and reviews for the upcoming film are getting a ton of love. The film both delivers a fresh take on a Predator movie while going back to the basics that made the original an iconic action-horror flick. As of writing, it holds a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes with 57 submitted critic reviews.
The film is directed by Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane) and written by Patrick Aison (Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan). It will follow Amber Midthunder (Hell or High Water) as a Camanche woman named Naru in 1719, who must survive against the Predator, performed by Diego DiLegro (American Horror Stories).
Hulu sees Prey receive positive reviews
For some Prey reviews, some critics praised director Trachtenberg. The Wrap’s William Bibbiani thought the filmmaker made “one of the best monster movies in years.” This accomplishment in a franchise that has struggled in quality over the years, the critic wrote that it proves that you can find “life in any horror franchise if you stick to what makes the central creature fascinating.”
A running theme across the Prey reviews was to deliver praise for Midthunder’s leading performance. Bloody Disgusting’s Megan Navarro said she “commands the film with ease.” The critic described Naru as a “resilient and compelling protagonist,” and although she has her mishaps, she is “quick to learn from them.” Tom Jorgensen from IGN said that Midthunder “stands as its greatest strength.”
What you need in a Predator movie is some entertaining, brutal violence. From the Prey reviews, it sounds like that was executed with gory and bloody fashion. Tim Robey from Daily Telegraph called it “thunderously bloody and intense.” The Hollywood Reporter’s Frank Scheck said that fans would be satisfied as there is “enough carnage and violent action” for you bloodthirsty Predator viewers. Looper’s Matthew Jackson simply put it as “the right amount of gore.”
When it comes to critiques, it came down to visuals and distribution. Some noted the CGI is subpar. Scheck said it “undercuts” the action but noted that there are other “visuals that are truly striking.” Most of the Prey reviews mentioned here took issue with its availability on streaming and not in theaters. With the franchise proving not to be profitable, it was released on streaming where more people could watch it, despite lacking the theatrical experience.
Prey releases on Hulu on August 5.
