Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Prey 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 22, 2023

It's commendably becoming more commonplace for recognition to be granted to Native American tribes whose lands were displaced by interlopers, and it's actually fairly standard, for instance, to see overt mention of some of those tribes in programs here in the Pacific Northwest where I live where theater companies and the like pay homage to the peoples whose land the theater now sits on. Those aforementioned interlopers are typically human, not to be too cheeky about it, but Prey, the latest installment in the Predator franchise, suggests that around the time that (in this instance) Comanche tribes were dealing with those pesky human types from across several ponds, there was another invader who travelled a considerably longer distance. As absolutely absurd as it sounds, yes, Prey is a prequel of sorts, set in an early 18th century timeframe where a fierce but underestimated young woman warrior named Naru (Amber Midthunder) mistakes the contrail of a crashing spaceship for a sort of (film title pun warning) Vision Quest, assuming it's a message from beyond in the form of a Thunderbird (not a Ford sports car, just to be clear), and that she has achieved warrior status, even if none of the rest of her tribe is ready to accept that designation as a given fact.

There's a lot of talk about "representation" in films, and in fact just recently in my own review queue some of the people involved with Joy Ride mentioned in some supplements how that film's "R" rating could in fact have stood for that perhaps overused word. But one of Prey's inarguable attractions is its use of so-called First Nations peoples in its casting (and, according to supplements on this disc, its crew as well). There's an undeniably "real" feeling to the Comanche tribe depicted in this film, despite the outlandish context in which the Native Americans are being depicted. Aside from some interesting passing moments documenting day to day life for the tribe, there's also a familiar feeling to some simmering sibling rivalry between Naru and her brother Taabe (Dakota Beavers). That becomes especially evident after an early hunting trip to track down a lion, which results in Taabe vanquishing the beast and being named a War Chief, which chafes slightly against Naru's sensibilities, especially as the story continues and she keeps getting ignored when tries to tell her family and friends that the lion is the least of their troubles.

Some readers may have seen a meme that has been pretty widely shared that states something like "as a kid I always thought that quicksand was going to be a much bigger problem than it turned out to be", and for those of you who may be aligned with that sentiment, prepare to be disabused of your feeble feelings of safety when Naru stumbles into a bog while being chased by a ferocious grizzly. It's one of the more harrowing sequences in the film, made even more frightening by the fact that the Predator is also on the hunt, and in fact the first real vision of the creature is after he's desanguinated the bear as he lifts it over his head and gets drenched in the animal's blood.

While it might be argued that pitting a female protagonist against an (new movie title pun warning) Alien is overtly "old hat" (and/or old headdress in this instance), Naru makes for a completely compelling character, not just in her battle with the vicious ET, but also within what I guess you could call the gestalt of her tribe. As director Daniel Trachtenberg mentions in one of the supplements, he also intentionally crafted this story to not be overly dependent on dialogue, and Midthunder's athleticism and hugely expressive eyes make this artifice actually almost subliminal, so well told is the tale.

There's a kind of "DTV" perception about some productions that end up on streaming services, but Prey, which was a Hulu and (in some markets) Disney + offering, may offer potent evidence that there are unexpected jewels that turn up now and again. This is the rare "down the line" installment in a long running franchise that not only manages to rather artfully reimagine the concept, but deliver it in a completely unexpected environment that has its own intriguing elements to offer. The story may admittedly rely once too often on Naru being able to magically escape while any number of combatants (both "good guys" and "bad guys") get eviscerated by the Predator, but it's at worst a passing qualm. The commentary track on this disc as well as some fun closing graphics during the final credits roll might hint at a follow up production in the works, and if so, hopefully that won't be afflicted by any quasi-sophomore slump.

Prey 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080 disc included in this package.

Prey is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Disney / Buena Vista and 20th Century Studios with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 2.39:1. Captured with Arri Alexa cameras and finished at 4K, this is the "exception" to my self recreated "rule" that Arri captures don't always offer the crispness and palette nuance of some other cameras. This film is full of some absolutely jaw dropping scenes of wild vistas, and depth of field in this 4K UHD version only improves on already excellent levels seen in the 1080 version. Detail levels are noticeably improved from (again already excellent) 1080 levels across the board, including everything from practical items like props and costumes to even some of the CGI, where the semi-opaque Predator's weird scaliness has new precision in this version. It's a little surprising to hear in the commentary track how much imagery was actually composited, because even the 4K UHD version doesn't really give away any of the computer aided "seams", so to speak, resulting in a really ingenious looking presentation especially when the Predator starts taking out actual humans. The palette also attains some new luster courtesy of HDR, and any hints of what I've often called "Alexa murk", especially in a couple of scenes pretty heavily graded toward yellows, are actually mitigated here. Some of the deeper blue tones in particular have real resonance and nuance in this version which they don't quite display in the 1080 version.

Prey 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Prey features a nicely immersive Dolby Atmos track, though as with some other recent releases from Disney I've reviewed, I frankly wouldn't want to argue that there's a huge difference between this track and the DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track included on Disney's 1080 release. Yes, you can definitely hear discrete emanations from the Atmos speakers, noticeably when that nasty Predator is traipsing about and making his bizarre clicking sounds, but without implying any deficits here, otherwise things sound largely the same. There's still really solid engagement of all of the surround channels for the glut of ambient environmental effects, and the evocative score also wafts through the side and rear channels regularly. Dialogue (some of which is in Comanche with forced subtitles) is always rendered cleanly and clearly. Speaking of Comanche, this actually offers a Comanche Dolby Digital 5.1 dub which is really interesting to at least sample. Optional English, French and Spanish subtitles are available.

Prey 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The 4K UHD disc sports no bonus material. The 1080 disc in this package offers the following supplements:

• Making of Prey (HD; 12:17) offers some above average interviews and some candid footage.


• Prey FYC Panel With Cast & Crew (HD; 29:01) features Predator puppeteer Alec Gillis, editor Angela Cantazaro, cinematographer Jeff Cutter (shouldn't he be the editor with that surname?), producer Jhane Myers, Amber Midthunder, and Dan Trachtenberg.


• Deleted Scenes with Commentary by Dan Trachtenberg (HD; 4:48)


• Audio Commentary by Dan Trachtenberg, Amber Midthunder, Jeff Cutter and Angela M. Catanzaro

Additionally in lieu of a digital copy there's a kind of funny insert advertising an action figure. Packaging features a slipcover.

Prey 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I'll admit it: I was kind of in a pre-eye rolling reactive mode as I got ready to watch Prey, but I was almost instantly drawn into a viscerally exciting story with a really distinctive framework. Technical merits are first rate and the supplements very enjoyable. Recommended.