I didn't like this movie.
It's by no means a bad movie, it's actually quite pretty and the plot is fairly engaging, has plenty of nice visual touches, and cool moments (i.e. a bear fighting an extraterrestrial). It was competently made and reasonably well acted, and I enjoyed myself watching it...
But over the following days I realised... I didn't like it.
Why?
Because at no point did it feel like it contained a Predator.In fact, had this movie, or rather, it's choices, been made in 1987 - I don't think the Predator would have made his mark on popular culture. I think he would have faded into obscurity, never to facedown his acid-blooded Nostromo haunting arch-nemesis.
A lot of this comes down to the characterisation of its villain. This is something Predator movies have consistently f**ked up since the first movie. Ignoring "The Predator", which isn't worth mentioning, each Predator movie has made the same error in characterisation.
The error is this:
The Predator is not a monster, he is a character with traits beyond his physical appearance and technology that distinguish him from other villains in popular culture.
These traits exist almost entirely within his behaviour and the choices he makes as a character. Therefore, when you change these traits you change the character - and leave the audience no longer watching the character that distinguished itself as memorable and interesting in the first place.
This is why films might have a villain that looks like a Predator. It might even sound like a Predator. But at all times it won't feel like a Predator.
To clarify this point, let's look at the characterisation in the first movie as it is revealed to the audience, and what we learn from said characterisation.
Spoiler
- It travels through space and gets dropped off on another planet. (It is highly intelligent and capable of using advanced technology. You could also infer that it is quite fearless).
- This creature slaughtered Jim Hopper's entire spec ops team without them knowing what they were shooting at. (It is stealthy, and incredibly competent at violence. More than a team of Green Berets. It is also fearless enough to engage Green Berets in combat).
- It can make bodies disappear without a trace. (It is incredibly stealthy and has an inclination towards stealth).
- It butchers and displays what it kills, or vanishes its other kills. (Butchers people. Displays some of its violence openly).
- It stalks from the trees, silently observing Dutch's team. (It is stealthy, observational, and patient - even though it potentially could kill them all at once, as it did to Hopper, it chooses not to and instead follows them. It prefers to travel above its prey as opposed to the same level as it).
- It mimic's human dialogue almost perfectly, demonstrates some understanding of its meaning. (It is intelligent and inquisitive. Understanding of laughter and comments demonstrated later)
- When Hawkins separates from the team, it kills him the first opportunity it gets, leaving Anna unharmed. (It is opportunistic, can strike swiftly, doesn't harm women - established why later).
- Remains hidden. It guys Hawkins and strings him up. (Stealthy. The trees are again where it prefers to be, and are its "domain" as symbolised by it dragging Hawkins body up there to "it's world." Note: this is a HUGE trait as it demonstrates the Predator's power of the world the heroes are trapped in. They clatter around in the jungle, while he lurks above them, dominating his surrounding and filling US the viewer with a sense that the heroes have wandered into a "haunted forest" dominated by one very dangerous "ghost").
- Remains hidden. When Blain separates from the team, it stuns and kills him with a ranged weapon. (Opportunistic. Also likes to attack from ranged safety. Stealthy).
- It somewhat reveals itself to Mac and taunts him. Still largely hidden. (It is sadistic, malicious, and understands the effect its actions are having on others).
- Its actions get itself shot, it then heals itself. (It's ego can get the better of it, but it's intelligent and competent enough to heal complex wounds).
- Comes back for Blain's body, dodges the trip wires. (Considers its kills its possessions, has some kind of relationship to the kills it makes (i.e. Pride), and is highly competent at avoiding capture. Stealthy.)
- Implied by Anna's story that this creature's species has been visiting Earth for some kind and killing people for trophies. (It has a relationship with mankind that is hostile and based on killing for sport).
- It gets within 1m of Dutch, without being detected, without triggering a trap, in front of multiple armed men staring directly at it. (Incredibly stealthy - amazingly so, open to taking incredibly dangerous and daring risks - egotistical).
- When trapped and loses the upper hand, immediately regains the upper hand, injuring one opponent - Poncho - and escaping the trap. (Finds natural traps harder to see, highly competent, mastery of its weaponry).
- Briefly reveals itself to the team after they caught it. (Likes to taunt and/or respects them - has a mental relationship to its prey as well as physical one)
- Recognises it's being tracked and ambushed. Gets the jump on and dispatches Mac. (Intelligent, competent, ruthless. Stealthy).
- Doesn't hunt unarmed people. No sport. (Movie clearly states what its goal is - kill for sport, or rather, pleasure. Has made the previous and following decisions based on this pleasure principle. It takes into account other factors, such as survival, but its primary motivation is doing things it finds pleasurable, in this case, hunting competent prey)
- Taunts Dillon with his dead teammates's voice, referencing their previous encounter, disarms, and butchers him. (Sadistic, intelligent, incredibly violent and competent, mastery of its weaponry).
- Dispatches Billy effortlessly, sneaks up on the team, kills Poncho effortlessly, and destroys Dutches weapon (competent, competent, competent, stealthy, focused and relentless in pursuit of its goal)
- Corners Dutch by the waterfall, loses track of him due to its vision. (Competent, relentless, focused, vulnerable)
- Takes skulls, cleans them, worships them. (Takes ownership of its victims as prizes, no respect for human life, brutal, views its victims as its possessions).
- Takes care of its gear - or whatever the f**k the wrist blade glowing is. Accepts an open challenge from its prey. (Conscientious, brave).
- Sneaks into Dutch's arena, when cornered opens fire until it gets a track on its invisible prey. In a cat mouse battle where IT CAN'T SEE its opponent, manages to lure it into a cave, corner it, and when it escapes, trick shot a shoulder cannon blast off to trap it. Note, it does this with damaged gear, which the movie makes clear. (Highly f**king competent, very capable, more cunning and intelligent than a highly intelligent and cunning soldier, thinks fast even when on the back foot, its power doesn't come from its gear but from its competence and intelligence, mastery of its weaponry).
- Captures Dutch despite being blind to him for most of their fight, but when it can kill him, instead gives him to chance to fight it hand to hand. (Competent, Capable of respect, sadistic, pride)
- Spots a trap it is almost entirely blind to, gets caught by another one through what is largely just bad luck. (Competent)
- When defeated, blows itself away laughing in the voice of its enemy's dead friend. (Sadistic, understands human communication, intelligent).
So you can see how its various choices and actions develop its character in a way that make it unique. It doesn't just kill its prey -
its incredibly stealthy, incredibly patient, has complete mastery over its world, mastery over its weaponry seizes opportunities, kills most of its victims without them having any idea what's after them, very intelligent, more competent than its human prey (even when largely BLIND to its prey and its traps), and incredibly sadistic on an almost personal level.We see this as it kills a handful of people we have come to know, and it does so in a very specific way. The result is a villain that feels incredibly powerful and has a memorable way of undertaking what it chooses to undertake -
that is specific to it as a character. This sense of unique character traits is what makes it such a special villain.
In short:
a Predator is much more than just an alien that hunts for sport. He is a character who behaves a certain way.If you make a movie where a Predator is just an alien that hunts for sport, then the only difference between it and any other slasher villain is its DNA and its job description.
Which brings me to Prey...
While the creature is called a Predator, and even does some Predatory things, and even has a Predatory aesthetic ... He doesn't behave or make choices like a Predator. He just wanders around killing animals and people. Aside from how he looks... What really is he? He's just a generic violent unstoppable movie monster.
No intelligence. No patience. No opportunism. No personal sadism. No competence that distinguishes him above and beyond everyone else's competence. No predilection for stealth.
Just wanders round killing and letting everyone have a look. There is no distinction between his world of the trees where he's master of the forest ... he shares our world and just walks around in it like we do. This Predator has very little that distinguishes his character - he's just a butcher. Which is one of the Predator's traits, but not his whole personality. This guy doesn't even have mastery of his gear, or behave in much of a way that considers its own survival.
A Predator takes risks, and its egotistical. But its not an idiot. It also CHOOSES to stalk its prey as opposed to jumping in and butchering it. This is one of the FIRST decisions that distinguishes it as a villain. The second we see his vision we learn... this guy likes to watch. to take his time. to understand. AKA:
he's smart.And sure, you can tell me in Prey he's a young predator, it's his first hunt, and so on... But this is just a weak excuse for the villain lacking most of the character traits that make his kind memorable and impressive as villains. It's like putting the Joker in a Batman movie but removing his twisted sense of humor and personal philosophy ... He's no longer the Joker he's just a smart guy.
When it comes to Prey's predator you're essentially saying "Yeah but he's not competent and not smart and doesn't do that whole invisible stalker thing!" ... which basically means he doesn't have the character traits that make a Predator interesting, charismatic, and imposing.
OR worse yet, he's just shit. And for a girl power film ... it kind sucks that you've lumped her with the incompetent Predator. Ripley blasted the perfect organism out the airlock ... Why can't Naaru face a hyper competent cunning Predator?
———
So yeah, the film is well made, well shot, and entertaining - but commits the same sin every Predator sequel does... it doesn't actually contain a Predator character in any way shape or form. It just has some lad cosplaying as one.
(Incidentally A L I E N faced this same problem after the first movie. Big Chap became a bug. Poor Anytime became Jason Voorhees).That's my two cents. I could say more, but this post is long enough. May God have mercy on your soul for reading it, but thank you if you do. <3
