Predator vs. Comanche proves a surprise hit
PREDATOR, such a mighty, steamrolling vehicle for Arnold Schwarzenegger, seemed very much of its time when it came out in 1987, directed by Die Hard’s John McTiernan. But it spawned a franchise which is still going strong, and the latest incarnation, a prequel to the other four films, is Prey ( ★★★☆☆, 99 mins), set in Comanche territory in the early 18th century.
If you’re a Predator fan then you’ll probably find this a worthy addition, though I can imagine what Arnie thinks about its straight-to-streaming release. The Native American actress Amber Midthunder dominates the story as Naru, a bold young hunter desperate to prove her worth to the doubting men of the tribe. Most of the cast, by the way, are Native American, which is admirable but raises a question over the dialogue, which is full of modern white-man colloquialisms. ‘Who invited you?’ sneers a haughty male warrior when Naru turns up on a hunting expedition, a line that might have been lifted from any 21st century high-school drama.
As it turns out, casual sexism is the least of Naru’s problems. She can throw a tomahawk with unerring accuracy but there are snarling mountain lions to contend with, and hostile French fur trappers, and of course, most challenging of all, a translucent killer alien. Director Dan Trachtenberg does a decent job building up to an exciting finale, and headdresses off to his skilled cinematographer, Jeff Cutter, who worked with Trachtenberg on the latter’s terrific debut feature, 2016’s 10 Cloverfield Lane.
Another debut feature, Our Eternal Summer ( ★★★☆☆, 72 mins) is a French film in which a bunch of carefree adolescents, doing all the things virile French teenagers do in the movies, abruptly have their innocence snatched from them when one of their number drowns off a Mediterranean beach after an ill-advised late-night swim.
At barely an hour and a quarter long, Emilie Aussel’s admirably concise film deals mainly with the grief, guilt and recriminations that follow this tragedy.
It’s a coming-of-age story, really, which sensibly keeps grown-ups out of the picture and is very nicely acted by a group of first-timers.
■ PREY is available on Disney+. Our Eternal Summer is on Mubi.