Amber Midthunder as Naru in 20th Century Studios' PREY. Photo by David Bukach. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Amber Midthunder as Naru in 20th Century Studios' PREY. Photo by David Bukach. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Amber Midthunder shines in ‘Prey’ on Disney+

Disney+ Original Movie

Release Date
August 5, 2022
Directed By
Dan Trachtenberg
Writer
Patrick Aison (Screenplay)
Starring
Amber Midthunder, Dane DiLiegro, Dakota Beavers, Harlan Blayne Kytwayhat, Geronimo Vela, Stefany Mathias, Stormee Kipp, Mike Paterson, Julian Black Antelope, Nelson Leis, Troy Mundle

Prey is the latest addition to the widely popular Predator franchise, taking audiences back 300 years ago to the Comanche Nation.

At the center of this film is Naru (Amber Midthunder), a young and skilled fierce warrior who aims for nothing more than to prove herself. When her way of life and the people she loves is threatened, she aims to use her skills to track and take down the threat. Little does she realize, she goes up against a foe who wants nothing more than to be challenged.

This film had a mix of things going on, both good and bad, but overall delivered a refreshing new experience.

Epic Performance by Amber Midthunder

Honestly, I am going to get to the point if you want to save yourself some reading: if there is one reason you should watch Prey that would be to experience Amber Midthunder’s performance as Naru.

And no, its not because she’s on the poster.

We’ve been gifted with strong female characters in the last few years, and Prey’s Naru simply adds to that list.

Naru is an intelligent, bold, and powerful young woman whose choices set the foundation for the story in Prey. There is a positive, strong energy you feel as an audience member when interacting with Naru, someone you come to respect and appreciate as she evolves during the production.

Midthunder is a talented young woman. In Prey, she delivered a character that you can truly feel for and understand, something audiences want. I for one went from being an audience member to cheerleader, rooting for a character that I admired.

I strongly think that Midthunder is slated for great things, with a lot of potential to tackle even more challenging and complex characters down the road. She is a talent to watch.

Amber Midthunder as Naru and Dane DiLiegro as the Predator in 20th Century Studios' PREY. Photo by David Bukach. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Amber Midthunder as Naru and Dane DiLiegro as the Predator in 20th Century Studios’ PREY. Photo by David Bukach. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

It’s Predecessors Affect the Story

I like the story, so lets get that clear.

What I don’t like is the fact that because its part of a franchise, you kind of know where things are going even if you don’t know the plot of this specific film. This is no fault of director Dan Trachtenberg or any of the creatives. It just simply is the expectation that is fundamentally set by this films predecessors, which established precedent for what a Predator film should be, and something audiences of the previous films are likely going to reflect on.

What I will say to the franchise’s loyal audience: think of this as a fresh new chapter. Toy Story, for example, was a film that defined a large part of my life. I personally felt that the first three movies completed a story that ran in parallel with mine. I didn’t think Toy Story needed a fourth film. Heck, I didn’t think any films were needed around that franchise.

However, the simple fact of the matter remains: there will be new audiences as time passes, and franchises need to adapt to cater to those audiences.

Prey is a fresh new story to the Predator franchise that will resonate with newer audiences that expect difference premises and characters from their watch list. While the story does suffer due to its affiliation with the franchise, I feel by shifting one’s focus to the characters and the development of those characters, this is truly a wonderful new production that many can appreciate.

Visually Exciting

There is such a thing as too many visual effects. That is not the case with Prey.

Without giving away any spoilers, there are many scenes and aspects of this film that with relatively modest visuals creates a sense of aww and excitement. This is especially evident in the fight scenes.

While the production is by no means minimalistic, it has respected the setting of the story and the characters it aims to highlight in a very balanced way. I also like the idea of old-school fighting tools versus sophisticated technology-infused weaponry going head-to-head. While some aspects do become predictable and cheesy, the way in which the visuals of both these technologies collide is wonderful. I think Dane DiLiegro’s great physical performance as the Predator also factor’s into the excitement scene to scene. Moving with that much gear on can be majorly challenging, but his performance is solid.

Lastly, have to give a shout-out to the makeup and costumes team. Just have a look at the sample visuals shared by the production. They are simple, yet thought-provoking. Within the context of the scenes within the film, they add value to the narrative.

(L-R): Cody Big Tobacco as Ania, Harlan Kywayhat as Itsee, Stormee Kipp as Wasape, Dakota Beavers as Taabe, and Amber Midthunder as Naru in 20th Century Studios' PREY. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
(L-R): Cody Big Tobacco as Ania, Harlan Kywayhat as Itsee, Stormee Kipp as Wasape, Dakota Beavers as Taabe, and Amber Midthunder as Naru in 20th Century Studios’ PREY. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Representation Starts Somewhere

I am not going to pretend I know anything about Comanche culture and draw comparisons to this film and what is accurate/not. What I will say is that this film works very hard to be as representative and authentic as possible, so kudos to Trachtenberg and his creative team for making some good choices.

Firstly, the cast. It is comprised almost entirely of Native and First Nation’s talent including the already discussed and very talented Amber Midthunder, followed by Dakota Beavers, Geronimo Vela, Harlan Blayne Kytwayhat, Stefany Mathias, Stormee Kipp, Michelle Thrush, and Julian Black Antelope. On the production side, producer Jhane Myers is a Native Comanche, adding another source of authenticity to the production.

It is awesome to see the talented Canadians in this production mentioned before including Kytwayhat, Mathias, and Antelope, among other cast members include Nelson Leis, Mike Paterson and Troy Mundle. It is also great to know that the background for this film is Alberta, home to many of Canada’s First Nation’s communities.

Finally, the production will be available entirely in Comanche as a language option as well as subtitles. This is a first for a feature-length movie on a direct-to-consumer streaming platform. This I think is quite cool, and a move I respect because its not easy (or cheap) making a production available in an entire language.

The point is, representation starts by making bold choices. While I feel this film will likely get mixed reactions from many audiences as far as representation goes, I for one think its great that directors like Trachtenberg are choosing to tap into our world’s diversity to amplify the kind of entertainment we watch. Without those choices, we are rinsing and repeating the same old stuff over and over again, and frankly, that’s just not creative.


Prey is a great film to enjoy this summer, so be sure to add it to your watch-list.

The film premieres August 5 on Disney+ under the Star banner.

When you get a chance to watch the film, do let us know your thoughts about it. We’d love to see what other people think.

Cover Photo: Amber Midthunder as Naru in 20th Century Studios’ PREY. Photo by David Bukach. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.