2025, Dan Trachtenberg (Prey) -- download
He is Dek of the Yautja. Well, not yet. Yautja was a term for the "predators" from novel adaptations in 90s, amusingly to explore the "Alien vs Predator" landscape. This movie does, kind of, follow in that assumption, but referencing the Weyland-Yutani corporation, and its most famous invention -- the synth. But again, I am getting ahead of myself.
He is Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, Far North), a young (not yet) yautja and a "runt". He believes he can prove himself to his father and clan (??), and become yautja proper, by going to the planet of Genna (I imagine its supposed to sound like Gehenna, a Biblical name for Hell) and kill the legendary Kalisk beast, something that has killed all predators who have tried before. But his father has other things in mind -- Dek's brother is supposed to kill Dek and when he refuses, violently, dad kills the brother instead. Dek barely escapes on his brother' ship, crash landing on the very very VERY dangerous planet, where pretty much every living thing is trying to kill every other living thing.
Even the use of that idea -- "every living thing is trying to kill you," is such a classic adventure trope, that I knew I was in for a fun, violent romp.
After, immediately, almost dying a handful of times he finds a very chirpy girl in a creature's nest -- well, half a girl. Well, half a SYNTH girl, named Thia (Elle Fanning, Maleficent). She knows Yautja ("we hunt alone") but also knows she needs his help if she is going to get the other half of her body, and get back to her sister synth (electronic/dark wave 80s cover band) Tessa (Elle Fanning, The Neon Demon). And while on the road, the buddies pick up a tough-hided monkey-thing for comedy value -- actually, a lot of the movie is very successfully, and intentionally, funny. As Kent said, this is an escapist throwback adventure movie, something so unlike any other Predator movie.
This is not as ground breaking as Prey, and oddly enough, I kind of see it as a mirror reflection of it. Both star young unappreciated members of their tribes going forth against a more than formidable enemy. The former movie courted controversy with its loudest, most toxic fan-base, this one almost courts them, but I am sure they complained about it anyway -- fortunately (??), the loudest and most toxic have been having a field day in our part of the world, so I doubt that this was much more than a blip on their radar.
We are in a weird time for film making, wherein the pivot from cinema to other platforms is no longer the greatest threat to movies -- the political climate is. Sure, Hollywood is and always has been the Toxic Right's boogeyman, it doesn't take long to see how the corporations that run it are being altered in favour of the dominant political machine down there. Movies like this one, a-political scifi adventure romps might actually excel, as long as they cater to the straight, white, male lead viewers, which is a shame considering scifi in general was always a commentary of social climates, and I hope they stay that way.
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