![]() There is a genuine feeling of adventure in these parts, and goes a long way in establishing Naru’s character, and the relationship between her and Sarii. A substantial portion of the film is spent with Naru and Sarii, out in the wilderness, hunting, practicing, or just exploring the land. Yet only she is paying attention to the clues that point to a greater threat. ![]() While she tries and fails at several hunting-related tasks along with her trusty canine companion, Sarii, the men in her band have more success, and find their cultural norms reinforced by Naru’s missteps. The protagonist is Naru (Amber Midthunder: Roswell, New Mexico series, Longmire series), and young Comanche woman who is trying her best to become a hunter, which is apparently something not typical in Comanche culture. The setting is pre-colonial America and focuses on a band of native Comanche, a tribe renowned for their horsemanship and infamous for their brutality. Instead of the insane future-tech weaponry of Shane Black’s The Predator, or the unwise crossover with the Alien franchise that neither monster walked away better from, Prey scales everything back. It is hard to say exactly why things went sideways for the Predator series, but one thing is clear after Prey most of them were going in the wrong direction. “It was so easy to picture what life was really like. “To be in a place where people’s culture is so similar to mine-at a work environment in the buckskins and surrounded by tipis-it was super meaningful and transcendent,” says Midthunder. A large portion of Prey was also shot on Stoney Nakoda land in Alberta, Canada. When French colonizers arrive and “discover” the Comanche nation, for instance, the film makes it very clear that the community did not want, or need, their help defending the Predator. With the help of Indigenous producer Jhane Myers-who is Comanche and Blackfeet-the film took further important steps to ensure the depiction of Indigenous people was historically accurate. “We also developed a sign language it was based off of real Comanche sign language, mixed with our personal trainer’s tactical sign language.” “We had weapon training with the tomahawks, lances, knives, and archery,” says Midthunder. “Through her journey, she’s taught that the why in what you do matters.” Four weeks of stunt training were required to nail Naru’s skills as a fighter, which shine in the climactic final act (no spoilers!). “She’s definitely determined and hardheaded and was a well-written character,” she says. Midthunder was drawn to Naru’s complex character arc, transforming from a hopeful hunter to full-on warrior. Of course, it’s not often that Hollywood casts an Indigenous female lead as an action star. However, when the mysterious Predator lands near their village and begins killing off their people and animals-which are integral to the tribe’s food source and survival-Naru rises to the occasion and begins using her innate hunting abilities to track, and eventually battle, the beast. “Because you all think I can’t,” Naru replies. “Why do you want to hunt?” asks Naru’s mother in one scene. She longs to be a hunter for her people but faces constant ridicule from her male counterparts. Set in the early 1700s on the American Great Plains, we first meet Naru while she’s living peacefully. The new film from Dan Trachtenberg serves as a franchise prequel of sorts. But in Prey-the latest in the franchise, launching on Hulu this Friday-the Predator meets his match in Naru (Amber Midthunder), an Indigenous warrior determined to protect her community on the Comanche Nation at all costs. Even the indestructible Arnold Schwarzenegger had a hard time competing with one of them in the original 1987 film. If you’ve seen any of the Predator movies, you know that humans are often placed at a disadvantage, facing off against (terrifying) extraterrestrial species with powers like invisibility and thermal vision.
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