Prey

This film will make you a god damned sexual Tyrannosaurus, just like me

I'm really quite excited tbh

I'll wait and see, Disney+ tend to get great reviews for their stuff prior to release, then it tends to all go downhill with the markings for the films.

It's going to be a hard sell as well to show any equality of a predator against a group of 18th century indians, and there does seem to be a high chance that there will be a mary sue character as the main protagonist for this film.

They’re the same daft misogynistic comments under YouTube reviews. Common theme of every written review I’ve read is that’s completely wrong. Really looking forward to watching it.

Don’t think there are any Indians in it either with it being set in North America.

Agree about the danger of a Mary Sue, but quite keen to see this anyway.

As for a predator vs the 18th century, the writer (or director - can't quite remember) has been at pains to point out the alien is also 300 years more primitive and may not be as 'superpowered' as its later descendants (although space travel so pinch of salt required).

Lots of incel types getting het up about this one on Youtube.

Looks like a good Friday night popcorn film so will definitely be checking it out. Nothing will beat the original though.

They’re the same daft misogynistic comments under YouTube reviews. Common theme of every written review I’ve read is that’s completely wrong. Really looking forward to watching it.

I'll wait and see, again as stated, written reviews prior to release are taken with a pinch of salt, i'll also wait and see what it's like, but the youtube video does seem to have that build up of a Mary Sue, the same would apply if the protagonist was a young boy, this is the Predator we're on about, it is invisible, has all the toys (as seen in the advert) and the strength to lift a ton of bear without much issue, it'll all count on the story and how they make this work.

I'll reserve judgement, but if it's been 'disniefied' as I suspect.. It'll be rubbish.

It is supposed to take a lead from the original. Outsmarting it is the key. Doesn’t matter how big and strong you are, you’re weak in comparison. Reviews point to the fact that it doesn’t register her as a threat combined with her knowing the land as key points. The only downside from every review I’ve read is that it’s not getting a cinema release.

Also, a fat, middle aged Danny Glover beat the Predator in a fist fight with a fancy frisbee. I can’t wait for Friday night.

I'll be interested to see how they make it a fair fight between knives, pointy sticks and bows and arrows against a laser targeted blaster and stealth technology. Arnie only beat The Predator in the original because he lucked out getting covered in IR absorbing mud and it decided to dispense with its advanced weapons and fight him mano a mano.

Will wait and see, was always meant to be that the predator saw anyone with a weapon as a threat, so interesting to see how it won't do that for her, as mattyfez says, the chances of it being disneyfied are high, hopefully not in the same way as the marvel and star wars universes have gone though.

Personally i just don't like the 'lets go back 200-300 years and see how our ancestors get on against the predators', they can romanticise it, but after seeing the original with them destroying an entire rainforest that ended with the predator getting a minor cut, how they do similar with a few arrows will be hard to beat the original.

lucked out getting covered in IR absorbing mud

Im pretty sure there's a bit in the trailer where she gets covered in mud

Lots of incel types getting het up about this one

It is supposed to take a lead from the original.

How they can take such great source material & churn out turd after turd is something that depresses and confuses me in equal measure. See also: Alien.

See, I was almost with you there.

But I've watched both Predator 2 and Aliens. And you're wrong. Sorry. 😁

As for Prey,

It's the cover story in this month's SFX. It sounds brilliant.

I don’t think it’s been Disneyfied. Supposed to be the most violent and gory one made. Predator doesn’t have its plasma cannon thing either. There’s definitely a YouTube comments vibe in here. How can a film with a strong female lead be good when it involves a powerful enemy? Alien, Aliens and T2?

But I’ve watched both Predator 2 and Aliens. And you’re wrong. Sorry

on here as well 😂 Had to Google “Mary sue” as not come across that term before. So it’s ok for Arnie or literally any male character to be an unstoppable action-hero, but as soon as it’s a woman it’s somehow implausible? 😂 Whatever you do, don’t watch Terminator 2, you’ll hate it 😀

No, Mary Sue as i said relates to males as much as females, Arnie was a 250lb bodybuilder who was playing a special forces 'best of the best', same as his squad who all got wiped out with little effort, the Mary Sue is basically just a cover for lazy backstories, so if in the original Predator you replaced that squad with say 10 women from the RLC, would it be as realistic with them using weaponry, fighting, etc?

Women can have the same style roles, Ripley in Aliens is the standout because they developed her in the previous film and at the start of Aliens, we've had female terminators, you have females who play superheroes all the time without much issue, because they have developed the back story, we know wonder woman is nearly invincible, we know the same with Captain Marvel and so on. The reason why folk worry about Disney+ making Prey with a young woman as the lead is that they have history of doing this, but it'll be down to how they do it, i'll watch it this weekend and find out, hope i'm wrong and it's a clever plot that moves the cat and mouse game around, but with Disney i tend to always look negatively.

Aliens is great actually although not a patch on the original (just a ‘bug hunt’ 😀)

I see what you did there.😁 Still wrong though.

but Predator 2… c’mon… have you seen it lately? Soooo dated & naff 😂

To be fair, I have not. I think I last watched it on laserdisc. So I might have to concede that one, I'd need to rewatch it.

Arnie was a 250lb bodybuilder who was playing a special forces ‘best of the best’, same as his squad who all got wiped out with little effort, the Mary Sue is basically just a cover for lazy backstories, so if in the original Predator you replaced that squad with say 10 women from the RLC, would it be as realistic with them using weaponry, fighting, etc?

Wasn't the character of Ripley originally written for a bloke? Or have I completely made that up?

Pretty progressive casting for 1979, anyway. Probably a good job the bottom half of the Internet didn't exist back then.

the sequence where they unload all the firepower into the jungle to no effect…

We've all been there, mate.

Friday night is movie night in the Kryton household, and I'd have loved to watch this with Jnr but careful googling has revealed it may just be a little too much for him at 13yo.

So a late night with a couple of beers for me it is then!

2 things: 1) there is no lazier backstory in the history of movie-making than the beefed-up ex-special-forces guy, it must be used in 99% of action b-movies and 2) you do realise that the original Predator movie is ripping the piss out of macho stereotypes & gun fetishes in action movies? That is why he sets up the most Uber-macho (that handshake 🤣) characters ever assembled and then proceeds to completely demolish and emasculate them? Ditto the sequence where they unload all the firepower into the jungle to no effect… that is making a very specific point…

Predator was an 80s movie, everything was about beefed up guys being the lead, you may look back from what we see now and think it's a parody, but it certainly wasn't! If you had muscles, were a wrestler or just looked big you got a shot at the movies!

The reason they have that lazy 'ex special forces' type is that it is just that, a lazy backstory to make the viewer understand why they are competent in fighting, weapons, etc without having to grow the character and having a longer movie, i do agree though, it was always lazy, you'd get some character explaining for 30 seconds why the protagonist was the best of the best, but now living like a bum, Rambo did it, Under Siege as well, etc, etc, etc, The Soprano's did a mickey take of this i think with the Pine Barrens bit over the phone 😂

Wasn’t the character of Ripley originally written for a bloke? Or have I completely made that up?

Pretty progressive casting for 1979, anyway.

As for a predator vs the 18th century, the writer (or director – can’t quite remember) has been at pains to point out the alien is also 300 years more primitive and may not be as ‘superpowered’ as its later descendants (although space travel so pinch of salt required).

I thought Alien Vs Predator had a backstory much older than that (several millennia older) and the Preds were pretty advanced in that…

you may look back from what we see now and think it’s a parody, but it certainly wasn’t

For those worrying about disneyfying, you are right to be concerned.

I watched the new home alone with my kids at Christmas. The “Kevin” character makes friends with the wet bandits and they all have Christmas dinner together at the end.

I was horrified.

I prey that this film is closer to the original!

One interpretation is they cast her because an unknown female actress would be the last person viewers expected to be the “last man standing”. Which is pretty sexist!

Sexist... or subversive in challenging the audience? (You're probably right.)

Hang on,

We're concerned about Disney having a history of invincible female characters whilst simultaneously being concerned about Disney having a history of making things all soft and cuddly?

having watched the director back when he was video podcasting on the Totally Rad Show and enjoyed 10 Cloverfield Lane & the Boys 1st episode I'm hopeful that this will be at the very least a decent watch, and a bit of a departure from the all out action previous Predator movies.

I've read that he was going for more of an adventure/suspense style overall, which should hopefully cover some of the impossbilities that comes with the 'small woman with bow and arrow vs big alien with tech' scenario

The whole point of the predator is that you need to outthink it. Muscles, brawn and firepower don’t mean anything. Unarmed female (trailer is misleading by all accounts) who knows the land, how to track and how to hunt. One of the best things I’ve read is that it actually has a character arc. Time will tell, but it’s rare to see high praise, all highlighting the same positive points and for the film to then miss the mark.

Don’t forget that ultra beefcake special forces Arnie only beat it by going back to basics in the original.

Hang on,

We’re concerned about Disney having a history of invincible female characters whilst simultaneously being concerned about Disney having a history of making things all soft and cuddly?

To be fair, i mention Mary Sue as it's the only term i remember from the god awful last star wars trilogy and the complete lack of building up the Rey character, it's as if they learnt absolutely nothing from the original trilogy where Luke's character was developed from fresh faced know nothing to a Jedi over 3 films, there is no sexism about it, she's got the ability that Luke had, but they just gave it to her without any real story of adversity, failure, etc that's usually how you build a character.

Disney are just not my flavour just now, can't even think of watching the new Thor film, we watched Thor go through the same process, from egotistical know it all, being belittled, losing everyone, then coming back stronger, to then suddenly becoming a comedy act in Infinity Wars Pt 2 and then the last movies, it's as if they give directors a clean slate at the start of the movies to do what they want, which kind of annoys audiences!

Wasn’t the character of Ripley originally written for a bloke?

The version I read was the original script suggested that all the roles could be read as either male or female and that the crew was to be unisex.

, it’s as if they give directors a clean slate at the start of the movies to do what they want, which kind of annoys audiences!

The director of one of the last Star Wars movies was being harangued by some incel living-in-his-mums-basement type, and stopped him by essentially saying. "Look, if you want your version of Star Wars to made, go to film school, become a director, shoot your movie, release it to public scrutiny. In the meantime, no one is putting a gun to your head to force you to watch a movie you don't like"

How can you all get so het up about something you've not even seen?

Just watch the bloody thing and then complain about it if you really must.

I hope it's been Disneyfied - I want her to break into song. I want her to call all the animals to help.

I want the bad guy Predator song...

I feel they have missed an opportunity here.

Seriously tho, check out the director's other work, 10 Cloverfield Lane & Playtest (a Black Mirror episode) he's a more than capable diretor.

(Also whoever mentioned Thor up there, the last 2 films are Infinitely superior to the first 2 films)

I hope it’s been Disneyfied

Pokeahuntress?

How can you all get so het up about something you’ve not even seen?

Just watch the bloody thing and then complain about it if you really must.

Because this is what always happens when something comes along that's slightly different from what's gone before, doubly so if it involves someone who is isn't a straight white bloke. They should've cast her as a trans lesbian, it'd likely have DDoS'ed YouTube's comments section and I'd have laughed my arse off.

Wokeahuntress?

Good stuff, I did think it was Predator-related going by the trailer...not a huge amount of interest in it myself (the Predator story), but glad I was aware of the connection and the trailer does make it look like it will be good. Glad it is ok as that post about the Wall thing that descended into a Judge Dredd and 2000AD chat had me completely lost - I couldn't tell if the video posted was for something real trying to be established, some made up concept from someone's brain or related to Judge Dredd.
Not got a streaming service so I won't be watching it myself, but I hope it isn't a duff one!

Friday night is movie night in the Kryton household, and I’d have loved to watch this with Jnr but careful googling has revealed it may just be a little too much for him at 13yo

My lad turned 14 recently, we're watching Saw series of movies, we've done Hostel, It, Texas chainsaw etc. He did Squid Games last year when it was a thing

of course, he wanted to make a cool action movie – which is a level it’s extremely watchable/enjoyable on – but if you listen to the director’s commentary he talks about how his intentions were also to subvert the mainstream action-movie culture of the time (which he achieved masterfully, as it totally went over most peoples’ heads at the time and still does now 😃)

I reckon it must be at least 20 years since I last watched Predator, but if it was supposed to subvert mainstream action movies this certainly went over my head or I have forgotten it, care to explain?

I seem to recall reading recently that Jean Claud Van Damme was cast as the predator originally.

My lad turned 14 recently, we’re watching Saw series of movies, we’ve done Hostel, It, Texas chainsaw etc. He did Squid Games last year when it was a thing

I watched the first couple of Saw movies recently. I was genuinely shocked... at how tame they were, I thought they were going to be some sort of torture porn gore-fest.

Yep, Van Damme in a really shit alien outfit. The extras on the DVD of the original were great. The first film was one of the first films I remember watching and loving. Holds a special place in my movie brain.

Dan Trachenberg, the director of Prey, originally wanted to keep the Predator element secret. It would just seem like a film set in the Comanche nation for the first part. The twist/reveal could’ve been great. Bastard internet spoiling everything 😂

The twist/reveal could’ve been great. Bastard internet spoiling everything 😂

When I saw Dusk Til Dawn back in the day I had no idea what the film was about other than the cast list.
Brilliant film.
We've lost so much by knowing so much.