One strength of Prey is that I'd be willing to have watched Naru's story unfold even without the Predator showing up. Which was one of the strengths of the original Predator. There's a good story & character already forming the spine of the movie, and then here's the swerve...
I enjoyed the first half of her story and the film. But it just started to reduce itself towards the end because the plot needed to fit her story. She went from being scared of a mountain lion and a bear, to struggling to best one young native hunter, to dispatching multiple trappers like John Wick to outsmarting and killing an interstellar alien who spends its entire life hunting. All of that in the span of a day. There were far more interesting ways to show her strengths without making her infallible by the end. Naru was pretty much pulling off acrobatics like Black Widow in MCU in that end showdown. There was also that sacriligious retcon of Andolini from the short story that was already told years ago. Which kind of made me think the director didn't know the lore inside out as he kept saying lol. It was still head and shoulders above The Predator. But it definitely doesn't hold up next to Predator 2 and Predators. I'd love to know what the creator thinks of Prey. Because it's the antithesis to the reason he created the monster lol
@@skyfryer1223 'sacriligious retcon'? Who wrote that short story and was it actually considered official and canon to the films or simply canon to the Dark Horse comics continuity? I owned the Decade of Dark Horse book for a while back in late 90s (I'd also wanted an issue from a couple months later than had an Aliens story but sales of the first couple issues weren't strong at my then only remotely nearby comic shop and so they didn't order more). Thought that story was fine but I don't have any issue with Prey overwriting it and making it an alternate universe timeline sorta thing And in my opinion Prey certainly beats Predators (which I find a total chore to sit through and problematic lead actor) and Predator 2 (which I enjoy and has some great scenes but it's got a lot of issues).
I do wish you had talked more about the impact this movie made on cinema as far as native american representation. the respect and care and dedication to having native writers and consultants on this film is so palpable. my brother cried when watching the movie because it felt made with love for our people. not to mention the fact that this film was also dubbed in comanche. which is bonkers expensive and the wanted to make sure they did that for native people.
I watched it twice just so I could experience it dubbed and I have to say I prefer the dubbed version! It feels even more authentic. Originally I thought they filmed scenes twice, once in each language. Now THAT would've been expensive, but it also would've been super epic. I'm glad for the dub though. Such a beautiful film.
@@FanWithNoName94 they are comanche people! and they spoke in comanche in the film but also did a dub! indigenous languages are plenty and varied so i am not sure what you mean by ‘sounding native american’
“It’s ok to tell small stories again.” I have to add that “Logan” also did this. I had several “discussions”about whether or not Logan was better than End Game, and I stand by that it was. For the same reason Prey is so stand out. Rather than saving the world, something that no one can relate to, it focuses on just saving the people you love and just how difficult even that is. Something I think far more people can relate to.
@JustMe-ne5dw ok I’ll give you Logan is better than End Game. I would say just slightly but that’s just my opinion and neither here nor there BUT Logan is not better than Infinity War which is basically the same movie as End Game just done better but with a bleaker ending. What say you to that?
@@KingOfWinter I understand why people love the character arc of Tony Stark, but at the same time, he’s a billionaire and has been able to enjoy every luxury life has to offer. Again, to me it’s relatability. Most people don’t experience that. Getting old, losing capabilities you used to have, losing a parent, not feeling accepted….this is far more common than the struggles of a billionaire finding his morality.
same. I remember liking Logan back when it came out but leaving kind of a bittersweet taste. But i keept coming back to it and every time i saw it again, i got new details. And now is one of my favorite films ever. While i didn't watched Endgame ever again since it hits theatres back in the day
@@nicolasriveros943 Endgame is epic, and does epic well, but it just didn’t hit like Logan does. Just thinking about it, Logan is the first time we’ve seen in a movie what might happen to a superhero when they get old. Prior to that movie, they just stop making movies once the actors age out of being able to look young and invincible.
@@blokey8 locations I neeeeed to see on the big screen (like i wished for in another comment a 'Predator / Prey' double feature at cinemas would be so awesome!). I've watched both movies countless times on my TV but I've never even experienced the first one on the big screen. I did recently finally get to see Aliens at a cinema though and it was almost like watching it for the first time again! :)
I watched this with my brother (both in the second half of our 30s) thinking we were going to see 'the newest Disney film'(oh old and naïve we were), because we wanted something easy to watch after a tiring day. We must've looked hilarious as we figured out that this was not that, but neither of us was disappointed. It was a bit 'what the effy', because neither of us was familiar with the franchise beyond it's name and concept. But this is a good film. Even as a standalone.
Predator 2 has some brilliant, often overlooked subtext. It released just before the LA Race Riots. And it's a movie where, in an environment of over the top gang war, the Predator singles out a cop with a laundry list of excessive force complaints as the most worthy prey.
BUT DID YOU KNOW: The fact that Naru whistles to get the Predator's attention at the end is significant. Traditionally, Comanche never whistled because they believed it could summon demons. So when you said she crawled through hell rings even more true because at the end she was metaphorically summoning the devil.
i watched/rewatched all the predator and alien movies earlier this year and i did not expect Prey to end up being my second favorite of them overall (just after Alien), but it is! Gorgeous delightful cool movie. A perfect refreshing note to end that marathon on
Love this video... but I twice noticed that you mentioned Shane Black and then showed footage Richard Chavez, which felt like it was suggesting that that actor was Shane. Both times were good reaction faces, so perhaps it's on purpose?
Prey is a masterpiece, without a doubt. It is either #1 or #2 in the series to me, and I say that as someone who has huge nostalgia for the first one. I was just the right age when it came out. Prey was the first since Predator 2 that didn't make me cringe at some point, and I was completely invested 5 minutes in. Whatever the grander lesson, I want more movies made with this ethos.
Rewatch Predator 2, it's got a LOT of cringey moments, including the premise, which is a conservative fantasy of a city overrun by gangs of people of color, and the police in the 90s somehow being the good guys
To add to something unbelievable about this film, they cared enough to also do the dialog in the proper language for one version. Yeah, there's two versions and one is mostly subtitled.
Someone else said in the comments that she could tell it was made with love for the Comanche specifically because of that. I think it’s awesome that in revisiting the western genre, they get a true voice from their own language to create a new myth.
Thank you for mentioning that 'Predators' is actually a pretty damn good movie. Robert Rodriguez is chronically underappreciated. That film was both a love letter and a mirror to the original 'Predator'.
@@R4GEingthe first episode he directed, we missed the credits… literally turned to my brother and said WTH, This looks like a bad Robert Rodriguez parody? Oops. Lol, he’s a parody of himself on Boba Fett, and it’s just soo out of place.
I love and have been chronically disappointed by the Predator franchise. Prey was everything I wanted and never knew I'd get. I've rewatched it so many times. And honestly, it's what I desperately want for Star Wars too, another franchise lost in the weeds of 'too much'
Fun fact: there's another movie called Prey (2019) that's about "A young man surviving an island retreat while a sinister force hunts him, leaving bodies in its wake". I watched about 15mins of this wondering when the Predator/ Comanche stuff was going to start happening... The dangers of not using 'legal' methods of watching films...
Great analysis of the Predator franchise, Mikey! The financial rollercoaster from the original to Predator 2, and the cultural snapshot that the latter film provides, is pure gold. Schwarzenegger's absence was definitely felt, but Danny Glover and Gary Busey brought their unique energies that kept us intrigued. "Predators" was a mixed bag, but I appreciated the effort. Shane Black's 2018 film might have dared to take risks, but it was such a mess. "PREY" is simply a masterpiece. Dan Trachtenberg's bold vision showcases what a versatile and inventive director can bring to a franchise. He meshed respect for the original with groundbreaking originality.
This is Movies with Mikey firing on all cylinders, the secret sauce I've loved from this channel for nearly a decade now. A small (in scope) deserving movie, the rocky path to creation (pun intended), the connection to current events in the world, the call to action for the industry and fans...speaking of the power of nostalgia, this video did it for me.
Got a lot of love for Pred 1, 2, Predators, and Prey. Prey remind me of Bumblebee. The collapse of a franchise down to a small movie with few characters, an emotional throughpoint, and a genuinely love of the material that is felt throughout the entire movie. Hopefully Prey inspires a better follow-up than Bumblebee did...
This is actually the only Predator film I've ever watched. And I still think it would be hard to convince me it's not the best one. It's one of the most well executed but simple stories I've ever seen.
Once again you have taken a thing I love and informed me why I love it. I would have still loved Prey with out this video, but I could not explain it to myself as well as you explained to me.
This movie is my favorite predator movie by far- but I am indigenous and had never watched the original until last year, so I may be biased, or unburdened by nostalgia, depending on how you see it.
Mikey turns out carefully written and thought out videos that take time to craft. RUclips rewards turning out crappy throwaway content twice a week to keep the algorithm fed with cheap content. Excuse me while I go water my garden with electrolytes.
I don't see any comment on it. FYI, Um Actually, with love ofc, your clips of Shane Black in Predator were of Poncho. Shane Black played Hawkins (with glasses)
Love this movie. We can only hope Hollywood takes the right notes given its success. Though it is a bit concerning that prey has had this much success despite not having a theatrical release.
One of my favorite things is watching/listening to long videos while I clean the dishes. Today I had a completely full sink and like the return of Jesus himself, there you were waiting with open arms. A brand new video on a movie I loved and it’s 26 minutes long. HE IS THE MESSIAH
Prey is straight up one of the best things to come out of any franchises in recent years... Well, other than them animated Spider-mans. I wanna see studios just give a bunch of clever people a cool $40mil to take something they revere and let them see what they can do with it without any requirements for it to be part of some 10 year plan. Or, just, spend less money on the films, make something new and promote it well. You'd think they'd love the idea of cheaper films with bigger profits. Smaller films minus the bloat and all the homework that comes with them.
Agreed, I wish the dialogue was in Comanche with an available English dub, instead of the other way around! Of course I will be very surprised if I ever see something like that happen for a big Hollywood project…
Big thing I loved about the dungeon and dragons movie was it felt like a d and d campaign and it was written and directed by people who actually like dand. Just do that producer guys!
You ever just think about the fact that since Naru has the pistol from Predator 2 that means at some point in her life she's going to have to deal with Predators again in a situation that results in one of them taking that pistol as a trophy? It's a little grim.
I don't care if this has already been pointed out multiple times. I'm gonna say something anyways. Because you know you're gonna get some sh*t for talking about Shane Black being an actor from the 1st movie, while showing someone who's NOT Shane Black in the video. And even if you knew that, and you purposely were showing a different actor.......well.....you're gonna take some crap still, because that would be a silly thing to do. 🤨 21:42 WTH, you did it twice?! I'm starting to wonder if you're just trolling us now. lol
love the topics he covers but man I swear he slows down his speech speed to x.75 to extend the. video length. I’ll save you time and recommend you put playback speed to x1.25
First of all, Prey was fucking great I'm... Somewhat bugged by the comparison to Kubrick at the end there, though. I feel like Kubrick is one of those people that western directors just use as a lazy shibboleth to signify "good". There's no Kubrick at all in Prey, or at least very little (maybe those overhead shots of trees recall the shining a little) I feel like there's far more Tarkovsky or Kurosawa in there. I still wouldn't want to make the direct comparison, I don't think it's really fair on Prey to raise it up that high when it's not trying to be that kind of movie. But Trachtenberg is absolutely a director who can combine subtext and visuals in the same way those greats did.
Sorry, but this is the worst of the mainline Predator movies. I can't stand high school bullshit of our protagonist's story. I found that it took too damn long to get to what was supposed to impress me. I don't care for the behavior of this Predator. Most importantly, for a creature that's drawn to heat and conflict, who thought Canada fit? It just felt like decisions were made to fit the production first then try to make it make some sense afterwards. This, in every way, felt like a 4/10 cheap film to make a quick buck and adds to the ever-growing pile of my disdain for modern movies.
Prey made me feel like THIS is the Predator video game I want. Two hunters, one proving ground. The more you hunt, the more you learn. The better gear you get. The same with the Predator. Every once in a while you come across either an "enemy camp" where you use the skills you've learned to clear it out or a camp cleared by your enemy and you both use the aftermath to scope out the skills and tools and try to match it. Every now and then when you're feeling brave, you set up a trap where a battle ensues which ends with either death or escape and that goes on till you succeed.
what makes me sad is that prey did everything it could to be respectful and to pay homage and tell a real story and there were STILL losers on youtube complaining about it being woke. one silver lining is that after people started liking it i saw a couple of take backsies because they realized it was popular
I wish the Terminator franchise would learn this lesson. I'd love to see a small-scale Terminator movie about characters not named Connor who are facing a Terminator that is actually scary again.
it's a rather fine piece of film making and its a step in the right direction, should someone in hollywood learns the right lesson and chooses to follow the rigt path, but is not a masterpiece, come on Mike!!!
here's all you need to know about Predator universe lore: The Yatuja (or something like that) are the titular Predators and they fly around the galaxy in nomadic ships that return to bases of operation, serving a matriarch along the way. Honor and Rank are decided by what badass shit you can hunt for them, so they hunt. Depending on things or not, the Yatuja occasionally hunt their cultural "Pinnacle Game", the Xenomorph. That's it, other than the fact to keep secrecy every hunter has a bomb that's serious shit, and they generally try to keep planets from getting overrun with Xenomorphs cause that ruins their game preserves
We're in the same situation with Videos Games too aren't we. Indie games are bigger than ever because they're usually an inventive and small brilliant story. Games like CoD might still sell a lot but that's the "casual" crowd for you. I can easily say that I think Prey is better than Predator because I never liked Predator too much anyway.
Best movie channel on RUclips. I wish I could write as well as these folks. I love his voice both narratively and in narration. What a great review of a great movie.
This film is up early on the prairie kicking the butts of every dudebro claiming people don't like female-led adventures. We desperately want them, we just need them to be as good as any other good movie. This film was bang on. They genuinely don't make movies like this anymore.
I have had my fingers crossed that Mikey would do this one. Best Predator film since the original. And it opens the door for more historical Predator films!
Ooooo. I think you nailed how these BIG ACTION franchises can come back and actually work. Terminator has sucked, Aliens as well. Give us small stories. Make them claustrophobic with little guy/girl stakes.
"Prey" is just a great movie, full stop. The choice of having the default audio be the Natives speak English while the white fur trappers speak French, thus the audience is set up to empathize with and understand the Natives, regardless of their own ethnicity, and see the fur trappers as "the outsider" and "the savage" because they don't even talk English! The fact that Shane Black, Arnie, AND Jesse Ventura all came out MASSIVELY positive about it is just further proof. "Predators," I feel, perfectly threads the needle on the tone and quality of Predator and Predator 2: it's not as good as the first, it's technically better than the second, and I like how stupid/silly the concept is. I think they had a perfect "logical extension" of the cultural concept of the antagonists, I think it's dumb/silly as HELL, but far more tonally consistent than that 2nd movie. Which is a beautiful disaster.
Hi Mikey, long time subscriber here. With respect and love, I just want to give you some feedback. I feel like the thing I've been missing from your past few videos and this one especially is that you don't say much about the movie you're talking about. This entire video can be distilled into one point: small and intimate entries in franchises are good. And you say that over and over. But why? What I'm missing is YOUR take, YOUR analysis. What makes it good? Point to specifics in the film, what's it doing different? I feel like you're just telling me it's great (I know! I've watched it!) but what else? It just feels a little repetitive and frustrating, especially when what I like about your work is your analysis.
I want a fresh (and preferably small) story told well in so many franchises. RoboCop? Yes, please. Alien? Oooh that'd be nice. Star Trek? We're sort-of getting that but could be better. Star Wars? Oooh, the reaction to Ahsoka is going to be :popcorn:. How about how everything Marvel is better when it's just a small story told well?
I'm not mad at Shane Black for "The Predator", just _very very_ disappointed. Because of "The Nice Guys" and "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang", I kind of saw him as not simply an action writer/director, but an action _auteur_ . As such, I had very high hopes on hearing the news that he was going to take us back to the OG Predator-verse, and we could cleanse our palate of AVP diversion (which, don't get me wrong, was fun). Sadly, disappointingly, "The Predator" was a huge letdown. I'd love to be able to blame "studio interference", rather than Shane Black himself, because I really really want to believe that "truth" rather than the possibility that Black made a shit film. Back to today's topic, "Prey" is so different from the original "Predator", but it _feels_ more like a Predator film than any of the others in the franchise, save for the original. And it managed to do this without condescending to obligatory fan service that so many other films do when returning to a franchise after a number of years. New audiences could enjoy "Prey" on its own, and fans of the original could reconnect with a familiar mythology.
Great video but just so you know, the actor you show to be Shane Black from Predator is not Shane Black. Shane Black is the guy with glasses named Hawkins that tells all the pussy jokes. The guy you show is Poncho played by Richard Chaves. It shows them in the awesome 80s sitcom end credits sequence.
Why does it trigger me so much that every time you mention Shane Black you show scenes from the original film, but it’s Richard Chavez? 😅 Is this a test? You know what Shane Black looks like in that movie, right? Right?! 🙈😂
Is nebula dropping the curiosity stream bundle? I want to keep supporting y'all, but like... $30/year is more than twice the curiosity stream *bundle* that includes a whole other service. And the lifetime membership costs as much as subscribing for *10* years? I mean it almost feels like asking for donations when it's that much more, which is fine but instead it's being presented like it's a good deal... Confusing.
One strength of Prey is that I'd be willing to have watched Naru's story unfold even without the Predator showing up. Which was one of the strengths of the original Predator. There's a good story & character already forming the spine of the movie, and then here's the swerve...
Damn, I never thought about it that way: a good Predator movie sets up a DIFFERENT good movie, and then it adds a Predator.
I enjoyed the first half of her story and the film. But it just started to reduce itself towards the end because the plot needed to fit her story. She went from being scared of a mountain lion and a bear, to struggling to best one young native hunter, to dispatching multiple trappers like John Wick to outsmarting and killing an interstellar alien who spends its entire life hunting. All of that in the span of a day. There were far more interesting ways to show her strengths without making her infallible by the end. Naru was pretty much pulling off acrobatics like Black Widow in MCU in that end showdown.
There was also that sacriligious retcon of Andolini from the short story that was already told years ago. Which kind of made me think the director didn't know the lore inside out as he kept saying lol. It was still head and shoulders above The Predator. But it definitely doesn't hold up next to Predator 2 and Predators. I'd love to know what the creator thinks of Prey. Because it's the antithesis to the reason he created the monster lol
@@ProfDCoy This might be the absolute best and most concise summary of Predator movies that I have ever seen.
@@skyfryer1223I assume you also critique the over the top 80's action hero gunfights of the original film?
@@skyfryer1223 'sacriligious retcon'? Who wrote that short story and was it actually considered official and canon to the films or simply canon to the Dark Horse comics continuity? I owned the Decade of Dark Horse book for a while back in late 90s (I'd also wanted an issue from a couple months later than had an Aliens story but sales of the first couple issues weren't strong at my then only remotely nearby comic shop and so they didn't order more). Thought that story was fine but I don't have any issue with Prey overwriting it and making it an alternate universe timeline sorta thing
And in my opinion Prey certainly beats Predators (which I find a total chore to sit through and problematic lead actor) and Predator 2 (which I enjoy and has some great scenes but it's got a lot of issues).
I do wish you had talked more about the impact this movie made on cinema as far as native american representation. the respect and care and dedication to having native writers and consultants on this film is so palpable. my brother cried when watching the movie because it felt made with love for our people. not to mention the fact that this film was also dubbed in comanche. which is bonkers expensive and the wanted to make sure they did that for native people.
I watched it twice just so I could experience it dubbed and I have to say I prefer the dubbed version! It feels even more authentic. Originally I thought they filmed scenes twice, once in each language. Now THAT would've been expensive, but it also would've been super epic. I'm glad for the dub though. Such a beautiful film.
THIS!
They didn’t sound like native Americans at all
@@FanWithNoName94 they are comanche people! and they spoke in comanche in the film but also did a dub! indigenous languages are plenty and varied so i am not sure what you mean by ‘sounding native american’
“It’s ok to tell small stories again.” I have to add that “Logan” also did this. I had several “discussions”about whether or not Logan was better than End Game, and I stand by that it was. For the same reason Prey is so stand out. Rather than saving the world, something that no one can relate to, it focuses on just saving the people you love and just how difficult even that is. Something I think far more people can relate to.
@JustMe-ne5dw ok I’ll give you Logan is better than End Game. I would say just slightly but that’s just my opinion and neither here nor there BUT Logan is not better than Infinity War which is basically the same movie as End Game just done better but with a bleaker ending. What say you to that?
Logan is a million times better than Endgame or Infinity War
@@KingOfWinter I understand why people love the character arc of Tony Stark, but at the same time, he’s a billionaire and has been able to enjoy every luxury life has to offer. Again, to me it’s relatability. Most people don’t experience that. Getting old, losing capabilities you used to have, losing a parent, not feeling accepted….this is far more common than the struggles of a billionaire finding his morality.
same. I remember liking Logan back when it came out but leaving kind of a bittersweet taste. But i keept coming back to it and every time i saw it again, i got new details. And now is one of my favorite films ever. While i didn't watched Endgame ever again since it hits theatres back in the day
@@nicolasriveros943 Endgame is epic, and does epic well, but it just didn’t hit like Logan does.
Just thinking about it, Logan is the first time we’ve seen in a movie what might happen to a superhero when they get old. Prior to that movie, they just stop making movies once the actors age out of being able to look young and invincible.
I would watch Prey in the theaters so many times!
"Nevermind saving the world, can you save yourself" is a film genre I have much enjoyed. Prey is beautiful.
Couldn’t agree more. Gets to what’s most important in a hurry.
I love what a *lean* movie Prey is. There's no franchise bloat, it doesn't feel a need to one-up the scale or stakes of the first film
That's why it was dull af
It's superb and yeah, refreshingly streamlined and slick in an age of over the top messy and chaotic franchise filmmaking.
@@carn9507 and that almost certainly made it easier to commit to plentiful location shooting, etc
@@blokey8 locations I neeeeed to see on the big screen (like i wished for in another comment a 'Predator / Prey' double feature at cinemas would be so awesome!). I've watched both movies countless times on my TV but I've never even experienced the first one on the big screen. I did recently finally get to see Aliens at a cinema though and it was almost like watching it for the first time again! :)
I'd do bad, bad things to get that double-bill@@carn9507
I hope something as simply beautiful as Prey can be done in the Alien franchise
We do have the new one coming from Fede Alvarez now!
I watched this with my brother (both in the second half of our 30s) thinking we were going to see 'the newest Disney film'(oh old and naïve we were), because we wanted something easy to watch after a tiring day.
We must've looked hilarious as we figured out that this was not that, but neither of us was disappointed. It was a bit 'what the effy', because neither of us was familiar with the franchise beyond it's name and concept. But this is a good film. Even as a standalone.
Predator 2 has some brilliant, often overlooked subtext. It released just before the LA Race Riots. And it's a movie where, in an environment of over the top gang war, the Predator singles out a cop with a laundry list of excessive force complaints as the most worthy prey.
BUT DID YOU KNOW: The fact that Naru whistles to get the Predator's attention at the end is significant. Traditionally, Comanche never whistled because they believed it could summon demons. So when you said she crawled through hell rings even more true because at the end she was metaphorically summoning the devil.
What an awesome piece of knowledge, thanks!
i watched/rewatched all the predator and alien movies earlier this year and i did not expect Prey to end up being my second favorite of them overall (just after Alien), but it is! Gorgeous delightful cool movie. A perfect refreshing note to end that marathon on
"Pay your artists and listen to them" Mikey, you nailed it. Bravo sir
Just remember to actually hire *ARTISTS* instead of activists and you shouldn't run into any issues hopefully...
Love this video... but I twice noticed that you mentioned Shane Black and then showed footage Richard Chavez, which felt like it was suggesting that that actor was Shane. Both times were good reaction faces, so perhaps it's on purpose?
I was just about to post the same thing. 👍
Prey is a masterpiece, without a doubt. It is either #1 or #2 in the series to me, and I say that as someone who has huge nostalgia for the first one. I was just the right age when it came out. Prey was the first since Predator 2 that didn't make me cringe at some point, and I was completely invested 5 minutes in. Whatever the grander lesson, I want more movies made with this ethos.
Rewatch Predator 2, it's got a LOT of cringey moments, including the premise, which is a conservative fantasy of a city overrun by gangs of people of color, and the police in the 90s somehow being the good guys
To add to something unbelievable about this film, they cared enough to also do the dialog in the proper language for one version. Yeah, there's two versions and one is mostly subtitled.
Someone else said in the comments that she could tell it was made with love for the Comanche specifically because of that. I think it’s awesome that in revisiting the western genre, they get a true voice from their own language to create a new myth.
Thank you for mentioning that 'Predators' is actually a pretty damn good movie. Robert Rodriguez is chronically underappreciated. That film was both a love letter and a mirror to the original 'Predator'.
Can't forgive him for what he did to my boy Boba fett though
Predators is so good and so little remembered. I love it.
@@R4GEingthe first episode he directed, we missed the credits… literally turned to my brother and said WTH, This looks like a bad Robert Rodriguez parody? Oops.
Lol, he’s a parody of himself on Boba Fett, and it’s just soo out of place.
I loved that move too!! Can't believe ppl didn't like it along with Prometheus.
8:54 "Also... Walton Goggins"
My man, speaking my language
I love and have been chronically disappointed by the Predator franchise. Prey was everything I wanted and never knew I'd get. I've rewatched it so many times. And honestly, it's what I desperately want for Star Wars too, another franchise lost in the weeds of 'too much'
This movie was such a joy, glad to see it continuing getting coverage.
I cannot adequately describe just how much I loved this movie
Prey was great. Still holding a nostalgia candle for Predator 2
Fun fact: there's another movie called Prey (2019) that's about "A young man surviving an island retreat while a sinister force hunts him, leaving bodies in its wake". I watched about 15mins of this wondering when the Predator/ Comanche stuff was going to start happening... The dangers of not using 'legal' methods of watching films...
Great analysis of the Predator franchise, Mikey! The financial rollercoaster from the original to Predator 2, and the cultural snapshot that the latter film provides, is pure gold. Schwarzenegger's absence was definitely felt, but Danny Glover and Gary Busey brought their unique energies that kept us intrigued. "Predators" was a mixed bag, but I appreciated the effort. Shane Black's 2018 film might have dared to take risks, but it was such a mess. "PREY" is simply a masterpiece. Dan Trachtenberg's bold vision showcases what a versatile and inventive director can bring to a franchise. He meshed respect for the original with groundbreaking originality.
We need more predator movies like this one. The predator culture as hunters through human generations is a really cool concepts
It's actually fine not to beat the absolute piss out of a good concept.
It’s literally all they need to do and people will love it. It’s like the Highlander of Predators
@@GCdevine1Shoot, theres an idea right there.
Predator vs a Scottish Highlander.!
@@natemiller6363Get where you're coming from, but as long as they're well made I don't mind
Your praise of this movie is why I will now watch it.
Yes!!! A Mikey video! I'm having a bad day and it just got at least a little better!
The casting and acting were also superb. Amber Midthunder was amazing.
This is Movies with Mikey firing on all cylinders, the secret sauce I've loved from this channel for nearly a decade now. A small (in scope) deserving movie, the rocky path to creation (pun intended), the connection to current events in the world, the call to action for the industry and fans...speaking of the power of nostalgia, this video did it for me.
Got a lot of love for Pred 1, 2, Predators, and Prey.
Prey remind me of Bumblebee. The collapse of a franchise down to a small movie with few characters, an emotional throughpoint, and a genuinely love of the material that is felt throughout the entire movie. Hopefully Prey inspires a better follow-up than Bumblebee did...
I've been loving this movie since it released. Watched it 3 times that month and at least twice a year since. Great video!
That's not Shane Black every time you say his name. Shane was Hawkins with the glasses, first kill.
This is actually the only Predator film I've ever watched. And I still think it would be hard to convince me it's not the best one. It's one of the most well executed but simple stories I've ever seen.
Once again you have taken a thing I love and informed me why I love it. I would have still loved Prey with out this video, but I could not explain it to myself as well as you explained to me.
Best way to see Prey is with the Comanche dub!
Mikey and Prey. Two of my favorite things.
This was the first predator movie I saw, and it was one of my favorite movies of the year.
So have you watched the first one or any of the others yet?
Prey was alright, but I don't understand those who talk like it was God's gift to the world: It's the 3rd or 4th best Predator film.
Dude. I watched Prey immediately after watching your essay. Holy smokes that’s a good movie!
Predators IS good actually! And Prey is a goddamned masterpiece.
I'm calling bull💩 on that axe with a string though 🤷
I was thinking much you said would apply to Logan also. You are so right about smaller films.
i was 100% convinved this movie would suck after a friend talked me into watching it so i loved this movie way more than i should. it was awesome.
Please bring back Deep Dive!
This movie is my favorite predator movie by far- but I am indigenous and had never watched the original until last year, so I may be biased, or unburdened by nostalgia, depending on how you see it.
I hate these videos aren't getting the views they used to. Mikey is still at the top of his game and producing the best video essays on RUclips.
Mikey turns out carefully written and thought out videos that take time to craft. RUclips rewards turning out crappy throwaway content twice a week to keep the algorithm fed with cheap content. Excuse me while I go water my garden with electrolytes.
I don't see any comment on it. FYI, Um Actually, with love ofc, your clips of Shane Black in Predator were of Poncho. Shane Black played Hawkins (with glasses)
Predator 1 was an amazing action movie. Like front to back it’s just pure action.
Loved the first predator but I really think Prey is a better movie.
@@francistaylor1822same
Love this movie. We can only hope Hollywood takes the right notes given its success. Though it is a bit concerning that prey has had this much success despite not having a theatrical release.
One of my favorite things is watching/listening to long videos while I clean the dishes.
Today I had a completely full sink and like the return of Jesus himself, there you were waiting with open arms. A brand new video on a movie I loved and it’s 26 minutes long.
HE IS THE MESSIAH
Okay, I'll bite...Shane Black played Hawkins, not Poncho as shown... 🤷🏼♂️
The passport to another world ... another culture is part of its major draw. I just hope the major actors can find work after this movie.
Prey is straight up one of the best things to come out of any franchises in recent years... Well, other than them animated Spider-mans. I wanna see studios just give a bunch of clever people a cool $40mil to take something they revere and let them see what they can do with it without any requirements for it to be part of some 10 year plan. Or, just, spend less money on the films, make something new and promote it well. You'd think they'd love the idea of cheaper films with bigger profits. Smaller films minus the bloat and all the homework that comes with them.
I still want a directors cut or something like it from this film in Comanche.
Agreed, I wish the dialogue was in Comanche with an available English dub, instead of the other way around! Of course I will be very surprised if I ever see something like that happen for a big Hollywood project…
Big thing I loved about the dungeon and dragons movie was it felt like a d and d campaign and it was written and directed by people who actually like dand. Just do that producer guys!
You ever just think about the fact that since Naru has the pistol from Predator 2 that means at some point in her life she's going to have to deal with Predators again in a situation that results in one of them taking that pistol as a trophy? It's a little grim.
And they could subvert expectations on how that is retrieved. 👍👍
I love this movie so much. Great job as always, Mikey!
I don't care if this has already been pointed out multiple times. I'm gonna say something anyways. Because you know you're gonna get some sh*t for talking about Shane Black being an actor from the 1st movie, while showing someone who's NOT Shane Black in the video. And even if you knew that, and you purposely were showing a different actor.......well.....you're gonna take some crap still, because that would be a silly thing to do. 🤨
21:42 WTH, you did it twice?! I'm starting to wonder if you're just trolling us now. lol
love the topics he covers but man I swear he slows down his speech speed to x.75 to extend the. video length.
I’ll save you time and recommend you put playback speed to x1.25
First of all, Prey was fucking great
I'm... Somewhat bugged by the comparison to Kubrick at the end there, though. I feel like Kubrick is one of those people that western directors just use as a lazy shibboleth to signify "good". There's no Kubrick at all in Prey, or at least very little (maybe those overhead shots of trees recall the shining a little)
I feel like there's far more Tarkovsky or Kurosawa in there. I still wouldn't want to make the direct comparison, I don't think it's really fair on Prey to raise it up that high when it's not trying to be that kind of movie.
But Trachtenberg is absolutely a director who can combine subtext and visuals in the same way those greats did.
Sorry, but this is the worst of the mainline Predator movies. I can't stand high school bullshit of our protagonist's story. I found that it took too damn long to get to what was supposed to impress me. I don't care for the behavior of this Predator. Most importantly, for a creature that's drawn to heat and conflict, who thought Canada fit? It just felt like decisions were made to fit the production first then try to make it make some sense afterwards.
This, in every way, felt like a 4/10 cheap film to make a quick buck and adds to the ever-growing pile of my disdain for modern movies.
Prey made me feel like THIS is the Predator video game I want. Two hunters, one proving ground. The more you hunt, the more you learn. The better gear you get. The same with the Predator. Every once in a while you come across either an "enemy camp" where you use the skills you've learned to clear it out or a camp cleared by your enemy and you both use the aftermath to scope out the skills and tools and try to match it. Every now and then when you're feeling brave, you set up a trap where a battle ensues which ends with either death or escape and that goes on till you succeed.
I seem to be in the minority but just do not understand the hype around this. I’m seeing people put it over the original Predator for goodness sake.
what makes me sad is that prey did everything it could to be respectful and to pay homage and tell a real story and there were STILL losers on youtube complaining about it being woke. one silver lining is that after people started liking it i saw a couple of take backsies because they realized it was popular
I wish the Terminator franchise would learn this lesson. I'd love to see a small-scale Terminator movie about characters not named Connor who are facing a Terminator that is actually scary again.
it's a rather fine piece of film making and its a step in the right direction, should someone in hollywood learns the right lesson and chooses to follow the rigt path, but is not a masterpiece, come on Mike!!!
here's all you need to know about Predator universe lore: The Yatuja (or something like that) are the titular Predators and they fly around the galaxy in nomadic ships that return to bases of operation, serving a matriarch along the way. Honor and Rank are decided by what badass shit you can hunt for them, so they hunt. Depending on things or not, the Yatuja occasionally hunt their cultural "Pinnacle Game", the Xenomorph. That's it, other than the fact to keep secrecy every hunter has a bomb that's serious shit, and they generally try to keep planets from getting overrun with Xenomorphs cause that ruins their game preserves
I would love for the Terminator movies to get the Prey treatment...
A Movies with Mikey about my favorite movie of last year? Let’s gooooo.
That song starting at 16.00... I *know* that song. What the heck is it called?!?! xD
Don't you wish that prey had a post credit scene involving an alternative reality predator hinting at a multiverse?
I really hope the Terminator franchise learns from this and goes back to basics. Or just, don't make another Terminator movie. That works too.
We're in the same situation with Videos Games too aren't we. Indie games are bigger than ever because they're usually an inventive and small brilliant story. Games like CoD might still sell a lot but that's the "casual" crowd for you.
I can easily say that I think Prey is better than Predator because I never liked Predator too much anyway.
More like overrated predator movie!
Best movie channel on RUclips. I wish I could write as well as these folks. I love his voice both narratively and in narration. What a great review of a great movie.
This film is up early on the prairie kicking the butts of every dudebro claiming people don't like female-led adventures.
We desperately want them, we just need them to be as good as any other good movie. This film was bang on. They genuinely don't make movies like this anymore.
I think this might be an episode where you get a little too much into the weeds instead of focusing on the film.
When I mentioned to my wife that Adrian Brody had put on 20 pounds of muscle for the role she replied, 'Reeeeeally...'.
re-visiting this one. I still think it's hilarious that you show Richard Chaves every time you reference Shane Black in the OG Predator movie.
Seeing this pop up in my feed made me finally go watch this and I don't regret it. Thanks for the push, awesome awesome awesome.
Wrong actor when talking about Shane Black. Dope af video though.
Every time you mention Shane Black you cut to footage of Richard Chaves as Pancho. Just thought I'd mention it, as have other I suspect.
4:04 Sorry, but that’s Poncho played by Richard Chaves. Shane Black played Hawkins, the guy with the huge glasses.
YES!!! YES !!! YES!!! YES !!! YES!!! YES !!! YES!!! YES !!! YES!!! YES !!! YES!!! YES !!! YES!!! YES !!! YES!!! YES !!!. WE NEED STUDIOS TO LET ARTISTS TELL STORIES!
I have had my fingers crossed that Mikey would do this one. Best Predator film since the original. And it opens the door for more historical Predator films!
Love your content but why do you keep showing Richard Chaves, (Poncho) when talking about Shane Black, (Hawkins) ????? That made me crazy.
The "Perfect Predator" has existed for 35 years. It a movie called "Predator"
I would say perfect is taking it too far, but it definitely is the best one since the first. And I loved that there was no EXTENDED FRANCHISE BAITING.
Prey is easily in my top ten best films made in the last decade and top ten favorites.
Ooooo. I think you nailed how these BIG ACTION franchises can come back and actually work. Terminator has sucked, Aliens as well. Give us small stories. Make them claustrophobic with little guy/girl stakes.
This could be the start of an ancient series of predator films. Have predator attacking Aztec warriors, Greek Spartans, African Zulu warriors, etc
"Prey" is just a great movie, full stop. The choice of having the default audio be the Natives speak English while the white fur trappers speak French, thus the audience is set up to empathize with and understand the Natives, regardless of their own ethnicity, and see the fur trappers as "the outsider" and "the savage" because they don't even talk English!
The fact that Shane Black, Arnie, AND Jesse Ventura all came out MASSIVELY positive about it is just further proof.
"Predators," I feel, perfectly threads the needle on the tone and quality of Predator and Predator 2: it's not as good as the first, it's technically better than the second, and I like how stupid/silly the concept is. I think they had a perfect "logical extension" of the cultural concept of the antagonists, I think it's dumb/silly as HELL, but far more tonally consistent than that 2nd movie. Which is a beautiful disaster.
Hi Mikey, long time subscriber here. With respect and love, I just want to give you some feedback. I feel like the thing I've been missing from your past few videos and this one especially is that you don't say much about the movie you're talking about. This entire video can be distilled into one point: small and intimate entries in franchises are good. And you say that over and over. But why? What I'm missing is YOUR take, YOUR analysis. What makes it good? Point to specifics in the film, what's it doing different? I feel like you're just telling me it's great (I know! I've watched it!) but what else? It just feels a little repetitive and frustrating, especially when what I like about your work is your analysis.
You guys realize you kept showing a clip of "Poncho" for Shane Black right? He didn't play that guy. He was Hawkins.
I want a fresh (and preferably small) story told well in so many franchises. RoboCop? Yes, please. Alien? Oooh that'd be nice. Star Trek? We're sort-of getting that but could be better. Star Wars? Oooh, the reaction to Ahsoka is going to be :popcorn:. How about how everything Marvel is better when it's just a small story told well?
I’ve signed up for the £30 a year Nebula subscription. 😎
I'm not mad at Shane Black for "The Predator", just _very very_ disappointed. Because of "The Nice Guys" and "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang", I kind of saw him as not simply an action writer/director, but an action _auteur_ . As such, I had very high hopes on hearing the news that he was going to take us back to the OG Predator-verse, and we could cleanse our palate of AVP diversion (which, don't get me wrong, was fun). Sadly, disappointingly, "The Predator" was a huge letdown. I'd love to be able to blame "studio interference", rather than Shane Black himself, because I really really want to believe that "truth" rather than the possibility that Black made a shit film.
Back to today's topic, "Prey" is so different from the original "Predator", but it _feels_ more like a Predator film than any of the others in the franchise, save for the original. And it managed to do this without condescending to obligatory fan service that so many other films do when returning to a franchise after a number of years. New audiences could enjoy "Prey" on its own, and fans of the original could reconnect with a familiar mythology.
Great video but just so you know, the actor you show to be Shane Black from Predator is not Shane Black. Shane Black is the guy with glasses named Hawkins that tells all the pussy jokes. The guy you show is Poncho played by Richard Chaves. It shows them in the awesome 80s sitcom end credits sequence.
Why does it trigger me so much that every time you mention Shane Black you show scenes from the original film, but it’s Richard Chavez? 😅 Is this a test? You know what Shane Black looks like in that movie, right? Right?! 🙈😂
I just found out you had a RUclips channel and hope you’re doing ok with your condition, CATCH A RIIIIIDEE
Is nebula dropping the curiosity stream bundle? I want to keep supporting y'all, but like... $30/year is more than twice the curiosity stream *bundle* that includes a whole other service. And the lifetime membership costs as much as subscribing for *10* years? I mean it almost feels like asking for donations when it's that much more, which is fine but instead it's being presented like it's a good deal... Confusing.