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Tag: dane-diliegro

  • Movie Review: ‘Imaginary’

    Pyper Braun as Alice jn 'Imaginary.'
    Pyper Braun as Alice jn ‘Imaginary.’ Photo Credit: Parrish Lewis.

    Opening in theaters on March 8th, ‘Imaginary’ is the latest horror from the increasingly prolific –– and increasingly hit-or-miss Blumhouse team. Sadly, the story of a long-dormant childhood fear factor coming back to haunt a woman and her family is more firmly in the “miss” category.

    While imaginary friends are clearly on filmmakers’ minds at the moment between this and John Krasinski’s upcoming, much more family-orientated ‘IF’, the new attempt at finding terror in the mundane-meets-the-metaphysical is more disappointing than most of Blumhouse’s recent efforts.

    Related Article: Allison Williams Talks ‘M3GAN’ and working with director Gerard Johnstone

    Does ‘Imaginary’ Dream Up Some Real Terror?

    DeWanda Wise as Jessica in 'Imaginary.'
    DeWanda Wise as Jessica in ‘Imaginary.’ Photo Credit: Parrish Lewis.

    How much you appreciate ‘Imaginary’ might depend on your tolerance for seemingly endless passages of exposition delivered in the middle of scenes, effectively grinding the movie to a halt so someone can spout off about spirits and their filtering through different cultures.

    It’s either that or some fairly rote frights blended awkwardly with mawkish bonding as a step-family learns to come together via the power of, er, a terrifying bear.

    Script and Direction

    DeWanda Wise as Jessica and Director Jeff Wadlow on the set of 'Imaginary.'
    (L to R) DeWanda Wise as Jessica and Director Jeff Wadlow on the set of ‘Imaginary.’ Photo Credit: Parrish Lewis.

    The script for this new horror movie is unfortunately one of its weakest points. Cranked out by Greg Erb and Jason Oremland alongside the film’s director, Jeff Wadlow, it’s an uneasy mish-mash of predictable plot points and even less surprising jump scares.

    And the tone is all over the place; while it can be a good thing to spend some time setting up your characters, ‘Imaginary’ doesn’t boast particularly original examples in the first place, its dynamic built on over-used fractiousness between the members of this blended family. There’s plenty of scope for terror in the idea of danger lurking from someone’s past and haunting their present, but the concepts here have been brought to screens several times before in more original and satisfying fashion.

    Even worse, there are glaring signposts all over the place, from the main character’s job (a children’s book writer/illustrator obsessed with a spider character and terrorized by a giant arachnid in her nightmares) to scenes of a child psychologist interviewing our heroine’s younger step daughter, only for things to take a disturbing turn.

    There are ways to combine obvious elements in a way that feels fresh (see, for example, the ‘Spider-Verse’ movies, which take the endlessly-exploited Spider-Man origin and find new things to say, layering on extra emotion and meaning), but ‘Imaginary’ is content to stay simmering at a lukewarm pace and level of thoughtfulness.

    Wadlow, meanwhile does himself and his cast no favors on the directing front. This is largely blandly shot, and while he looks to get experimental in the final act, even that is embarrassingly amateurish, a sort of Tim Burton-lite funhouse that even by Blumhouse’s tightly budgeted standards looks cheap and humiliating. Sure, it’s meant to be grown from children’s imagination, but did it need to look so shockingly low rent? And the less said about the final forms of the creatures, the better.

    Performances

    DeWanda Wise as Jessica and Pyper Braun as Alice in 'Imaginary.'
    (L to R) DeWanda Wise as Jessica and Pyper Braun as Alice in ‘Imaginary.’ Photo Credit: Parrish Lewis.

    Playing our main protagonist, conflicted stepmother Jessica, DeWanda Wise struggles with breathing life into such a blandly predictable character. She’s got the past emotional baggage, the distant, ailing father (if you don’t guess why he’s in the condition he is from the moment you meet him, shame on you), and entirely uninspiring issues with her current family. Wise is watchable, but even she can’t save this role.

    As her youngest step-kid Alice, Pyper Braun does a serviceable enough job, working best when she’s channeling ‘The Exorcist’ for a “conversation” with seemingly haunted bear Chauncey in front of Dr. Soto (Veronica Falcón). A bundle of her own neuroses, Alice is a perfectly fine foil for the main threat, but even she’s mostly called upon to be sweet, pouty or scared in entirely basic fashion.

    The less said about her teen sister Taylor, played by Taegen Burns, the better. It’s no fault of Burns, who is burdened with a completely cliché rebellious type who boringly wants to spend time with the hunky teenage boy next door or shout at Jessica that she’s not her real mom and shouldn’t look to replace her in Alice’s affections. There is something interesting to be mined in the portrayal of a young woman forced to grow up quicker than expected and care for her sister, but ‘Imaginary’ does so in utterly facile fashion.

    Everyone else in the film is either an exposition spout or so paper thin (Tom Payne’s Max, who a musician who leaves to go on tour so quickly he might as well not be in the movie) that they barely register.

    And Chauncey, the totem for the title’s not-so-imaginary being? He won’t replace M3GAN in anyone’s list of great horror characters.

    Final Thoughts

    Pyper Braun as Alice in 'Imaginary.'
    Pyper Braun as Alice in ‘Imaginary.’ Photo Credit: Parrish Lewis.

    Unlikely to end up on anyone’s list of best horror movies (though at least it has the completely disposable, low-rent likes of ‘Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey’ to compare favorably against in the pantheon of scare bears), ‘Imaginary’ has a couple of decent moments, but neither is enough to rescue it from coming across as a bargain bin horror.

    Wadlow has made better horror before ‘Cry Wolf; for one, and even ‘Truth or Dare’ but this represents him on autopilot. Thinking it’ll make for a solid night of terror at the movies? You’re imagining things.

    ‘Imaginary’ receives 5 out of 10 stars.

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    What’s the Story of ‘Imaginary’?

    When Jessica (DeWanda Wise) returns to her childhood home with her family, she finds her old teddy bear, Chauncey, and sees that her youngest stepdaughter Alice (Pyper Braun) has grown attached to it.

    After Alice’s behavior becomes concerning, and the games that she and Chauncey play turn increasingly sinister, Jessica starts realizing that Chauncey is much more than the stuffed bear she believed him to be for all those years…

    Who Else is in ‘Imaginary’?

    Wise and Braun are joined in the movie by Tom Payne, Betty Buckley, Taegen Burns, Matthew Sato, Verónica Falcón and Dane DiLiegro (who voices Chauncey).

    Pyper Braun as Alice jn 'Imaginary.'
    Pyper Braun as Alice jn ‘Imaginary.’ Photo Credit: Parrish Lewis.

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  • ‘Prey’ Blu-ray Interview: Director Dan Trachtenberg

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    Available on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD beginning October 3rd is the critically acclaimed and Emmy-nominated movie ‘Prey,’ which is the fifth film in the main ‘Predator’ series and the seventh overall in the franchise, and was directed by Dan Trachtenberg (’10 Cloverfield Lane’).

    What is the plot of ‘Prey’?

    Set in the Comanche Nation 300 years ago, ‘Prey’ is the story of a young woman, Naru (Amber Midthunder), a fierce and highly skilled warrior. She has been raised in the shadow of some of the most legendary hunters who roam the Great Plains, so when danger threatens her camp, she sets out to prove herself a worthy hunter. The prey she stalks, and ultimately confronts, turns out to be a highly evolved alien Predator with a technically advanced arsenal, resulting in a vicious and terrifying showdown between the two adversaries.

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    Who is in the cast of ‘Prey’?

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director Dan Trachtenberg about his work on ‘Prey,’ the deleted scenes on the Blu-ray, reinventing the ‘Predator’ franchise, designing the primitive Predator and his weapons, casting Amber Midthunder, his original plan for the film’s dialogue to be completely in Comanche, the movie’s surprising Emmy-nominations, and his plans for a possible sequel.

    Dakota Beavers as Taabe, Director Dan Trachtenberg, and Amber Midthunder as Naru behind the scenes of 20th Century Studios' 'Prey,' exclusively on Hulu.
    (L to R) Dakota Beavers as Taabe, Director Dan Trachtenberg, and Amber Midthunder as Naru behind the scenes of 20th Century Studios’ ‘Prey,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo by John P. Johnson. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.

    Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about reinventing the ‘Predator’ franchise and taking it back to its roots with ‘Prey’?

    Dan Trachtenberg: Honestly, I didn’t really come at this thinking, “I want to make a ‘Predator’ movie. I’m going to make a prequel and I’m going to do this.” I really came at it from wanting to make a period science fiction film and make a movie that could be primarily told with action, but that wasn’t just a visceral experience, and that could be a really emotional one as well. So I thought about maybe taking the engine of a sports film, of an underdog story and infusing that into this other genre. When thinking of underdogs, I started thinking about, well, what’s a protagonist that we rarely see on screen? Then I went to Native American and Comanche in particular, who have historically been so often relegated to playing the sidekick or the villain and never really the hero. Then when thinking of what that period was and what science fiction element could feel right, not like a bad mixture, but more like that peanut butter and jelly that really would go great together. The ‘Predator’ came to mind because it’s what it represents thematically and that it’s always coming hunting, searching for the alpha, seemed to make so much sense with what our protagonist story is dealing with. The period sci-fi of it all just sort of melted together.

    Harlan Blayne Kytwayhat as Itsee, Amber Midthunder as Naru, and Dakota Beavers as Taabe in 20th Century Studios' 'Prey,' exclusively on Hulu.
    (L to R) Harlan Blayne Kytwayhat as Itsee, Amber Midthunder as Naru, and Dakota Beavers as Taabe in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Prey,’ exclusively on Hulu. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    MF: In commentary on the Blu-ray, you mention that the original plan was to have all the dialogue in the movie be in Comanche. Can you talk about that idea and when you decided to not go in that direction?

    DT: Yeah, that was the initial concept. I think just as it evolved, it started to feel like that wouldn’t be possible and was certainly quite an intense undertaking as even just filming part of the movie in Comanche. As I mentioned, I think in the commentary and some of the special features, it was originally the opening sequence and then there was a transition. Because there’s a few different languages in the film already, all of that started to feel very confusing as we started to test the film. So as we moved towards English being the primary language, we luckily found a way, especially guided by Jhane Myers our producer who’s Comanche herself, and found a way to do this Comanche language dub of the film. We’ve come a long way with our ability and technology in movie dubs. It’s not like our memory of old ‘Godzilla’ films. So yeah, we got to make a movie with a version of the film that functions as a bit of language preservation in some regard, and also is the more authentic version of the movie.

    Amber Midthunder as Naru and Director Dan Trachtenberg behind the scenes of 20th Century Studios' 'Prey,' exclusively on Hulu.
    (L to R) Amber Midthunder as Naru and Director Dan Trachtenberg behind the scenes of 20th Century Studios’ ‘Prey,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo by David Bukach. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    MF: The Blu-ray also includes three deleted scenes including an alternate opening sequence. Can you talk about those scenes and why they were ultimately cut from the movie?

    DT: So the opening sequence, it was more oriented to the dynamics of the band and less about Naru and her relationship with her brother, which we realized was the primary focus of the movie. It was very tricky also in navigating language. I really thought initially that we could pull off the thing that ‘The Hunt for Red October’ does, that a number of films do, including another John McTiernan film, ‘13th Warrior.’ It’s also worth mentioning that the original ‘Predator’ was also directed by John McTiernan. So it felt like, “Oh, we can do it,” but it just felt too heavy-handed in the language of our movie and the aesthetic of our movie to do something so aggressive. So we moved off of that. Then there’s another deleted scene with Naru and a young girl in her band that came up in the commentary that I had forgotten about until Amber had mentioned as we watched the movie together. According to the commentary, she mentions that one scene that didn’t make the final cut, that when we shot it was a moment that her character Naru really coalesced. Really what it was for me was a couple of things. One, this is a relationship between an older woman and a young girl that we don’t often see in movies like this, and there was a softness to it that we don’t often see in movies that are this aggressive, that I love aesthetically. There’s wind blowing through her hair and it was so elemental. Also, Amber’s physicality as we were still trying to figure it out as Naru, there was just something in her performance that we were able to look at and find our way through the rest of the movie after we’d shot that scene. Then there’s this awesome Previs that was meant to be a really exhilarating treetop chase sequence, and I loved that there was this very clever use of the Predator’s cut clamp weapon that Naru was turning against him. But our schedule was getting tighter and tighter, and that’s a giant sequence that I was a little bit anxious about how we could execute it effectively because so much of the movie has such a grounded aesthetic. We were building trees, we had blocked off this parking lot outside of our stage to start building trees, but the schedule was tight and I could have fought to squeeze it in, and instead I allowed it to be a bit of a negotiating chip to buy myself more time for filming other things. Then it allowed us to have a montage sequence of Nadu preparing to take down the Predator and set her traps. That made Naru in the end scene that was there in any version much more clever in that sequence and helped for some clarity issues. So ultimately I do feel confident that it was a wise decision, but I also love that it’s now available for people to see. It’s fun to see what filmmakers, we look at all the time, this animatic Previs, which now people at home can see what it looks like before we shoot the movie.

    Amber Midthunder as Naru in 20th Century Studios' 'Prey,' exclusively on Hulu.
    Amber Midthunder as Naru in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Prey,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo by David Bukach. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    MF: Can you talk about casting Amber Midthunder, what she brought to Naru and the direction that you wanted the character to go in?

    DT: All props to our casting director Renee Haynes, who had to find a lot of awesome, largely unknown actors. Amber was a little more known and when I first met her, I knew right away that she was the one, but we still put her through her paces. We had her audition and screen test performing one scene three ways in English, in Comanche, and silently, a dialogue scene without any words. She was tremendous and emotional, and so much of this movie is nonverbal so that was just such a key piece to see that she had inherently. Then there’s a physical portion of the audition, all of it, even in the physical portion, it wasn’t just, “Look at how physically capable she is.” It was like, “Oh, she’s still storytelling even when she’s just hopping over some mats and sliding under a broom.” She was great. The experience of making it, not only was it fun because she’s a good human and it easily could have been very unfun. We were in very uncomfortable places like mud and dangerous cliffs and things. A lot of opportunity to have a bad attitude and it never went there. She was amazing. Our crew was amazing. I count ourselves lucky to have had such a great experience just in the making of the movie.

    Dane DiLiegro as the Predator in 20th Century Studios' 'Prey,' exclusively on Hulu.
    Dane DiLiegro as the Predator in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Prey,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo by David Bukach. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    MF: Since this movie is set before the original ‘Predator,’ can you talk about the specific look you wanted for the Predator character and making his weapons primitive but still advanced for the time?

    DT: There was a real high wire act as we were in the development and prep phase of finding a way that we could visually tell the story that this is a creature that is prior to the ones we’ve seen before, but not letting go of the premise. The fun of the premise is here’s someone with very Earthly means up against something that is beyond, the “David versus Goliath” of that. So we found a way to blend more analog weaponry, but still with tech infused. So there’s a shield and there’s bolts, but the bolts are laser guided and the shield is deployed in a very advanced way. He’s less armored, the creature, than we’ve seen before, but still has some tech and the mask is a piece of technology, yet it is made of bones and embraces more the ethos, the sort of guiding principle of the predator, which is a trophy hunter, so it’s wearing its trophy on its head, and on its face. We definitely crossed lines over and over in prep, of is this too far forward, is this is too advanced, and on the other side, what I feared was in making it less advanced, I never wanted to make it easier. Like, “Oh, that’s why this character can take down the Predator. We made it easier for them,” and that’s not what we wanted to do. So I think in the end we struck a nice balance.

    Director Dan Trachtenberg behind the scenes of 20th Century Studios' 'Prey,' exclusively on Hulu.
    Director Dan Trachtenberg behind the scenes of 20th Century Studios’ ‘Prey,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo by David Bukach. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    MF: Do you have ideas for more films in this series, and would they be direct sequels to ‘Prey,’ or would you continue to examine the Predators visits to Earth in different time periods?

    DT: I definitely can’t speak to any specifics, but to answer your first question, yes, I have had lots of ideas about what to do. I think there’s so many awesome things and the primary focus when I was thinking of all the cool things to do and all of my collaborators thinking of what more could we do was not just to merely tell the next minute of the story that was established in this film. That this movie I think does something special, and the idea would be in going forward, if we were to ever make a sequel, that it also could be special. What else is there in ‘Predator’ fiction in any of the universe or even this genre of movie that hasn’t been done before? Those are the things that excite me the most. So those are the kinds of things we were thinking about.

    Amber Midthunder as Naru behind the scenes of 20th Century Studios' 'Prey,' exclusively on Hulu.
    Amber Midthunder as Naru behind the scenes of 20th Century Studios’ ‘Prey,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo by David Bukach. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    MF: Finally, congratulations on the film’s Emmy nominations. Since the movie was originally intended to be a feature film, were you surprised to be nominated for an Emmy?

    DT: Sure was. Definitely. Certainly you go in making a movie and you don’t think an Emmy is in your future, is part one of that. Part two of that is you make a ‘Predator’ movie filled with spine rips and head slices and you don’t think Emmy. Obviously, we put a lot of blood and sweat into trying to make the movie much more than those things, but still it is remarkably cool of the TV Academy to recognize a movie like ours.

    'Prey' will be available on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD October 3, with over two hours of all-new bonus features.
    ‘Prey’ will be available on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD October 3, with over two hours of all-new bonus features.

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    Where to Watch: ‘Prey’ Online

    Buy ‘Predator’ Movies on Amazon

     

  • Movie Review: ‘Prey’

    Amber Midthunder as Naru and Dane DiLiegro as the Predator in 20th Century Studios' 'Prey.'
    (L to R) Amber Midthunder as Naru and Dane DiLiegro as the Predator in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Prey,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo by David Bukach. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    Premiering on Hulu August 5th is the latest movie in the ‘Predator’ franchise called ‘Prey,’ which is a prequel to the original and directed by ‘10 Cloverfield Lane’s Dan Trachtenberg.

    ‘Prey’ is set in the Comanche Nation during 1719 and follows a resilient and highly skilled young warrior named Naru (Amber Midthunder) as she discovers that what she is stalking is actually a highly evolved alien with a technologically advanced arsenal.

    The result is a brilliant and thrilling movie that recaptures the magic and terror of the original, while featuring a career-making performance from Amber Midthunder.

    Set in 1719, the film begins by introducing us to Naru (Midthunder), a young Comanche woman who was trained as a healer but dreams of being a hunter like her brother, Taabe (Dakota Beavers). She soon sees an alien spaceship dropping off someone or something, but not knowing what it really is, thinks it’s a sign from the spirits that she is ready to prove herself as a hunter. Taabe agrees to take her with him as he hunts a mountain lion that attacked their tribe.

    Cody Big Tobacco as Ania, Dakota Beavers as Taabe, Stormee Kipp as Wasape, Skye Pelletier as Tabu, and Tymon Carter as Huupi in 20th Century Studios' 'Prey,' exclusively on Hulu.
    (L-R): Cody Big Tobacco as Ania, Dakota Beavers as Taabe, Stormee Kipp as Wasape, Skye Pelletier as Tabu, and Tymon Carter as Huupi in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Prey,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    However, as they are about to trap the lion, they are attacked by an unknown assailant, who is eventually revealed to be an alien being with technologically advanced weapons, that we as the audience know as a Predator (Dane DiLiegro). Now, with her brother injured, Naru must stop the French voyageurs who are threatening to destroy their land and defeat the alien creature in order to save her tribe and become the hunter she’s always dreamed of being.

    The franchise began in 1987 with director John McTiernan’s groundbreaking film ‘Predator,’ which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger. The original saw Arnold as the leader of a military platoon who while on a mission in the jungle discover an alien creature is hunting them.

    The later films in the series abandoned the idea of one person hunting the Predator in a remote location to lesser success, with ‘Predator 2’ and the more recent ‘The Predator,’ both taking place in urban cities with a large group of characters trying to kill the creature.

    2010’s highly underrated ‘Predators’ was the closest of the sequels to keep the original formula, although it takes place on an alien planet and not Earth. And don’t even get me started on the ‘Alien vs. Predator’ films as I don’t really consider them cannon.

    Harlan Kywayhat as Itsee in 20th Century Studios' 'Prey,' exclusively on Hulu.
    Harlan Kywayhat as Itsee in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Prey,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    But ‘Prey’ takes the series back to its roots, crafting a compelling and terrifying story about one person alone in the woods trying to survive the Predator’s wrath. Setting the movie in 1719 was a brilliant move not only to stand-out from the other films in the series, but it also allows the audience to see something we haven’t seen in the franchise before, which is a low-tech Predator, even though his technology is still advanced for 1719.

    ’10 Cloverfield Lane’ director Dan Trachtenberg delivers some his finest work yet setting a somber mood and tone for the film from the opening sequence. His choice to use the Predator sparingly was also wise, as it adds to the frightening tone of the film with characters fighting a creature that we can’t even see.

    It also allows the human characters to actually be the leads of the movie, as you can relate to them easier than you can a Predator, who by mistake was made the main character in some of the sequels. ‘Predator’ movies are at their best when we as an audience can root for the human characters to defeat the monster. Trying to understand the creature and relate to him has never worked in this series and Trachtenberg successfully avoids that trap.

    In fact, there are times when watching this film, you actually forget you are watching a ‘Predator’ movie, and that’s a good thing! It means that the other characters, setting, and situations are compelling enough on their own that you don’t need the Predator, but you are always thrilled when it shows up!

    Dane DiLiegro as the Predator in 20th Century Studios' 'Prey,' exclusively on Hulu.
    Dane DiLiegro as the Predator in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Prey,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    Fans of the series will not be disappointed by the look of the Predator, which is on par with what we expect from the character but is made even more interesting by the fact that this is an older version of the creature. Trachtenberg has fun with the retro Predator weapons, and actor Dane DiLiegro gives a menacing physical performance playing the role originally intended for Jean-Claude Van Damme (Fun fact!).

    Dakota Beavers gives a solid performance as Taabe, Naru’s over protective brother. At times the character can be annoying, because he keeps telling Naru she can’t be the hunter she dreams of, when we all know she’s the true hero of the film. But the character comes full circle by the end and really supports his sister in his own heroic way.

    While in a somewhat limited role, Michelle Thrush is also quite good as Naru and Taabe’s mother, Aruka. Again, she is another character constantly telling Naru she can’t do what we know she can but does give her daughter the inspiration she needs to fulfill her goals.

    With this film, director Dan Trachtenberg establishes himself as one of the best filmmakers working today. While Trachtenberg’s smart direction and the clever screenplay by Patrick Aison help make ‘Prey’ so great, it’s really the exceptional performance of Amber Midthunder as Naru that really makes this movie special. She is a very talented actress that you are going to be seeing a lot more of in the future.

    Amber Midthunder as Naru and Dane DiLiegro as the Predator in 20th Century Studios' 'Prey.'
    (L to R) Amber Midthunder as Naru and Dane DiLiegro as the Predator in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Prey,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo by David Bukach. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    Like Arnold in the original, you need a compelling character and an exceptional actor to make a ‘Predator’ movie truly entertaining. As seen in the disappointing installments of the series, just having a Predator kill people is not enough. You need characters that we can admire, relate to, and root for to defeat the creature and make it a great movie.

    Amber Midthunder gives a tremendous performance as Naru, and I for one would love to see a sequel to ‘Prey’ following her character after the events of this film. Midthunder gives Naru an innocence and vulnerability that is essential to the character, while still possessing enough courage and strength to make us believe she is actually capable of defeating the Predator.

    In the end, ‘Prey’ is a fantastic action movie and the best film in the series since the original. With fresh direction, a smart script, and a fantastic performance from Midthunder, ‘Prey’ is a surprisingly great film that both ‘Predator’ fans and non-fans alike will enjoy.

    ‘Prey’ receives 5 out of 5 stars.

    Dane DiLiegro as the Predator and Amber Midthunder as Naru in 20th Century Studios' 'Prey.'
    (L-R): Dane DiLiegro as the Predator and Amber Midthunder as Naru in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Prey,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo by David Bukach. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
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  • ‘Prey’s Amber Midthunder Talks ‘Predator’ Prequel

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    Premiering on Hulu beginning August 5th is the new prequel to the ‘Predator’ franchise entitled ‘Prey.’

    Directed by Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane), the new movie takes place in the Comanche Nation in 1719 and follows a fierce and highly skilled warrior named Naru (Amber Midthunder) as she learns that the prey she is stalking is actually a highly evolved alien with a technologically advanced arsenal.

    In addition to Midthunder, the movie also stars Dakota Beavers as Taabe, and Dane DiLiegro as the Predator.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Amber Midthunder about her work on ‘Prey,’ making a ‘Predator’ movie, her character, training for the role, and working with Coco the dog.

    Dane DiLiegro as the Predator and Amber Midthunder as Naru in 20th Century Studios' 'Prey.'
    (L-R): Dane DiLiegro as the Predator and Amber Midthunder as Naru in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Prey,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo by David Bukach. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    You can read our full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, director Dan Trachtenberg, and producer Jhane Myers.

    Moviefone: To begin with, ‘Prey’ is different than any of the previously released films in the franchise. Did it feel like you were making a ‘Predator’ movie when you were shooting ‘Prey?’

    Amber Midthunder: I feel like I shot at least three different movies through the course of shooting this one movie. It would every so often occur to me that this was a ‘Predator’ movie, but honestly it was really hard to wrap my brain around. I kept trying to be like, “This is a ‘Predator’ movie?”

    Sometimes I would even be looking at the Predator and I’d be like, “Oh, this is crazy.” But crazy in a good way because I feel like there’s just so much that we packed in there, there was always something to be stimulated by.

    MF: Can you talk about Naru’s relationship with her brother Taabe, and how their rivalry really sets her off on her journey?

    AM: I think Naru is surrounded by people who tell her that she can’t be what she wants to be, which is a hunter. Taabe is somebody who kind of walks on both sides, he’ll both encourage her, but then also kind of put her back into the same place that everybody else puts her in.

    So, I feel like that’s kind of her one person who believes in her sometimes, but then also to have that be such shaky ground, I think is more a fuel to her fire. I think whoever tells her no, she’s going to want to say yes, whether that’s Taabe, her mom or some random person. I think she’s definitely dead set to go for what she wants.

    Amber Midthunder as Naru and Dane DiLiegro as the Predator in 20th Century Studios' 'Prey.'
    (L to R) Amber Midthunder as Naru and Dane DiLiegro as the Predator in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Prey,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo by David Bukach. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    MF: Can you talk about how you prepared for the action sequences in the movie, and what is it like fighting a Predator on screen?

    AM: We did a four-week training camp before we started shooting in Canada, so we got there early. I mean, personal training, weapons, specifically as accurate to Comanche fighting style as we possibly could. We developed a sign language, but when you get there, there’s this element of life that happens when you start shooting that you just can’t predict. So, I’m glad that we were able to set that, but there’s also just stuff that I think ends up happening when you’re there and it all just kind of culminates together.

    MF: Finally, Naru’s dog has a big role in the film. Was the dog a good actor?

    AM: That dog was chaos. But I love her with all my heart and soul. Her name is Coco in real life. Her name is Sarii in the movie. I will say, Sarii and Coco have very different personalities. Because Coco was adopted two months before we started shooting. She is not a movie dog that got trained for years like normal.

    She was the breed that they found to be most accurate for this time period and this location, so they ended up getting her and training her for the movie. But she also happened to be the highest energy dog you will ever meet in your life. So, most Coco days were spent with somebody yelling, “Coco!” It was a lot of me being like, “I’m ready.” She would be there and be like, “All right, let’s go. Let’s shoot.” Then she would run off and you’d be like, “All right, I guess we’re done.”

    Amber Midthunder as Naru in 20th Century Studios' 'Prey.'
    Amber Midthunder as Naru in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Prey,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
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