Prey

Prey

The movie “Prey” uses hunting as a way to survive and to assert dominance among the tribe. The hunters are the providers and protectors of the woman, children and other members of the tribe. There are different types of hunters in the movie. The Indigenous hunters, Predator, and the French fur trappers. The Indigenous hunters only kill for food or if something is threatening them or their tribe. They use everything that the animal gives them and are extremely thankful for the animal’s life. The Predator, while it is a trophy hunter, only kills things that will fight back or cause him harm. The French fur trappers are trophy hunters that will catch and kill anything. Using traps and rifles to kill animals instead of bows and spears like the Indigenous. Each version of these hunters embodies a different kind of masculinity. The Indigenous hunters are a more traditionally masculine kind of hunter. Other than Naru, all the hunters are fit young males. One thing that makes them different is that they accept Naru as a hunter, whereas a French fur trapper would never accept a female into their hunting group. The Indigenous hunters also are very respectful to the animals they kill, unlike Predator and the French trappers. The Predator is a very masculine hunter. He dominates everything he fights against. From bears to humans, he holds nothing back and rips them apart. Although he can kill anything he wants, he will only kill things that threaten him. The French fur trappers are masculine hunters in the sense that they kill animals and wear their pelts. Compared to the Predator and Indigenous hunters they aren’t very masculine. They use long range rifles and setup traps to kill all their animals. Instead of closer range weapons like the indigenous use they use weapons that allow them to stay at a safe distance. They kill the animals in an easier way and show off their kills in a much more ignorant way than anyone else. The film doesn’t have a hardbody action hero model. The main character, Naru, is a smaller indigenous woman. Compared to the usual tall muscular male, she is much different. Instead of using brute strength to kill, she uses her intelligence to outwit her targets. She goes against the traditional ways of the indigenous hunters and advocates for different and smarter ways to kill their food. Naru’s character is much different compared to that of the Hollywood representation of an indigenous woman. Traditionally, indigenous people in Hollywood were represented as savages, silent warriors or mystical guides. Naru’s character goes against all of the stereotypes. Unlike almost every warrior movie, she ends up leading her tribe hunters. Her intelligence and confidence are much different traits than the usual Hollywood stereotypes. The film risks falling into the traditional stereotypes at the start of the movie when all the other hunters are saying she doesn’t belong with the hunters and that she should be with all the other women doing their jobs. This is the only time she is looked at as a normal girl in the movie. In the end, she saves her tribe from the Predator and leads them to a safer future.

Three notable shots from the movie:

1: Naru finds the dead and skinned bison where the field and forest meet. The camera then slowly moves backwards and up using a dolly and boom.

2: Naru and a hunter are hiding in the long grass of a field. The predator sees their body heat and starts chasing after them. The camera zooms out and lifts into the air (using a boom/jib and zoom).

3: Naru is running through the burning trees as the Predator in his flickering coat chases behind her. The camera follows her through the trees as like a camera man is running beside her. This camera movement is likely a truck.