#and that last setpiece with the falling snow/ash/whatever.. *chef's kiss*

[legionofpotatoes]

feel like I'm the last person who needs to say this but prey (the new predator movie) rips so, so hard. it is such a lean, well-executed film. it feels fury-road simple, sticks to its stated parable, and doles out wonderfully subtle setups without forgetting to pay every last one of them off in really unexpected, fulfilling ways. there's no fat here, it is utterly uninterested in prolonged satellite arcs or fan service b-plots or lore-braining the predator side of things. Naru goes through a crucible all her own, and the predator is simply there as a crystallized, jet-fueled pressure element personifying that hardship. it is a perfect use of the creature as a metaphor, which has always been the series' secret strength and the reason why it has endured so long, agnostic to tonal shifts and canon inconveniences.

and this film just plain kicks ass beyond its story ethos as well. there's wonderful clarity in set pieces, actual storytelling in action (micro moments of tension-release staggered within larger combat scenes), the whole movie is DP'd beautifully, then color graded in vivid, earthly hues, and scored ever so gently by sarah schachner who is fast becoming one of my favorite musical voices in film and games. oh and as a personal favor to me, they made it run just under 2 hours, truly making me feel pampered. I can't speak to native rep here at all, so I'll leave that one to folks who can comment better, except to say that it does pass the aila test and firmly centers the protagonist with all her complications and humanity.

the dog is great. I rate the dog 15/10, best boy imaginable.

#prey #predator #text #prey spoilers #it's on hulu and i feel ROBBED of not being able to drink it in on a theater screen #the quieter establishing shots in the beginning are so gorgeous and rich and breathtaking #and that last setpiece with the falling snow/ash/whatever.. *chef's kiss*