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Prey 2022 tries to be annoying to concervatives
October 14, 2025π 16
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#Prey #Predator #movies #review #film #cinemastodon #DanTrachtenberg
by Blender Dumbass
Aka: J.Y. Amihud. A Jewish by blood, multifaceted artist with experience in film-making, visual effects, programming, game development, music and more. A philosopher at heart. An activist for freedom and privacy. Anti-Paternalist. A user of Libre Software. Speaking at least 3 human languages. The writer and director of the 2023 film "Moria's Race" and the lead developer of it's game sequel "Dani's Race".
8 Minute Read
The Predator franchise started its life as a masculine super-macho, mega-violent little B-Movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger. In my review of the first film, I even speculated, for a second, that it might have even been racist. Something that a certain side of political spectrum finds to be a quality of a movie. That certain side of the political spectrum really didn't get when Dan Trachtenberg decided, he is making a feminist, native-American movie in the same franchise.
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The film Prey ( which is a very fun play on words, considering the story the movie is telling ) is set in America before there was USA. The entire movie there is not a singe modern type of American. You have a native-American tribe ( that speaks English only so the audience will understand them ) and you have French colonizers. That's all.
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And more than that, the film's main character is a woman. A woman who is desperately trying to prove men, that she is as capable as they are. The film is asking way too much from the conservatives. Or even, it might be possible, the movie is specifically trying to be annoying to conservatives.
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So here is main issue people saying about it. Remember how Arnold Schwarzenegger with a full squad of Rambos had a hard time killing one Yautja? In this movie the Yautja is killed by one girl. Unrealistic, isn't it? Also what... there is a super-trained girl assassin? What is this, Marry Sue? What is going on? Where is the "realism"? Where is the "logic"?
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Well I guess Trachtenberg counted that conservatives would bring up specifically these issues. And he kind of made the movie in such a way as to almost count on the fact that conservatives would not watch it. So he could later giggle to himself with his friends, every time somebody brings up any of the criticisms I just brought up. Because those criticisms are kind of invalid when it comes to the movie itself.
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I mean, yes. She does defeat the damn Yautja. And yes, she is trying to prove her people that she is as capable as the men. But it is not a simple Marry Sue story.
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Our main character Naru ( Amber Midthunder who may know from Novicaine ) is a teenage-ish girl in a native-American tribe somewhere in the forest. She is a cook and a doctor. But she wants to be a hunter. For that she needs to graduate through a hunting ritual. She needs to hunt something that is hunting her.
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By the way, her casting is fucking amazing. She is just about cute enough and just about angry enough to achieve the "short orgasmic blackout". A thing that happens to me when I see characters just like her. They make my brain very happy for some reason. Maybe I need to see a therapist. Anyway...
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The funny thing is, she is kind of pathetic. She knows how to throw an axe. And she is rather smart. But her battle inexperience makes her rather clumsy in the beginning of the film. Only by the end of the film she becomes a descent fighter, through going through shit. So it isn't a Marry Sue story per se.
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Now, does she become such a great fighter as to defeat a fucking Yautja? No. What we get is a her problem solving skills combined with the little bit of fighting skill she has. Which ultimately defeats the damn ugly motherfucker.
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For example, in the original film, Arny defeats the motherfucker by getting dirty in cold mud, making Arny invisible for the Yautja. Leveling the playing field, so to speak. Since those Predators have an invisibility tech on them. Here in Prey Naru finds out that a drug that she is using to stop people from bleeding ( that makes their blood colder ) makes those people invisible to the Yautja. We do have a mandatory mud sequence. But that is used for a different thing.
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In a way, she uses all the information she observes about the forest and the creature, to trick the creature. To play mind-games with the creature. To ultimately have a chance to defeat the motherfucker. Yes, she needs to use her body here and there to stub him and stuff. But that "fighting" was never a part of the killing plan. She didn't want to stab him to death. She wanted to stab him, to manipulate him into trying to kill her. Which she used to kill him. Kind of using his own weapon against him in a way.
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When she saw ( toward the beginning of the film ) that this motherfucker can kill a bear with his bare hands ( shit... I want to say how I came with this pun intentionally. But unfortunately no pun intended. lol ), she knew that she can't fuck with him. There is no way in hell. She even says this to her brother later in the film. She literally doesn't believe anyone can kill it. But as her brother ( Dakota Beavers, I couldn't come up with a better name, lol ), does a reference to the first film, by telling her "if it bleeds, we can kill it", she starts to think that maybe she can possibly come up with something. Maybe some trap, or sorts. Something that she can do with her mind, rather than her physical strength. And that is exactly what ends up happening in the end of the film.
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I could say that Trachtenberg made a slight directorial mistake. In the final battle, there are moments where Naru does fight the creature here and there, while trying to force him into the trap of hers. And you kind of start thinking about the fact that the creature isn't fighting as well as he used to fight when killing all of the unnamed background characters earlier. It is not illogical per se. She did take her drug, which makes her invisible for him. And therefor he is a bit clumsy when trying to kill her. But Trachtenberg seemingly forgets to show it clearly. There are no shots of the Yautja's POV during the battle, which reminds the audience that he can't see her. We kind of have to remember the fact that she took the drug earlier. And actually flex a little to understand how everything works.
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The film does show the drug in action earlier, before the fight, once. There is a POV shot, where Yautja sees a different character, but not Naru, who just took the drug. Maybe, an argument could be made that refusing the constantly remind people of the fact that he can't see her, is Trachtenberg respecting the audience.
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Or you can theorize a completely different thing. Maybe Trachtenberg refused to remind people of the drug, to catch conservatives.
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Think about it, Trachtenberg specifically makes a movie that annoys the fuck out of the conservatives. The period of time is chosen to annoy them. The main character is chosen to annoy them. The main character's main motivation is chosen to annoy them. And then all of the criticisms that he knew they will have, are addressed, but are addressed in such a way that you actually need to watch the movie and focus on it to notice them. If you simply skim it, to make an angry post about how "unrealistic" or "illogical" it is due to all of the things the movie is going for, well... then... I'm sorry, but the joke is on you.
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Happy Hacking!!!
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Die Hard is a phenomenal showcase of filmmaking talent
![[thumbnail]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/ca/Die_Hard_%281988_film%29_poster.jpg/250px-Die_Hard_%281988_film%29_poster.jpg)
Blender Dumbass
π 7
Somehow, for all these years I avoided the first ever Die Hard movie, even though I had watched the sequels. And even though the sequels are varying in quality, the first film is a fucking masterpiece.
#diehard #brucewillis #film #review #action #movies #cinemastodon
The Terminator would not have happened if not for Rear Projection
![[thumbnail]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/6d/The_Terminator.png/250px-The_Terminator.png)
Blender Dumbass
π 11 β€ 1 π¬ 2
So James Cameron is in Italy, having a fever. I mean of course he is. He was just involved in a nightmare project that is Piranha II. While there he has this fever dream of a nightmarish scenario. A metal skeleton coming out of a fire.
#Terminator #TheTerminator #JamesCameron #film #review #movies #cinemastodon
A Sacrifice 2025 is a bit amateurish
![[thumbnail]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a8/A_Sacrifice_poster.jpg/250px-A_Sacrifice_poster.jpg)
Blender Dumbass
π 9 π¬ 3
Ridley Scott has a full family of filmmakers. His brother Tony Scott is a legend. But Ridley also has kids. His son Jake Scott is a bad ass music video director that started already branching out into feature films. Luke Scott directed a cool little 2016 sci-fi horror film Morgan. And was a second unit director on a lot of recent Ridley Scott films. And then there is Jordan Scott, Ridley's daughter that wrote and directed the 2025 thriller A Sacrifice.
#ASacrifice #JordanScott #EricBana #film #review #movies #cinemastodon
Trap 2024: oh... M. Night Shyamalan is Back, Baby!
![[thumbnail]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/5e/Trap_2024_%28film_poster%29.jpg/250px-Trap_2024_%28film_poster%29.jpg)
Blender Dumbass
π 4 β€ 2 π 1 π¬ 3
We are living in the most exciting era when it comes to M. Night Shyamalan. The era I would call "A lottery". M. Night started strong. Critical acclaim and commercial success hit him hard, when he was a young film-maker. They were calling him "the next Spielberg". Then doubt possessed his sole. Some critics said something about something he did. And there he went. On a downward spiral towards the bottom. The Happening, The Last Airbender, After Earth... M. Night never truly recovered from this turmoil. He did great films since: The Visit, Split, Knock at the Cabin. But he then made strangely not so great films in between: Glass, Old, the strangely The Happening esque ending of Knock at the Cabin. Going today to an M. Night Shyamalan movie is truly a lottery. You never know what you are gonna get. With Trap we all got a fucking jack-pot!
#trap #mnightshyamalan #shyamalan #film #review #movies #cinemastodon
TMNT 2007 is borderline suicidal
![[thumbnail]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/5b/TMNTposter.jpg/250px-TMNTposter.jpg)
Blender Dumbass
π 16 π¬ 3
So in 2007 TMNT by Kevin Munroe our beloved Ninja Turtles help an old suicidal man finally die. Like yeah, the film is supposedly family-friendly and magical. And the whole suicide thing has to do more with the curse of immortality. But yet. The turtles helped a guy kill himself in this film. And he was very happy to die right in front of them.
#tmnt #film #review #movies #cinemastodon
Westward Desperado Set the Standard of War Comedies
![[thumbnail]](/pictures/user_upload/Troler/9AGEW7R8A90GS0IY.jpg)
Troler
π 15 β€ 1 π¬ 5
It could be said war and comedies don't work well together. How can anything humorous be said about the matters. Those who do must have lost their minds from the war! Cracking jokes and grinning while speaking of most horrific events in human history like it were a regular Friday night, is one of the best ways to come with the trauma. The trauma which never heals, always stays where-ever the eyes turn. Telling a story really helps get the pain off the chest. In a way, Westward Desperado is exactly just that.
#WestwardDesperado #KihachiOkamoto #MakotoSato #TatsuyoshiEhara #AkiraKubo #Japan #film #cinemastodon #movies #review
Vicious 2025 is a cool little therapy movie
![[thumbnail]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f3/Vicious_film_poster.jpg/250px-Vicious_film_poster.jpg)
Blender Dumbass
π 18 π¬ 2
A lot of horror films are therapeutic in nature. They let you see and examine some dark things about yourself or the world. And that is a good thing. For example, some people were "cured" from suicidal thoughts by watching the Saw franchise. A running theme in those films, is that Saw would choose some rather depressed, suicidal individuals for the "games". Where they need to do some utterly bad shit crazy things to themselves, to survive. That puts the whole suicide thing into perspective. Making you really understand how pointless it is, as a solution. The 2025 film Vicious written and directed by Bryan Bertino and starring Dakota Fanning is also a therapy horror film.
#vicious #dakotafanning #horror #film #review #movies #cinemastodon
Dreadful Revelation of Spielberg's Disclosure Day
![[thumbnail]](/pictures/user_upload/Troler/PV4B19GD4OJ4418B.png)
Troler
π 8 β€ 2 π 1 π¬ 3
Listen, I do not know how describe the movie. Besides the obvious fact that it is the most Spielberg Spielberg can ever Spielberg. It starts off with people in the boxing ring, from the first perspective. Which is quite queer to me, since in school there was a special event, when...
#disclosureday #stevenspielberg #spielberg #emilyblunt #movies #film #review #cinemastodon
Havoc ( 2025 ) is a pornographically satisfying violence movie
![[thumbnail]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/54/Havoc_%282025_film%29.jpg/250px-Havoc_%282025_film%29.jpg)
Blender Dumbass
π 13 π¬ 2
Again I found a movie that makes me question my own ideas as a filmmaker. Havoc ( directed by Gareth Evans ) is so stylized and fucking awesome that they had to go a CGI route for a lot of the shots to even be possible in the first place. Which created a similar situation, which I discussed in my review of Shazam! 2.
#havoc #tomhardy #GarethEvans #film #review #movies #action #martialarts #cinemastodon
Why I'm Not Going to Watch Ice Cream Man ( 2026 ) ?
![[thumbnail]](/pictures/thumbs/icecreamman.png)
Blender Dumbass
π 13 β€ 2 π 1
If you ever read my reviews of films like Ballerina or Weapons or stuff like that, you know that I'm the kind of guy who should very much enjoy the bullshit that Eli Roth put into the trailer of his new movie Ice Cream Man that was just released into cinema. But you can also notice that it isn't a review. I have not seen Ice Cream Man and I will never see it. This is an article about why.
#eliroth #icecreamman #genai #ai #noai #aislop #film #review #movies #cinemastodon #resistance #enshittification #horror
So Did Avatar 3 Use AI?
![[thumbnail]](/pictures/thumbs/avatar_ai.jpg)
Blender Dumbass
π 40 β€ 3 π 1 π¬ 2
While James Cameron has denied that Avatar 3: Fire and Ash used any generative AI. On January 24, 2026 Joe Letteri ( the visual effect supervisor from Weta Digital ) sat with the Corridor Crew for their weekly show of VFX Artists React where he said that the facial animation for the hero characters for both Avatar 2 and 3 involved a neural network. A neural network? Isn't that a fancy way to say "AI"?
#avatar #jamescameron #fireandash #avatarfireandash #movies #review #film #cinemastodon #ai #art #mastoart #aiart #neualnetwork
The Lunacy of Buckaroo Banzai
![[thumbnail]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/ba/Adventures_of_buckaroo_banzai.jpg/250px-Adventures_of_buckaroo_banzai.jpg)
Blender Dumbass
π 10 β€ 3 π¬ 1
Few films come close to the shier amount of WTF moments as the 1984 W. D. Richter film The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension. The best way to describe this film is "WTF". Let me explain.
#BuckarooBanzai #film #review #movies #cinemastodon
Black Swan 2010 is Aronofsky trying to outcompete Charlie Kaufman
![[thumbnail]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/68/Black_Swan_poster.jpg)
Blender Dumbass
π 7 π¬ 9
2002 Spike Jonze film Adaptation ( written by Charlie Kaufman ) is a story about a guy named Charlie Kaufman who is tasked with adapting an article about flowers into a Hollywood picture. And the best he can do is to make a meta-adaptation, where the movie you are watching is the story of writing the movie you are watching. 2010 Darren Aronofsky film Black Swan is a similar kind of meta-adaptation, this time of a Swan Lake ( ΠΠ΅Π±Π΅Π΄ΠΈΠ½ΠΎΠ΅ ΠΎΠ·Π΅ΡΠΎ ) by Tchaikovsky. While in the same time being a movie about adopting Swan Lake.
#blackswan #swanlake #natalieportman #darrenaronofsky #film #movies #review #cinemastodon
Death Wish 2018 has a low rating due to politics
![[thumbnail]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/59/Death_wish_2017_poster.jpg/250px-Death_wish_2017_poster.jpg)
Blender Dumbass
π 15 π¬ 1
17% Rotten Tomatoes score. The movie got to be shit, right? Well when it comes to the Eli Roth's 2018 Death Wish ( the remake of the 1974 film with the same name ) you are not quite correct. In my estimate the film should be no less than 60%, based on its execution. Eli Roth is a good enough director to pull something like this off. And you can see that he is trying. The actors are also good. And the music by Ludwig GΓΆransson is really fucking good. I mean this is the same guy who did the music for Tenet and Oppenheimer. He is really fucking good. Watching the movie, I saw that the movie is arguably a lot more watchable and a lot more satisfying than the 1974 original. What is different, is that the 1974 original was made in 1974. And since then the politics have changed.
#DeathWish #guns #film #review #movies #cinemastodon
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