As the prequel to the 1987 action horror classicPredatorstarring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Carl Weathers, 2022’sPreyreceived critical and audience acclaim for its fresh and fierce telling of a newPredatorstory. Yet, not everyone had kind words for theHulufilm, and star Amber Midthunder has a response to those critics.
Despite the positive response to theHulufilm, some critics and audience members have taken to the internet to complain that the film is “too woke.” Speaking toPeople, Midthunder had a response to those detractors, stating, “Those people don’t know what they are talking about.”
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Upon its debut on the streaming platform Hulu,Preybroke all the previous recordsfor the service, becoming the most watched film or television show premiere of all time on Hulu after its August 5th debut. The prequel presents a different take on thePredatorseries, not only occurring in the past but seeing the creature go up against Indigenous warriors from the Comanche tribe. As Naru, Midthunder portrays a female tribe member grappling with her worth and abilities within the tribe even as they continue to doubt her. With the success of the film cemented, Midthunder has no qualms saying what she thinks about the naysayers. “People are always going to say stuff, but that’s just noise. Honestly, those people have no idea what they’re talking about. First of all, I feel really proud of our movie and I think [director] Dan [Trachtenberg] is an incredible filmmaker. He has made something that people can eat their words over.”
The star went on to discuss the true meaning ofPrey.“I think a lot of people thought our movie would be some super-woke, F-the-patriarchy kind of a story, and that’s not what it’s about at all. It’s not a girl defying what men say she can and can’t do,” Midthunder said of thelatest entry in thePredatorfranchise. “It’s literally an individual who feels called to something and the people who know her don’t think that is her calling. That is so much more personal and, I think, as the character, harder to deal with than anything.”
As a member of Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribe, the star went on to discuss how thePreyproduction was dedicated to the accurate portrayalof the Comanche people. “They were known for being some of the fiercest warriors of all. And they did have female-warrior society, so there were women that fought and hunted,” She said. “So yeah, I think you look at that and you just [tell yourself], ‘Alright, whatever, people are always going to say stuff.’ I’m proud of what we did.”
The film was produced in both English language and Comanche, a language that is at risk of dying out. With the success of the film, thePredatorfranchise may be revitalizedafter several weak sequels, opening the door for further installments set in different periods.
