'Prey': How is The Predator in the Hulu movie different from earlier versions?
It’s been more than four decades now that ‘Predator’ movies have been gracing our screens and giving us some of the most spine-chilling moments in the history of modern cinema. The franchise started with the 1987 movie ‘Predator’ starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Although the movie received mixed reviews at the time of its release, it was a commercial success and raked in $98.3 million globally. Since then, the movie has gained a cult classic status and is considered to be one of the finest sci-fi horror films of all time.
There were a lot of reasons for its success and one of the primary reasons was the alien that was shown as the main antagonist. Known as The Predator, the alien being wreaked havoc in the jungles of Guatemala and started killing people for fun. However, things got pretty wild when Dutch (Schwarzenegger) and his team encountered the deadly alien and engaged in a bloody fight. In the end, Dutch emerged as the winner and he was taken out of the place with a lot of injuries on his body. The monster that we saw in the movie had everything. From infrared to highly-advanced weapons, the alien had it all. Now, after more than 40 years, the franchise goes back in time to tell the story of Predator’s first journey to the planet with the upcoming movie ‘Prey’.
RELATED ARTICLES
'Prey' on Hulu: First reactions hail the new 'Predator' movie for being 'sharp', worthy and brutal'
The trailers suggest that the movie is set almost 300 years before the events of the first ‘Predator’ movie and sees the Comanche Tribe going against the alien. However, the alien seems to be a bit different than the ones that we have seen over the years in several ‘Predator’ movies. So, let’s dig a little deeper and get to know the differences between the monster in ‘Prey’ and the monster we saw in the earlier films.
As always, the new design has taken a lot of elements from the original but also has some differences. In earlier films, we have seen aliens wearing heavy armor that helps them from getting injured. However, it seems the bulky armor from the original movie is absent this time around. If you have seen the trailers closely, you’ll realize that the monster is not wearing the traditional armor, suggesting that either the alien is donning a lighter version of the armor or not wearing it at all. Another thing that’s different than the previous movies is the monster’s skull-like mask. One thing that makes the mask even more amazing is that it’s not metallic anymore. Instead, it looks like a fragmented bone.
This might play an integral part in letting viewers know more about the creature. Rather than an alien, The Predator in the upcoming Hulu movie looks like a ruthless animal stalking its prey with precision and mercilessly. This is what director Dan Trachtenberg wanted to show in show in the film. He wanted the alien to look more intimidating. I mean, the movie takes place almost 300 years back, so it’s not surprising that even the Predators from the ancient types had weapons that were quite advanced for that time and not the modern setting. With time, they also progressed and their technology progressed as well that’s why we see more advanced weaponry in recent ‘Predator’ films.
But the biggest omission from Predator’s weapons system is the plasma caster. Yes, the iconic weapon won’t be a part of this movie and we understand why. The Comanche Tribe doesn’t have any modern weaponry and they’ll fight the monster with their bows and arrow and some other weapons. If the Predator had the plasma caster, the monster would have finished the tribe in 15 minutes. So, to make things equally poised, the makers decided to take that element out of the movie. But viewers don’t have to be disappointed because the movie will feature a lot of cool gadgets.
On the other hand, one cool thing that has been given to the monster this time around is a shield. Yes, the alien in ‘Prey’ has a metallic shield which makes things worse for its opponents. The shield is attached to the wrist allowing it to be easily used alongside more offensive items. However, it feels low-tech as well because it is made up of metal and not some high-tech alien stuff.
These changes are really interesting and take the franchise on a whole new path. It is a gamble that the makers are willing to take and give viewers something really extraordinary.
‘Prey’ is set to premiere exclusively on Hulu on Friday, August 5.
