Original Predator Star Speaks Up About Prey
One of the original Predator stars had some interesting words to say about the latest movie in the franchise, Prey
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When a sequel to a beloved franchise comes out, it is bound to get some feedback. Sometimes it comes in criticism believing they should have left well enough alone in the case of 2016’s Ghostbusters or Independence Day: Resurgence. Other times it is met with praise that harkens back to the original, like Top Gun: Maverick. Now a new sequel to a franchise with a complicated background is hitting streaming services. Hulu released Prey over the weekend, a film taking place in the Predator franchise. The newest installment sees the otherworldly foe dropped in the Northern Plains of America in the 1700s. While the film is receiving praise from both audiences and critics alike, one moment of recognition floored those involved.
While fans are typically difficult to please when releasing a long-awaited sequel, the stars of the original can often be even more critical when they see their life’s work revisited. Variety reports that the film received an endorsement from one of the original actors, Jesse Ventura. Ventura, who played in the original movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, and Bill Duke, praised the film, calling it wonderful. In the Twitter post, he also praised the female lead, Amber Midthunder, by referencing his famous line, “I ain’t got time to bleed.” He then thanked the director, Dan Trachtenberg, for creating the film.
The response to the post came from the cast and crew, who were floored by the praise, and grateful for the shoutout. Trachtenberg responded to the tweet by thanking him for watching and was happy that he enjoyed the work. Midthunder responded with a speechless ramble, not knowing how to thank the wrestling, acting, and political veteran. One of the most exciting response threads came from Dane DiLiegro, secretly under the predator’s mask in Prey. Jesse Ventura compared him to Kevin Peter Hall’s performance as the original warrior. Tipping his cap to the actor.
While one of the questions that plagued the project from the beginning was how the Native Americans would fare against the futuristic warriors, Midthunder was able to pull it off. Arnold Schwarzenegger had a tough time dispatching the villain with today’s big guns and weapons. However, with the plot taking it to pre-Civil War America, the heroes were forced to go toe-to-toe with only an ax, bow, and arrow. Of course, Midthunder’s wit was her actual weapon as she became easy to root for in her attempt to prove herself as a hunter. Also, there is something to be said for Native American representation in Prey, taking the franchise back to the glory it once experienced.
While the original Predator scored well with both audiences and critics, the sequels have yet to capture the same kind of praise. So far, Prey‘s numbers have surpassed the original’s scores, proving that the franchise can work without Arnold Schwarzenegger for the first time since 1987. After 35 years of trying to recapture the promise of the original film, fans have been delighted with the Native American twist on the story.
