Prey has worked wonders for Hulu and the Predator franchise. The film, which came out earlier this month, registered the biggest premiere on Hulu, surpassing all other original films and TV shows on the streaming platform. Prey has also successfully revived the Predator franchise, which was in shambles after the disastrous 2018 entry, The Predator, and made a star out of Amber Midthunder in the process.
However, Prey has not been without controversies. Ever since its announcement, Prey has faced backlash and ridicule for its casting and the 18th-century setting. How can the "primitive" Comanche Nation battle a technologically-advanced extra-terrestrial hunter, or how can a woman overpower a 7-foot monster, were just some of the questions posed by doubters, who apparently forgot that Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger) also defeated the Predator using a bow & arrow and some makeshift traps in the 1987 original. Here’s what Midthunder told PEOPLE in a recent interview:
"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."
Prey is currently sitting on a franchise-best 93% fresh Rotten Tomatoes rating and has been well-received by virtually everyone who watched it without preconceived notions. Not every story with a diverse cast and a female lead is "woke," and Midthunder argues that Prey is simply about an individual determined to prove her mettle.
"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. 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."
"They [Comanche] were known for being some of the fiercest warriors of all," Midthunder said on critics’ reservations about Native Americans' fighting ability. "And they did have female-warrior society, so there were women that fought and hunted. 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."
Amber Midthunder Is Proud Of Prey And Its Native American Representation
Prey features a majority Native American cast, a rarity for a big-budget Hollywood film, and the move has drawn applause from the entire industry. Prey has also received praise for avoiding stereotypes and portraying Indigenous peoples with nuance and sensitivity. Amber Midthunder, who is a member of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribe, was particularly committed to making sure Prey doesn’t falter in its representation.
"There's never a moment that I'm not thinking about representation or just what that accomplishes. Especially a movie like this, how it's representing Indigenous people and what that might mean or how people might receive that or feel about being represented by it. To me, that was the most important part of making the movie."
Prey, and especially Amber Midthunder’s lead performance, has been praised by several Predator cast members as well, including Bill Duke and Jesse Ventura. Fans are already calling for a sequel, but it’s unlikely Midthunder will return as Naru, as Prey’s ending hints at a tragic ending for the character and her clan if Predator 2 is considered canon. However, director Dan Trachtenberg has teased more experimental stories like Prey set in the Predator universe.