Prey (2022)

Movie Info

There’s a new Predator in town

Naru (Amber Midthunder) is fighting an uphill battle to prove herself to her people.  Though her brother Taabe (Dakota Beavers) supports her desire to be a hunter, the rest of her tribe believes she should stay at home.  When a strange thing is seen in the sky above their land, Naru realizes that something is hunting them…and her “weakness” might be her greatest strength.

Directed by Dan Trachtenberg (who helped script the film with Patrick Aison), Prey is a Predator sci-fi action film.  The movie serves as a prequel to Predator in 1987 and follows The Predator from 2018, and the film premiered on July 21, 2022 at the Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival was released on Hulu on August 5, 2022 to positive reviews.

Someone’s cranky

I loved Predator but the follow-up sequels haven’t always been the best.  While all the movies seem to have some parts that are decent, they don’t seem to have that extra punch that made Predator work…Prey is probably the closest to Predator without being complete rehash.

Prey smartly adds a story to typical Predator film by not having it just be about the Predator trying to kill someone (and the crew fighting back).  Predators tried to just recapture Predator and it didn’t work…it felt like a complete relaunch.  By giving Naru her own story and her own quest, it gives dimension to the film and helps expand it while still having a strong “hunt” aspect which remains fun.

Amber Midthunder makes a likeable lead as Naru, and she manages to do the difficult job of being a female action star which often faces challenges in a world dominated by male action heroes.  She has nice support from Dakota Beavers who plays her brother, and though there are more supporting cast members, it really is just about these two characters.

It would have been a nice change of pace for them both to realize they’re misunderstood…and maybe get coffee or something

The movie doesn’t really add much new to the Predator look or style, but that doesn’t matter because of how it is written.  The Predator is slightly updated and his armor is more rudimentary, but the movie is able to clean up the effects of the original film.

Prey is limited in that it didn’t get a theatrical release…but it should have because it feels more like a rounded movie than most direct releases of similar styles in the genre.  Prey is a great action film that manages to capture what made Predator great with a different lead that changes up the formula.  If you love Predator, you should love Prey…and it feels good to finally have something that at least picks up the mantle and runs.

Related Links:

Predator (1987)

Predator 2 (1990)

Predators (2010)

The Predator (2018)

Alien vs. Predator (2004)

Alien vs. Predator:  Requiem (2007)