Prey returns the Predator series to a remote wilderness where technology meets primal skill in direct confrontation.

The 2022 film Prey places its story in 1719 on the Great Plains and follows a young Comanche hunter named Naru as she tracks a Predator that has arrived to hunt. This setup deliberately recalls the 1987 original in which Dutch and his team face an invisible alien hunter in a Central American jungle. Both films centre on the imbalance between advanced weaponry and human or Comanche ingenuity, yet Prey shifts the cultural frame and the outcome of the final encounter.

Shared Core Tension Between Hunter and Hunted

The original Predator establishes a pattern in which superior camouflage and plasma weapons initially dominate the battlefield. Prey recreates that pattern when the Predator uses cloaking and thermal vision against Comanche warriors armed with bows and tomahawks. The difference lies in how each group responds once the Predator’s advantages become clear. Dutch relies on mud to mask body heat and constructs traps from the jungle itself. Naru studies the Predator’s routines and turns its own tools against it during the final sequence.

Weaponry and Adaptation

Both films treat the Predator’s wrist blades and shoulder cannon as extensions of an established hunting culture rather than random gadgets. In the 1987 film the alien removes its mask only after Dutch proves a worthy opponent. Prey repeats this moment when the Predator reveals its face after Naru wounds it with a tomahawk throw. The gesture signals respect for skill rather than simple aggression, a motif carried forward from the first film.

Creature Design and Practical Effects Continuity

Stan Winston’s original Predator suit relied on practical construction with layered armour and a distinctive helmet that allowed expressive movement. Prey updates the same silhouette with refined practical elements supplemented by targeted digital work. The new Predator retains the mandibles, dreadlock-like tendrils and colour-changing skin while adjusting proportions to suit a different environment. This approach preserves the tactile presence that made the 1987 creature effective on screen.

Sound and Movement

The clicking vocalisations and low-frequency growls introduced in Predator recur in Prey with slight modulation to fit the open plains setting. Both films use these sounds sparingly so that silence becomes part of the tension. Movement remains deliberate and heavy, conveying mass even when the creature is cloaked.

Director in the Spotlight

Dan Trachtenberg directed Prey after earlier work in short-form science fiction and action projects. His approach emphasises practical locations and minimal reliance on green-screen stages. Trachtenberg has cited the original Predator and The Terminator as key references for pacing and creature reveal timing. His filmography includes the 2016 film 10 Cloverfield Lane and several episodes of the series Black Mirror and The Boys. Prey marks his first feature within the Predator franchise.

Actor in the Spotlight

Amber Midthunder portrays Naru, the central figure who must interpret the Predator’s behaviour through observation rather than prior knowledge. Midthunder’s earlier credits include roles in Legion and the series Rutherford Falls. She trained extensively with traditional Comanche weapons and worked with language consultants to ensure accurate dialogue delivery. Her performance anchors the connection to the 1987 film by showing a protagonist who learns the Predator’s patterns in real time, mirroring Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Dutch in method if not in background.

Supporting Cast Contributions

Dane DiLiegro plays the Predator, bringing physical performance capture to the role. His background in creature work on other productions allowed the suit and movement to remain consistent with the 1987 design while accommodating new action requirements. The ensemble of Comanche characters, including Dakota Beavers as Naru’s brother Taabe, supplies the communal context that contrasts with the more isolated military unit of the original film.

Cultural Placement and Lasting Influence

Prey expands the franchise timeline without contradicting established events from Predator or Predator 2. It demonstrates that the Predator species has visited Earth across centuries, a notion only hinted at in earlier entries. The film also broadens representation by centring Indigenous characters and language, an element absent from the 1987 production yet compatible with its focus on under-equipped fighters prevailing through observation.

The connection between the two films lies in their shared interest in the moment when technology fails and raw adaptation decides survival. Prey does not replicate the jungle setting or the 1980s military context but preserves the essential contest of wits that defined the original. This continuity keeps the series grounded even as it explores new eras and cultures.

Natural Conclusion

Prey succeeds because it respects the structural logic established in 1987 while relocating the conflict to fresh terrain and a different community. The result reinforces the franchise’s central premise that no amount of advanced equipment guarantees victory against an opponent who learns faster. By maintaining practical effects continuity and a focused narrative, the film strengthens the link to its predecessor without requiring viewers to recall specific plot points from later sequels.

Trachtenberg, Midthunder and the effects team have produced a work that stands alongside the original as a demonstration of how the Predator concept adapts across time periods while retaining its core identity.

Harvard Bibliography

  • McTiernan, J. (1987) Predator. 20th Century Fox.
  • Trachtenberg, D. (2022) Prey. 20th Century Studios.
  • Winston, S. (1987) ‘Designing the Predator’, Cinefex, 32, pp. 4-19.
  • Trachtenberg, D. (2022) ‘Interview with Dan Trachtenberg’, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 August.
  • Midthunder, A. (2022) ‘Amber Midthunder on Prey’, Variety, 3 August.
  • Prince, S. (2004) ‘The Predator Franchise and Visual Effects’, Film Comment, 40(5), pp. 52-57.
  • DiLiegro, D. (2022) ‘Creature Performance in Prey’, Fangoria, 12 August.
  • Comanche Nation Cultural Affairs Office (2022) Production notes for Prey. Oklahoma: Comanche Nation.

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