Prey (2022)
Director: Dan Trachtenberg
Screenwriters: Patrick Aison, Dan Trachtenberg
Starring: Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Dane DeLiegro, Stormee Kipp, Michelle Thrush, Julian Black Antelope, Stefany Mathias, Bennett Taylor, Mike Paterson, Neldon Leis
Thirty-five years after John McTiernan’s original Predator brought a lean, ferocious brand of action cinema to the mainstream, Dan Trachtenberg’s Prey reinvigorates the franchise by stripping it down and retelling the hunt from a radically different perspective. Set roughly 300 years in the past, this iteration relocates the conflict to the world of the Comanche and examines the clash between human skill and alien technology through the eyes of a determined young woman.
Amber Midthunder plays Naru, a Comanche healer-in-training who longs to prove herself as a hunter in a culture that reserves that role for men. Protective but well-meaning, her brother Taabe (Dakota Beavers) embodies the tribe’s expectations; the tension between them frames Naru’s emotional journey. When a predatory extraterrestrial arrives on their land hunting the most dangerous creatures it can find, Naru must put her learned skills to the test and transform from apprentice to survivor.
Trachtenberg, who previously demonstrated precise, economical storytelling in 10 Cloverfield Lane, wisely keeps the narrative focused and immediate. The film unfolds almost entirely from Naru’s point of view, and we only witness fights she is present for. That structural choice produces a taut, immersive experience and preserves the visceral thrill of discovery—both for Naru and the audience—whenever the Predator reveals a new capability or weapon.
Much of Prey’s power comes from how it draws parallels between Naru and the alien hunter: both are undergoing trials and performing rituals related to the hunt. The Predator is portrayed as a trophy-seeking hunter who stalks the most perilous game; Naru is learning to read tracks, set traps and adapt to unpredictable danger. Trachtenberg emphasizes these mirrored processes with effective imagery—ritual preparations, post-hunt behaviors and gradual tactical evolution—so the central contest becomes not just physical but intellectual and cultural.
The Predator’s kills are shown with stark, sometimes haunting detail. Small but telling moments—an ant crawling over the cloaked alien, a rattlesnake impaled mid-strike, a river wrestling match with a bear—build a pattern of predator versus predator long before the final confrontations. The film leans into inventive, often brutal weaponry: the target-marking laser remains, but other tools—razor stakes launched in volleys, bladed implements and a retractable shield—give the creature an arsenal that feels both alien and pragmatically designed for hunting the strongest prey.
Midthunder’s performance anchors the movie. Naru is not an invulnerable superhero; she is resourceful, curious and fallible. She makes mistakes, learns from them and adapts her tactics to exploit the Predator’s weaknesses. That progression undercuts dismissive criticisms that her character is implausibly competent. Instead, the film presents an earned evolution: she matches cunning against technology, using knowledge, observation and determination rather than brute strength or luck.
Some sequences are engineered to ensure Naru acquires skills or knowledge she later uses, which can feel mechanistic at times—near-drowning in a quagmire or racing to tie a knot while threatened, for instance—but these moments also create suspense and scaffold her growth in a way that’s satisfying when stakes heighten. The script balances character development and set-piece action so the finale feels like the culmination of a believable arc rather than an arbitrary display of prowess.
Visually, the film is striking. Cinematography and production design place the audience squarely in the Comanche landscape, and the creature effects blend practical and digital techniques for a visceral sense of presence. Trachtenberg stages ultraviolent confrontations with energy and dark humor; a gag about awkward early firearms adds levity while underscoring how technology doesn’t guarantee dominance against a smarter predator.
Prey is a lean, effective predator-versus-prey thriller that rejuvenates familiar material by placing it in a fresh cultural and historical context. It honors what made the original memorable—the primal confrontation between hunter and hunted—while deepening the story through Naru’s perspective and the Comanche worldview. Amber Midthunder delivers a compelling protagonist whose intelligence and determination drive the film’s emotional core. For viewers who appreciate tight pacing, inventive action and a protagonist who earns her triumph, Prey is a rewarding, thrilling experience that expands the franchise in a thoughtful direction.
Score: 20/24
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