Prey (2022)
★★★★ — Prey (2022)
The Predator franchise had, by the early 2020s, accumulated a reputation for diminishing returns. After John McTiernan's 1987 original set a template that felt almost impossible to follow, a string of sequels and crossover entries left many fans wondering whether the concept had simply run its course. Into that rather sceptical climate came Prey (2022), a prequel of sorts set in the Northern Great Plains in the early eighteenth century, with a Comanche warrior at its centre rather than a squad of commandos or a city detective. It was a bold repositioning of the franchise, and one that arrived not in cinemas but through Hulu in the United States, making it one of the more high-profile streaming premieres of that year. The premise is clean and confident: a young Comanche woman named Naru, driven by a desire to prove herself as a hunter, finds herself facing a threat that is far beyond anything her community has encountered before.
The film was directed by Dan Trachtenberg, who had previously drawn strong notices for 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016), a film that demonstrated a real knack for sustained dread in confined, pressured situations. That same sensibility is very much present here, even on a much wider canvas of forests, plains and rivers. Trachtenberg worked from a screenplay by Patrick Aison, and the production was handled by 20th Century Studios alongside Davis Entertainment and Lawrence Gordon Productions. At a hundred minutes, the film moves with a purposeful economy that feels deliberate rather than rushed. If you want to see where Trachtenberg has taken the franchise since, the site has reviews of his later entries Predator: Badlands and Predator: Killer of Killers, both of which make for interesting companion reading.
The casting is one of the film's most discussed qualities. Amber Midthunder leads as Naru, and it is a performance built on physicality, intelligence and restraint rather than big speeches or obvious heroics. Midthunder, who had built a steady career in American television, brings a grounded quality to the role that makes the character's journey feel earned rather than convenient. Alongside her, Dakota Beavers plays her brother Taabe, with Michelle Thrush, Stormee Kipp and Julian Black Antelope rounding out the principal Comanche cast. The production also offered a Comanche language dub, which received considerable praise for its authenticity and care. The film sits comfortably in the tradition of action thrillers that use genre mechanics to tell something with a bit more substance behind it, in the same way that something like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon used wuxia conventions to carry a story about desire and duty, or how The Raid 2 used action choreography as a kind of moral argument. Prey is polished but unshowy, confident but not loud about it.
Vikings or Pirates next please. Finally a Predator film that gets it right again. Prey strips things back to the basics and reminds us what made the original so good: tension, atmosphere, and the thrill of the hunt. Set in 1700s Comanche territory, it’s a fresh take that feels totally natural for the franchise. Amber Midthunder is fantastic as Naru, the clever, resourceful, and totally believable as the underdog forced to rise. The Predator itself is terrifying again, with a more primal design that fits the time period beautifully. What’s most exciting, though, is what this could mean going forward. Spartans, Vikings, Pirates, Samurai, WW2 trenches, there are so many eras where a Predator story would thrive. Prey proves that the concept is timeless if done right. Smart, stylish, brutal, and grounded and hopefully the start of something much bigger. This franchise has blood left in it yet.
The idea of dropping the Predator into other historical periods genuinely excites me, and Prey is the first film in this franchise in a long time that has made me feel that enthusiasm rather than just academic curiosity. Naru works as a protagonist because the film trusts her, and trusts the audience to follow someone who has to think rather than simply overpower. That combination of restraint and invention is rarer than it should be in big studio genre filmmaking. For me, Prey is the kind of film that reminds you why you bother with blockbusters in the first place. Here's hoping the people with the keys to this franchise are paying attention.
Rating: ★★★★ | Year: 2022 | Watched: 2025-04-10
Trailer
▶ Watch the official trailer for Prey (2022) on YouTube
Where to watch
Watch in the UK
Stream: Disney Plus · Channel 4 Plus
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi
Watch in the US
Stream: Hulu
Physical: Amazon US
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Related on Movies With Macca
More from Dan Trachtenberg: Predator: Badlands (2025) · Predator: Killer of Killers (2025)
More from the 2020s: Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain (2024) · Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage (2025) · The Long Walk (2025) · Americana (2023)
More thriller: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) · Angst (1983) · The Long Walk (2025) · Punishment Park (1971)
More action: A Better Tomorrow (1986) · The General (1926) · Hand of Death (1976) · Daredevil (2003)
