The newest movie in the Predator franchise, called Prey, will star Amber Midthunder as its newest worthy opponent. Naru, a young Comanche hunter eager to prove herself, can be seen in the trailer struggling to make a place for herself in her community when she narrowly avoids death by Grizzly bear. We see her attempt to warn everyone to no avail. Then it’s all up to her.
The decision to take the Predator back in time to fight the warriors is likely based on previous but subtle lore. In the first movie, Predator, we saw Sonny Landham play Billy, an American Indian tracker. Fans may recall Billy’s knowing gaze into the trees while the rest of the group remained oblivious. “There’s something out there waiting for us. And it ain’t no man. We’re all gonna die.” And then they all died except for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character, Major Alan “Dutch” Schaefer. The cool part is that the Predator novel mentions specifically that Billy was a “psychic whose ancestors fought a Predator.” Let’s hope Naru fairs better than Billy did though.
One of the most promising aspects of Prey, based on the trailer, is the return to the survival horror vibe of the first movie. In Predator, the hunter came to us. He showed up in the steamy jungles of Guatemala and kicked the collective behind of an elite group of American soldiers. Pointing big guns and charging headfirst did nothing against the Predator. But then Dutch started using the environment to his advantage. He covered himself in mud to avoid heat detection and utilized the trees and fire to rig a trap. He won!
Fans loved that this-is-my-turf kind of win against a galactic super killer. Dutch wasn’t even in his native environment though as an American in Guatemala. How cool will it be to watch Naru outmatch the Predator in her home, utilizing the trees and tall grass for cover and weapons crafted for survival? Well. We hope she outmatches it! We’ll find out on August 5 when Prey premieres on Hulu. Maybe we’ll also see a connection between Prey and Predator 2 in the form of a flintlock pistol.
