Prey Parent Guide

Although Naru (Amber Midthunder) is skilled and capable, her role in the Comanche Nation in the 1700s is limited to foraging and learning medicine. Her dreams of hunting and fighting seem destined to lead her nowhere, except into trouble, until she sees a strange light in the sky and finds bizarre tracks in the woods. The tracks are mixed with those of a mountain lion, leading the community’s hunters after it. But what Naru has found is far bigger and more dangerous than a mountain lion. All but invisible, able to kill silently from a distance, and gifted with thermal vision, what Naru has found is nothing short of the most dangerous predator Earth has ever seen…yet.

I think the biggest struggle for this film is the fact that the audience already has a pretty solid understanding of how the Predator works - this is far from the first outing for the invisible trophy hunter. In the original, the mystery of the Predator and his capabilities is a large part of what keeps the movie suspenseful and exciting. Since it doesn't have that option, this movie has changed just about everything else around him. 

Changes to the time period aside, this isn’t a total rehash of the original even if it does plod down basically the same gory path. There’s been a pretty substantial redesign of the Predator, particularly the iconic helmet/face mask, which does fit him into the 18^th century a little more elegantly. I had a bigger issue with changes to his actual face, but that might just me being an 80s action purist. This just isn’t your dad’s Predator anymore.

Much like the original, this is not a film for children. Although this installment in the franchise avoids some of the sexual innuendo and profanity, it is just as bloody. People and animals have their heads (with spine still attached, thank you very much) torn clean off their bodies, and are shot with arrows and darts, stabbed, dismembered, and skinned. Standard Predator behaviour though this may be, it’s still not kid friendly.

In a lot of ways, this movie can feel like Predator trying to be The Revenant (including a big CGI bear fight) and while it doesn’t always work, it doesn’t clash as terribly as you might expect. The film doesn’t bring much to the franchise, apart from Amber Midthunder, but it certainly isn’t unbearable, and if you’re of age and a fan of the dreadlocked alien, this might qualify as a fun diversion. If you’re new to the franchise, I’d still recommend going back to the original - and skipping most of the sequels.

About author

Keith Hawkes

Keith Hawkes graduated from Mount Royal University, Calgary, Canada with a degree in English and History. His interests are movies, American literature, science fiction, almost every kind of music, and museums. He enjoys criticizing films for fun - although he's okay with being paid for it.