A good prequel? Rare. Set in 1719, Prey pits a familiar technologically advanced alien hunter against Comanche warriors.
Prey reinvents the Predator franchise by returning to what made Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 1987 sci-fi action hit work, but puts a new spin on it. Both movies are about survival and sacrifice. But the star of Prey is Amber Midthunder as Naru, a young Comanche woman who is good with a tomahawk. Midthunder is wide-eyed and formidable, a vulnerable, lethal protagonist.
Director Dan Trachtenberg quickly and respectfully establishes the daily lives of the tribe before unleashing the action. This movie soars like an arrow aimed at the throat.
And then there’s the Predator himself, a giant invisible reptile Sasquatch armed to the teeth with deadly space weapons. The Predator fights a bear! Prey is fresh and ferocious, the second-best Predator movie. You can watch it in English or Comanche. The latter is recommended.