The Predator franchise has gone through some downs in recent years. The surprise success of Predators starring Adrien Brody in 2010 was not followed up with any sequels in spite of the positive reviews and box office returns. Then in 2018, the franchise received an ill-advised reboot simply titled The Predator that fell victim to a bloated cast, reshoots that completely changed the ending and off-set controversy that proved to be too much for the film to be successful. Recently, 20th Century Studios announced a prequel was in development from Dan Trachtenberg of 10 Cloverfield Land. The prequel, titled Prey, dropped its first trailer ahead of the film’s Hulu premiere on August 5th.
Prey focuses on a young Comanche woman named Naru who wishes to hunt with fellow tribe members and protect her family. The film is set in the year 1719 and it supposedly details the first arrival of the Predators to Earth as they begin to hunt and hone their skills. From what can be inferred from the trailer, we see what is likely the first encounter between Naru and the Predator as it saves her from a rampaging bear. There is a brief of a camouflaged figure lifting a dead bear clear over its head as it unleashes a primal alien scream.
The action-packed trailer focuses heavily on Naru and the tense drama that is a hallmark of all films in the Predator franchise. The trailer does not skimp on the brutality either as the Predator is shown chasing down Naru and her companion while invisible as well as the alien massacring a group of what appears to be fur trappers armed with flintlock rifles. While the trailer does not explicitly show the gory details, it is likely we will see some forms of dismemberment or skinned bodies hanging from trees.
While only just over two minutes in length, the trailer also features numerous callbacks to the original 1987 film; the music is similar to the original film as well as Naru’s tactic of using mud to hide herself from the Predator’s gaze. She also crafts a badass weapon by attaching a length of rope to a tomahawk similar to how Arnold Schwarzenegger crafted weapons in the iconic climax of the original film. The trailer closes with Naru releasing a way cry to entice the Predator into a fight and says “Whatever did this, I can kill it” echoing Schwarzenegger’s line of “If it bleeds, we can kill it”. Prey will hopefully be the shot in the arm this sci-fi/action franchise sorely needs.
Prey is set to premiere on Hulu beginning August 5th, is directed by Dan Trachtenberg and stars Amber Midthunder
Featured Image Credit: Prey Trailer
