A 2022 Prey is the fifth installement in the Predator frachise that features the the first human predator hunt and reveals the origin the flintfloc pistol that is shown at the end of Predator 2. So today I’ll explain the feral predator and go over Prey, the prequel to 4 other predator movies set in 1719 and we’ll discuss how it fits in the Alien Vs Predator timeline introduced in the crossovers. This predator prequel uncovers a new yatja type, the feral predator that is quite different from other predators in terms of physical appearance, weapons, invisible camouflage and the tech. Prey has many homage moments to the original predator and includes some historically accurate elements with refences to native American lore and it actually may be the best predator movie since the original predator or even the best intallement in the entire franchise for some people. In this movie the feral predator seems to have a task to collect the skull of the most dangerous species on planet Earth which is human however instead he may actually become their Pray.
The movie centers around Naru, a talented Comanche warrior who wants to rise above what her culture prepared for her and establish herself as a hunter but in order to do that she might have to kill one of the most dangerous predators in the universe.
In September of 1719, Naru who’s been trained as a healer has aspirations of becoming a renowned hunter like her brother Taabe. While practicing throwing a tomahawk Naru notices a deer and tries to kill it but without sucess. Her hunt is interrupted by a shattering sound and flames of a Predator spacecraft that is dropping off the Feral yautja. Naru calls what she saw a “thunderbird” and thinks it is a sign that she is ready to prove herself as a hunter though a ritual called kühtaamia which is a hunt of something that is hunting you. In the native American mythology the “Thunderbird” is a legendary supernatural being that is believed to generate thunder by flapping its wings and lighting by flashing its eyes. The predator ship and its trail do look like a weird bird which makes us wonder about the origin of other myths and legends in different cultures. Back in the village Naru desire’s to be a hunter are met with resistance from her mother who wants her to be a healer but Naru seems very determined about her persuit and predges to become a hunter one day.
On the contrary Alien vs Predator crossovers state that yatchas visited Earth for thousands of years and used it as hunting grounds, therefore some predator clans have visited Earth way before the feral predator. It is still unclear if alien vs predator crossvers are included in the predator timeline. Initially after the first 2 predator movies, the studio decided to go ahead and merge predator with the alien universe however later they reverted back to the standalone predator timeline sparate from the alien. For that reason officially Prey is the 5th installement in the franshise, but at the same time some directors who make Predator movies like Shane Black sstill consider alien included in the predator universe.
The following day, while all women go one direction to forage food, upset Naru literally goes the opposite direction ,sneaks away from the village with her dog Sarii and follows the tracks of the feral yatch who just collected another trophy skull of the grey wolf after a gruesome encounter. The feral predator brings the wolf’s head in a his cave and removes all the flesh with a the acidic Disintegrator Gas, adding another Earth’s predator in his collection. In the mean time, Naru modifies her axe by making it retractable using a thread. The next day, she stumbles upon a field of skinned buffolos which hints on the similarity between the yatcha and the fur traders, both of which tend to skin their prey and hunt for sport. The feral predator follows Naru footsteps and also discovers dead bufflos along with some tracks left by fur traders which ingites his interest in this new species that he hasn’t seen yet – humans who are now the new worthy prey to hunt.