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Prey (2022) - How It Re-Energised the Predator Franchise

  • James Payne
  • 7 days ago
  • 2 min read

For this special bonus episode, we stalk the plains with Prey (2022) - Dan Trachtenberg’s lean, ferocious Predator prequel set in 1719. We dig into Amber Midthunder’s breakout turn as Naru, Indigenous representation and the Comanche-language dub, the redesign of the “Feral” Predator, and how the film strips the franchise back to myth, survival, and ingenuity.

“A hunter becomes the hunted — until science, skill, and sheer will turn the tide.”


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Episode highlights

  • Back to basics: Why setting Prey in 1719 turbocharges the Predator formula.

  • Naru > “final girl”: A tracker, inventor, and strategist — not just a survivor.

  • Comanche perspective: Casting, costuming, cultural consultation, and the language dub.

  • The Feral Predator: New mask, bone tech, and brutal hunting logic.

  • Tactics over tech: Traps, terrain, and science-as-ingenuity (mud, leverage, optics).

  • Set‑pieces that sing: The bear fight, the foggy French camp, the tree gauntlet.

  • Myth & iconography: Comanche stories, the flintlock pistol nod to Predator 2, cyclical hunting.

  • Sound & score: Natural soundscape, percussive drive, and violence as rhythm.

  • A franchise reset: Why restraint, clarity, and character beat bombast.


Chapter markers / timestamps

  • 00:00:00 Cold open — footsteps in grass; a growl in the wind.

  • 00:00:35 Welcome & setup — returning Predator to the hunt.

  • 00:02:18 Naru’s arc: curiosity, doubt, and proof through action.

  • 00:07:24 Indigenous representation & Comanche-language dub.

  • 00:12:40 Predator redesign — mask, mandibles, and weapons.

  • 00:18:22 Science as survival: tools, traps, and problem‑solving.

  • 00:24:10 Set‑piece breakdown: the bear sequence.

  • 00:29:28 The French trappers — fog and ferocity.

  • 00:35:46 Visual storytelling: landscapes, silhouettes, and clarity.

  • 00:41:12 Franchise connective tissue — the flintlock pistol and lore.

  • 00:46:08 Why Prey works where sequels stumbled.

  • 00:53:30 Character over canon — centring Naru.

  • 00:58:44 Final thoughts & favourite kills.

  • 01:02:20 Outro & listener shout‑outs.


Show notes & references mentioned

Films & TV

  • Prey (2022)

  • Predator (1987)

  • Predator 2 (1990)

  • The Predator (2018)

  • 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)

People & concepts

  • Dan Trachtenberg, Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Dane DiLiegro

  • Jhane Myers (producer & cultural consultant)

  • Indigenous representation in genre cinema; Comanche language dub

  • Creature redesign, practical vs CG integration, survival tactics


Listener links

Credits

Hosts: James & Matt

Series: Bonus Episode

Episode: Prey (2022)

Produced by: Journey Through Sci‑Fi

 
 
 
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