Part A: Analysis of Prey
Hunting in Prey serves as a meta-metaphor for examining themes of power, survival, and resistance. Each group of hunters in the film has a distinct relationship with these words based on the purpose and method for which they hunt.
The Hunters and Masculinity
The film contains three groups of hunters, each of which has a distinct kind of masculinity.
The Predator: Represents an over-masculine, honor-bound fighter. Its function is not survival but sport—to find the most powerful adversary to prove its dominance. This is a machismo based on technological superiority and success in the kill.
The French Fur Trappers: Represent a colonial and exploitative type of masculinity. They trap for gain, viewing nature as a source to be exploited. Their destructiveness and wastefulness, such as skinning an entire buffalo field and abandoning the meat, demonstrate a profound disrespect for the environment.
The Comanche Warriors: Portray a traditional and community-oriented masculinity. For them, hunting is a matter of feeding the tribe and proving that one is ready to protect it—a concept referred to as kuhtamua. Their connection to the earth is deep and respectful.
This film flips the “hardbody” action hero cliché of earlier Predator films. Unlike the beefy commandos led by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Naru is physically slight and depends on wit, observation, and familiarity with terrain rather than muscle. Her victory comes from outsmarting her adversary, not overpowering it.
There are close parallels between the Predator and the fur trappers. Both are outsider invader types who disrupt nature’s equilibrium. They employ sophisticated technology (the Predator’s plasma caster and cloaking device vs. the trappers’ flintlock rifle and traps) and share the same disregard for life, seeing their victims as trophies or commodities.
The Protagonist Naru
Naru’s character deviates from typical action hero norms. She is not an action-oriented person but a thinker and strategist. Her most effective weapon is observation, learning, and adaptability. This is a departure from typical action heroes who use violence to resolve problems.
Her character also represents a step-up for Indigenous representation in the film industry. Indigenous characters are usually sidekicks or tragic figures. Naru is the resourceful and intelligent heroine of her own story. The Comanche dialogue in the movie and sensitivity to cultural detail add realism to her character. To me, the movie actually empowers its heroine. Her victory is no accident; it’s achieved on her own terms. She turns her enemy’s strength back on itself and teaches us that brainpower and determination are superior to technology and brute force.
Notable Shots
The Bear Fight: A long, uninterrupted shot captures the Predator de-cloaking and effortlessly killing a huge grizzly bear. The lack of quick cuts underscores its crushing strength and reduces it to a menacing force of nature.
The Mud Pit: During Naru’s escape from an adversary while falling into a mud pit, the camera is still at her eye level as she is depicted in desperation and fear. The shot is important because it’s not only an escape but also the moment she realizes that she can use the “cooling” mud to hide from the Predator’s thermal vision.
The Final Battle: The movie demonstrates the Predator’s eye view as its three-dot aiming laser zeroes in on Naru, who is faking defeat. Then the camera shows she has set up the Predator perfectly, and the laser is, in fact, shooting at its own helmet, which it blasts itself. This shot is a fantastic visual reward for Naru’s smart strategy.
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