PREY II (2025)

After the unexpected critical and fan acclaim of Prey (2022), which reimagined the Predator saga with a bold, minimalist lens, Prey II arrives in 2025 as a powerful continuation—not just in spectacle, but in soul.

Set fifteen years after the events of the first film, Prey II shifts focus from the Comanche Nation to the northern Inuit tribes of Arctic Canada in the early 1800s. A new protagonist emerges: Nukka, a young Inuit woman and skilled harpooner who begins noticing strange tracks in the snow, mutilated animals, and an invisible terror stalking her hunting party. It isn’t long before the creature reveals itself—another Yautja, more advanced than the last, drawn to the Earth by the legend of Naru's victory years prior.

What sets Prey II apart, once again, is its tight focus on survival, culture, and identity rather than Hollywood bombast. Director Dan Trachtenberg returns, and so does his keen sense of tension, pacing, and landscape-driven storytelling. The film captures the stark, deadly beauty of the Arctic—with its blizzards, ice floes, and isolation—transforming the environment into both weapon and cage.

Lead actress Qinnu Salomonsen delivers a gripping, nuanced performance as Nukka, balancing vulnerability and strength without falling into clichés. Like Amber Midthunder’s Naru before her, Nukka isn’t a superhero—she’s a determined survivor, learning through pain and failure how to outwit a seemingly unstoppable enemy.

The film subtly weaves in themes of colonial encroachment, ecological imbalance, and the intergenerational legacy of violence. The Predator is once again less a villain than a force of nature—cold, efficient, and curious about the human capacity to fight back.

Action fans won’t be disappointed either. From a tense ice-cave ambush to a final showdown that cleverly mirrors Inuit hunting techniques with high-stakes sci-fi flair, Prey II manages to be visceral without ever losing its thematic focus.

If there’s a flaw, it may be that the story plays it a bit safe in its third act, echoing the beats of its predecessor too closely. But even then, the execution is so well-crafted that it feels more like homage than repetition.

Prey II proves that the Predator franchise still has plenty of blood to spill—and stories to tell. With respectful cultural grounding and bold female-led storytelling, this sequel earns its place in the canon not as a retread, but as a thrilling evolution.