'Prey' Movie and Ending, Explained

One of the recent pleasures in life was watching the movie Prey. The movie is a science fiction action film based on the Predator franchise. This one is a backdoor prequel set in the Northern Great Plains in North America in 1719.

The film is directed by Dan Trachtenberg and written by Patrick Aison. It stars Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Michelle Thrush, Stormee Kipp, Julian Black Antelope, and Dane DiLiegro. The exciting story follows Naru, a Comanche warrior who is protecting her tribe from a Predator that hunts humans and animals for sport. It's a badass story that keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time. 

Before you keep reading, maybe go watch this awesome film, because there will be massive spoilers for the ending of Prey to follow. 

Today, we're going to go over the Prey plot, get a synopsis, explain the ending, and have some fun defeating a murderous alien that's come to hunt people. 

Ready? Let's dive in.

Prey Movie and Ending Explained

Before we get in too deep, a lot of people keep asking, "Is Prey on Netflix?"

The answer is no. It is on Hulu. And it is so much fun.

If you don't know much about the franchise or the other Predator stories, I encourage you to check out the Prey movie Wiki, which can tell you how everything links together. But for now, we're going to dive deep into this movie. 

Prey Movie Plot Synopsis

The year is 1719, and we're in the American Great Plains, in Comanche territory. We meet Naru, a young Comanche healer, who has big dreams of becoming a hunter like her brother, Taabe. Her loyal dog, Sarii, follows her wherever she goes. And today, she's on a deer hunt. But while out in the wilderness, she sees a Predator spacecraft landing. Since she doesn't know what that is, she calls it a thunderbird. In her mind, this is a sign from the heavens that she is ready for her hunting trial. 

Back at their village, Taabe agrees to bring her to look for a mountain lion that attacked one of their people. But in his mind, she is there to provide medical treatment and nothing more. They find their wounded friend, but Taabe stays behind to find and kill the big cat.

Naru heads back with the others, but when she discovers mysterious tracks and an eviscerated rattlesnake, she begins to wonder what else is out in the woods. Naru circles back with Paake to warn Taabe. Together they set a trap for the lion, but it easily kills Paake. Naru wounds the lion but falls and knocks herself out after being distracted by a light in the distance. Taabe kills the lion, earning him the title of War Chief. He carries Naru home. She's embarrassed and frustrated. No one believes her that there is something else out there. 

To prove she's right and get respect back, Naru heads out with Sarii. They get deep into the wilderness, finding an entire field of skinned bison. Later, they're attacked by a grizzly bear. They flee and hide in a beaver dam, and that's when Naru sees the Predator, whose invisibility is flickering, take on the bear and kill it for sport.

'Prey'Credit: Hulu

Naru escapes but runs into a group of Comanche sent to find her. The creature ambushes and kills them all. Naru runs and gets caught in a bear trap left by French hunters. Once she is incapacitated, the Predator ignores her. The Frenchmen responsible for killing the bison and other animals find Naru and take her prisoner. Their translator questions Naru about the Predator, with whose species he says he is familiar. Naru refuses to talk, so they reveal they have Taabe captive as well. To make her talk, they torture him. Then both siblings are tied to a tree as bait for the Predator.

The Predator shows up but is too smart for the French. He kills them all while Naru and Taabe escape. Naru rescues Sarii from the camp and stumbles across the dying translator, who teaches her how to use his flintlock pistol in exchange for her medically treating his severed leg. Naru gives him some herbs that reduce his body heat to stanch the bleeding. And when the Predator arrives, he plays dead. That's when Naru realizes that the creature cannot see him since he is not warm. But then the Predator steps on his leg, realizes he's there, and kills him. 

Now it's just Taabe and Naru against this Predator, who will surely attack their village next.  

Prey Movie Ending

As we enter the third act of Prey movie plot, Taabe arrives on horseback to rescue Naru from the village. But the Predator is there and wants to fight. Taabe puts up a noble effort, and they wound the Predator. Its blood glows green as they cut it and shoot it with arrows. But it kills Taabe after stabbing him through the back. He sacrifices himself for his sister, telling her this is her chance to prove herself as a warrior and a hunter.

'Prey'Credit: Hulu

Naru knows she needs a plan. She flees and finds the last surviving Frenchman running away. She captures him and cuts one of his legs off, using him as bait. Then she leaves him with an unloaded pistol. She eats the herbs to hide her body. When the Predator shows up to kill the man, she attacks with the pistol she got from the translator.  In her attack, she knocks off the Predator's helmet, which has a laser-guided weapon on it. She takes the helmet and rigs it as a trap. 

When the Predator catches up with her, she uses its own weapon against him and kills him. Naru severs its head and paints her face with its glowing blood. She brings the head and the pistol back to her tribe as signs that it is all over. They honor her victory by declaring Naru a War Chief. As the credits roll, we see a hide blanket that depicts more Predator ships returning to the Comanche territory... leaving it open for a possible sequel. 

Prey Movie Ending, Explained

The Prey ending is going to be one of the most talked about this year. We see that there are more Predator ships headed for the Comanche nation soon. And we also know that no matter where Naru's village moves, there are going to be settlers and trappers there waiting, as well. We also get this excellent character arc of Naru finally stepping into her own power. She knew medicine, but achieved her act-one goal of becoming a hunter and a warrior. This is all very thematically strong. The ending is tied up nicely but has a bit of foreboding of the coming invasion. 

There's a fun narrative shift in this movie as Naru starts wanting to be a hunter, hunts the lion, then winds up being the prey, and then subverts that to lure the Predator to be her prey. It's a really cool arc that allows us to see the character evolve throughout the story. This is all achieved through Naru thinking things through and studying the Predator, and not just launching into an attack on it. This is something she learned from her brother and a way to honor him as he gave his life for her to survive. 

Summing Up Prey, the Movie and Ending Explained

This is one of the better movies this year and quickly rises to the top of the Predator movies in the franchise. This new way of looking at Predator movies and this unique protagonist give us a fresh take on what had become a little tired over the years. What were your favorite parts of the story? What was your takeaway from the ending? 

I'd love to hear more from you in the comments.