The iconic alien warrior has repeatedly failed to live up to its first outing but the prequel story for 10 Cloverfield Lane was a critical and financial success.
The famed creature debuted in 1987’s Legion) as she protects her tribe from the alien hunter.
Set in the Comanche Nation, the story provides an opportunity to deliver a historical horror while avoiding the mistakes of previous entries, which is Predator's 5 best reboot approach after other sequels repeatedly tried and failed to replicate the original. After three barely linked sequels and two crossovers with the Alien franchise, giving the Predator a prequel story demonstrates the filmmakers are striving to deliver something very different. Prequels are difficult to get right, but Prey's unique setting holds potential to effectively expand on the franchise's lore.
Predator 5/Prey's story taking place 300 years ago gives the series greater freedom to deepen the species' characterization and avoid overt comparisons to the original. The core idea behind the original 1987 Predator depiction.
For Predator 5’s prequel to successfully reboot the franchise, the Comanche Nation must play an important role and not act as a mere backdrop for mindless killing. Schwarzenegger defeated the 1987 hunter by abandoning modern weapons for more primitive traps and leaning into his survival instincts. Predator sequels suffered from being too similar, frequently showcasing soldiers and police reliant on heavy firepower, only for them to fall prey to the tactics used by previous Predators. Comanche warriors will surely display an entirely different mentality to modern-day soldiers, allowing for more creative setpieces. Their fight for survival against technologically advanced invaders could provide effective commentary on Europeans' brutal colonizing of America.
Predator 5/Prey's advantage over other prequels is that it doesn't require much exposition, unlike Ridley Scott's divisive origin story Prometheus. That Alien prequel strayed too far from the source material, abandoning haunted house scares and posing more questions than answers. Prey can avoid this by depicting a comparatively more grounded story that emphasizes character and tension. Two tribal warriors coming into conflict and attempting to understand one another promises an uncomplicated but suitably thrilling narrative, and this will (hopefully) prove Predator 5's prequel story is the best reboot approach.
