Prey

The ending of “Prey” ties together the movie’s themes of ingenuity, survival, and the shared brutality of both humans and the Predator. Naru, having learned from her initial encounters and traps, uses her knowledge of the terrain and her resourcefulness to outsmart the Predator. She discovers that its laser targeting system is vulnerable because it’s guided by three dots that can be manipulated; when she manages to knock off its helmet, she exposes this weakness. With the helmet, she gains a crucial advantage, allowing her to turn the tables. In a final act of cunning, she lures the Predator into a trap filled with natural hazards and weapons she’s set up. Although it appears that her plan might fail when the Predator stands up after being caught in the bog, she cleverly uses her makeshift traps and her dog Sarii to eventually drown the creature in water. Before the Predator can fire its lethal laser, Naru places the helmet in its line of fire, activating the targeting system against it, and causing it to shoot itself. This death symbolizes her triumph over an opponent that, at least in this era, is still relying on hunting prey like animals as a form of evolution and testing itself.

After its defeat, Naru returns to her village carrying the Predator’s head, a symbol of her bravery and survival. She also hands over the Predator’s helmet and the gun she inherits from the captured one, relating it to the gun seen in “Predator 2.” Her act of gifting the weapon signals that the battle might be over for now, but the threat of the Predator species remains. The film closes with Naru advising her tribe to move to a safer location amid increased danger from the incoming colonizers and the ongoing threat of future Predators, suggesting that her victory is just a chapter in a larger ongoing conflict between humans and these hunting alien creatures. Her story ends on a note of resilience, hinting that while she has survived this encounter, the universe of Predator will continue to evolve and pose new challenges in future stories.

Last Updated: June 25, 2025 at 09:00