Yeahhhhh, its language like this that turns me off from siding or having anything really to do with your opinion. Like no offense but those are garbage takes, its reminds me of an ex-friend who was hardcore right wing anti-woke anti-progression who shat on anything of the sort. Which is funny because we watched Prey and he didn’t pick up on any woke/feminist/minority themes, which he hardcore seeks out and looks for just to fuel his arguments. Yeah I never got any of those vibes from Prey or Romulus that you list off. I also loved Romulus since Fede Alvarez directed it, and his re-sequel-make of Evil Dead is one of my favorite horror films of all time.
Fan service. Its literally invoking the audience to do the Leonardo DiCaprio point-at-the-screen meme. Like I get it, but it doesn’t need to be done, come up with new one liners, make something that people will remember from YOUR film, not immediately think about the far superior original.
I’ve been meaning to watch this again for a few weeks now, but I do remember it being a very entry in the franchise. Pred 2 will always be my favorite and best sequel, but what Predators did with adding in Super Preds and expanding the lore was something the franchise desperately needed at the time.