Plot: What’s it about?
Tom Newman (Peter Weller) has just remarried and thanks to a high profile assignment in South Africa, his honeymoon will take place on the dark continent. His new bride Amy (Bridget Moynahan) is much younger than he is, which irks his teenage daughter Jessica (Carly Schroeder) to no end. She also feels Amy stole her father from her mother, an opinion reinforced by her real mother, no doubt. Her brother David (Conner Dowds) holds no such grudge against his stepmother, however. While Tom is at work on a large scale dam project, Amy and the children venture out on a game reserve tour. The tour seems simple enough, a guide takes them out on a worn path and all the animals of the locale can be seen. But when no animals are seen for a while, Jessica starts to complain, so the guide takes the tour off the beaten path. This proves to be a mistake, as soon he escorts David to go to the bathroom behind a tree and a pride of lions descends on the group. David manages to make it back to the vehicle, but the guide is mauled to death and since he had the keys, Amy and the children are stranded, surrounded by wild beasts. As the lions begin to circle the vehicle, can the trio survive the brutal wild?
The premise of Prey had me interested, with a pride of bloodthirsty lions on the prowl for human snacks. But I have been mislead by covers before, so I had guarded expectations here. I assumed this was a horror movie or at least a survival thriller, but to be honest, this is more drama than either of those. Yes, there is bloodshed and some violent lion attacks, but the blood is poorly crafted CGI, a visual effect that is so fake, it removes all substance from the kills. I should feel bad about the tour guide being devoured, but the low rent visual effects have me laughing instead, not the ideal situation. The real storyline is how a new bride tries to connect with her stepchildren, under tense circumstances. The bulk of Prey is rather dull, melodramatic dialogue and concern over lack of water, with little reason to care that much. The performance of Bridget Moynahan is more than solid, but the children are rather bland and Peter Weller has limited screen time. Given how the film was marketed, it isn’t a stretch to expect a lot of action and savage beasts, but sadly, this is more melodrama that When Animals Attack. The film has moment that work, but runs several dull stretches that kill any momentum. I wanted to like this movie, the premise has a lot of potential, but the filmmakers opted to put the focus away from the best elements, so I can’t recommend this one.
Video: How does it look?
Prey is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. This is a very crisp, bright transfer, one that highlights the beauty of the African locations. Some shots look better than others, but most look terrific and some offer a lot of depth and sharp detail, especially the lush landscapes. The colors are warm, as should be expected, as well as bright. I saw no errors to speak of, while contrast is on the mark to boot. I don’t have a lot more to say in this case, as this transfer handles the material well and offers some gorgeous moments to take in.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio is good too, with a lively Dolby Digital 5.1 option that puts us right in the lions’ den, so to speak. All the sounds of the game reserve come to life, from the roars of the lions to the gunshots to the screams of terror. The surrounds aren’t active non stop, but the atmosphere is there and adds to the experience. The main element however is dialogue, which sounds good here and never suffers from volume issues or harshness. This disc also includes subtitles in English and Spanish.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes no bonus materials.
