★ 6 / 10
**_Survival in the Kalahari Desert, physical and spiritual_**
Wuchak
**_Survival in the Kalahari Desert, physical and spiritual_** A missionary couple in Africa (Ryan Phillippe and Mena Suvari) are forced to take a flight with a…
**_Survival in the Kalahari Desert, physical and spiritual_**
A missionary couple in Africa (Ryan Phillippe and Mena Suvari) are forced to take a flight with a questionable bush pilot (Emile Hirsch). Unfortunately, they & several others end up stuck in the barren areas of Southwest Africa with plenty of lions and hyenas roaming about.
"Prey" (2024) was originally called “Kalahari,” but changed to the hackneyed “Prey.” The movie poster isn’t that far removed from the 2007 movie “Prey.” At heart, this is a modern take on “Sands of the Kalahari” and “Flight of the Pheonix” with a key element of “Conan the Barbarian” (1982) thrown in. While this is the least of ’em due to its low-budget, it works well enough for a slow-burn survival adventure wherein the gore is more implied than shoved in your face. I prefer it to the 2007 version of “Prey.”
There's a factual error (the medical treatment of a particular wound), as well as a couple of seeming plot holes, but one of them can be easily explained on the grounds that a stray bullet struck the radiator of the jeep. A better explanation is that the jeep wasn't even there since one of the Namibians said something about waiting for the jeep to come back, possibly with another vehicle to transport the prisoners. The other potential plot hole can also be explained with a little imagination. The writer/director isn’t obligated to spell everything out and respects the intelligence of viewers to put the pieces together.
This was the first time I’ve seen Hirsch play a bad boy and he’s convincing. I also liked the lowkey ideological struggle between good and evil, morality vs immorality, faith and atheism (or, at least, agnosticism), Christianity vs secular humanism. Speaking of which, it’s laughable that some people criticize the flick on the grounds of it being “Christian propaganda.” Two of the main characters are occupational missionaries, so it’s understood that God and faith will come up in a few of the dialogues. But, again, this is so light it’s hard to believe anyone would complain. The same came up in “The Grey,” but no one complained there.
As for a weather-related incident that occurs at the end, it doesn’t have to be attributed to a metaphysical source since freak things happen in the weather all the time. The film leaves you thinking about life’s heavy issues, like what’s your purpose? Is there a Creator? Is life a meaningless accident? Is there good and evil -- ethical and unethical -- or is everything relative? Is redemption possible for the morally compromised? Is there such a thing as self-sacrificial love (aka, agape)?
The movie runs 1 hour, 26 minutes, and was shot in the arid areas of the high country north of Los Angeles, such as SilverStrand Ranch, Castaic; Agua Dulce Movie Ranch; The Quarry in Semi Valley (for the sand sequence); MH Aviation in Lancaster; and Vasquez Rocks; as well as studio stuff done at Blackstone Entertainment, Azusa. A second unit filmed additional scenery and animals in South Africa, along with the use of stock footage.
GRADE: B-
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★ 5 / 10
Could this really be the same Ryan Philippe
CinemaSerf
Could this really be the same Ryan Philippe who was in "Cruel Intentions"? Are things really that bad? Well now he's "Andrew" who runs a Christian missionary…
Could this really be the same Ryan Philippe who was in "Cruel Intentions"? Are things really that bad? Well now he's "Andrew" who runs a Christian missionary deep in the Kalahari. Forced to flee, they engage the rather untrustworthy services of pilot "Grun" (Emile Hirsch) and next thing they are amidst some wreckage in the middle of a wild game reserve with loads of hungry lions, hyenas, scorpions and a few heavily armed freedom fighters. Can they survive? There are some beautiful animals featured in this film and the Californian Vasquez Rocks National Park serves well enough as a location double, but the rest of this is all really quite poorly written and executed before a denouement that I could have done with half an hour earlier. There's nothing about the characters for us to care about, one being determined to smuggle artefacts out of the country whilst an other wants to indoctrinate the locals with a lifetime supply of bibles. Maybe he thought it was called "Pray" instead? It's not exactly predicable, it's not that structured - it sort of meanders along desperate to generate some sense of menace from it's arid and hostile environment, but all to underwhelming avail. Nope, nothing at all to recommend this to anyone, sorry.
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★ 3 / 10
Some great moments, in a Poor Film
rohanumpleby-34057
I wasn't expecting much, the film is called Prey. But, it was slightly disappointing. Like, the opening scene was really good, and started out interestingly…
I wasn't expecting much, the film is called Prey. But, it was slightly disappointing. Like, the opening scene was really good, and started out interestingly, but as the movie progressed, it got worse and worse. It was slightly amusing, the characters choices, and actions to things. And it sort of just felt abit off, like it had potential, but never set foot, much like the plane. So Let's talk about Prey.
The First 10 Minutes was very good, we get to see some nice landscapes, and even a death. And the crash landing of the plane, in such a futile area was great to see. The film wasn't afraid to have stakes, in the land of the Nara, takes the land of the innocents. Where Lions, Hyeenas lurk, there burial ground for Prey. And it looked as if this movie was going to take off, it didn't. Unfortunately, I was hoping the movie was going to be great, because the first 10 Minutes is warranted a 7.5-8 just because of how Entertaining it is, and how interesting it is. Unfortunately the next parts let the film down massively.
Like the Characters are so poorly written, and mostly one dimensional. And they make poor and questionable decisions throughout that leaves alot to be desired. Like, Instead of moving on, the couple decide to stay, and even after knowing there lives are at risk. And they could potentially get killed, an Injured leg for the wife, but they offered to carry her. So giving up and just staying where the Plane had crash landed isn't the wisest of choices. She is Unfortunately eaten by the Lion, which was to be expected. The others do the right thing and try and get out, before they are eaten alive. That doesn't quite work out for them, but trying to escape is better then being sat behind, near a preserve that consists of the deadliest things. In Nature, with no armed weapons to protect themselves, nothing but vulnerability.
Another silly decision the gang makes is having someone stand outside, only because the aircraft doesn't have enough space for the Four of them. But, when your lives are at risk, surely you'd protect each other, and not have another one keep guard and get eaten by a viscous Lion. Luckily they didn't stumble across Cheetas either!, as our group would of been eaten in seconds, with very questionable decisions.
They are faced with another group, but this time of deadly assasins, a group, like a cult. They shoot one of the 3 members that remain alive, meaning to of them are faced with death, or questioning which still would lead to death. The too survivors catch the assasins of guard as both of them fall asleep, this means the gang have time to escape, they don't!...they try and get the Gun of one of the armed gang members, wild! But luckily they survive the attack and kill the 2 armed gang members who were left there by the others.
In the end, there's one surviver. Lots of Beutiful scenery, some cool wide shots, and some great scenes with the other animals, Like Giraffes and the Elaphants and even the Birds was great too see. The film didn't deliver on what it could of done though, but it's now time for the overall summary, although I think you know the outcome of it.
Would I recommend this Movie?,
Get drunk with Friends and laugh at the stupidity of this film, otherwise don't watch this. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED. 3.5/10.
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3.7/10
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thankyoufreeman, eww ill report you to animal well fare for what youre doing to your cat