Roman (David Kross), his brother Albert (Hanno Koffler), and his pals Stefan (Klaus Steinbacher), Vincent (Yung Ngo), and Peter (Robert Finster) started their day innocently enough. They kayak down the river to the woods, fool around like teenagers, trek up to a castle ruin, and talk about their families and jobs. They heard gunshots in the distance, but it's probably nothing to worry about. Right?
When Vincent is shot in the arm by an unknown hunter, their seemingly serene and fun day suddenly turns chaotic. They assumed it was a mistake at first until the gunner began shooting their car, leaving them stranded. Whoever this person is, it's evident that he or she wants them dead.
Now to survive, they must make their way through the dense forest in search of assistance. But, of course, that will not be easy.
The Swedish thriller "Red Dot" and the British horror film "The Ritual" are two films that can be likened to "Prey." A thriller about a hiking or holiday trip went wrong when a mysterious and malevolent entity enters the picture. Imagine that plot, but with the characters constantly making questionable decisions, excruciatingly slow pacing, and very odd drama, then you will get this Thomas Sieben movie.
There's no easy way to put it, "Prey" is badly written. Nothing interesting occurs in the film's 90 minutes; it's just a group of guys trekking, running, and hiding. There are no creative gimmicks or tricks. There are no funny exchanges or even clever sequences. It lacks the thrilling intensity that most thrillers have. The resolve is unearned and superficial, and that climax is uninteresting and unsatisfying.
In addition, the characters are overly annoying. It's impossible to connect with Roman or any of his buddies because they either lack depth or are careless. Sieben tries to spice things up by giving Roman a sob background, but it comes across as more of a distraction than a value-adding element to the story.
“Prey” falls short of being a good survival thriller. Though to be fair, it attempted to be a captivating story by introducing Eva (Maria Ehrich), but the head-scratching moments in this film overpower everything else.
1/5
"Prey" is available on Netflix.