MovieChat Forums > Prey (2009) Discussion > Review from The Age.

Review from The Age.

posted 15 years ago by MAX-78
8 replies | jump to latest

May 14, 2009

PREY (MA) ½
George Cinemas (79 minutes)
Reviewer Jake Wilson

CREDITED to one "Oscar D'Roccster," this abysmal Australian horror movie centres on a group of tourists who run into trouble during a road trip across the desert. But the filmmakers lose their way even faster than their heroes do.

In the starring role of feisty doctor, TV personality Natalie Bassingthwaighte turns out to be no better at pretending to be scared than she is at fawning over the contestants of So You Think You Can Dance.

The other characters are just as thinly conceived: there's the young wheeler-dealer (Jesse Johnson), the gay guy (Ben Kermode), and the ditzy hippie (Kristin Sargent) who says things like "your chakras are out of alignment".

After unwisely heading off the beaten track, they provoke the wrath of the local spirits and one by one bite the dust. But it's impossible to care what happens to any of them, or even follow the logic of the action as they stumble around in the dark.

Conceptually muddled and visually dreary, Prey makes the recent Friday the 13th remake look like a triumph of imagination and skill. A film that aims so low and fails so miserably deserves nothing but contempt.

www.theage.com.au

A formula one car may contain spoilers

[–] GiantSquid 15 years ago

Oh come on that's a bit unfair isn't it!? Firstly, didn't the director leave the project before it was finished? Also it's a horror film, how plausible are these things usually anyway? It's not like "My Bloody Valentine" was SP steeped in reality that it could happen right next door, yet that got great reviews. Not defending this film because I didn't even get a chance to see it, but bashing for no apparent reason is just lame.

[–] MAX-78 15 years ago

The guy might as well just put a flame thrower to a print of the film to demonstrate how he really feels.

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[–] GiantSquid 15 years ago

I know especially with putting the blame on the director IN THE FIRST SENTENCE!

[–] MAX-78 15 years ago

The point is that it is a fake name for the director and George Miller had his credit removed.

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[–] GiantSquid 15 years ago

lmao.... oh that explains it then. I heard it was paul Thomas Anderson but his people won't return my call.

[–] nard-5 14 years ago

Have to agree with this review. this film is terrible!!

[–] shayneferry 14 years ago

Yeah, if you've seen the film you will agree. Really, really awful. Dunno what Nat was thinking.

[–] raskdog 14 years ago

I actually think The Age were fairly lenient. My review would have been much more scathing.