“How long have we not been shot at now?”

Kat’s rating: Thrilling until the thrill isn’t enough. Also, some people really need to get into therapy.

Kat’s review: Prepare to be stressed and then disappointed, because Prey is quite a doozy. This survival thriller follows a group of five men who embark on a bachelor party hiking trip in the woods only to find themselves being hunted by a mysterious shooter.

The movie starts off with the usual friend group in the woods: playing in the river, bonding, setting up camp, the whole shebang. At this part I just want these friends to have a fun little trip, but I know what I signed up for. Things quickly take a turn for the worse when the group realizes they are being stalked and hunted by an unknown individual hiding in the thick of the forest.

One of the early strengths of Prey is the building of tension. The group is constantly on edge and so is the viewer, but this starts to drag out a bit too much if you ask me. I can only watch people run and hide in a damned beautiful forest for so long without them at least TRYING to fight back. This may sound very Ameriboo of me, but maybe don’t be the only ones in the woods without a gun.

When the shooter’s identity is finally revealed, this movie does a slow trickle down into nonsense. We continue a cat-and-mouse game with some family drama sprinkled in. You also find yourself wondering why a group of young, athletic, and seemingly healthy people can’t simply make a run on the shooter when reloading. The shooter is using a damned hunting rifle, after all. Now I don’t know the specifics about rifles, but there were plenty of moments when the gun was out of commission.

Overall, Prey is a aesthetically pleasing survival thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat… until it doesn’t. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a “must see,” but if you like the genre and have over an hour to kill then this film is for you.