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Clark Bartram- Batman:DeadEnd Damion Poitier- Jarhead, Malibu's Most Wanted Isaac C Singleton, Jr.-Pirates of the Carribean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Anger Management, Planet of the Apes
Product Description
Sandy Collora is perhaps best known as the man who directed the cult short film Batman: Dead End, praised by Kevin Smith as possibly the truest, best Batman movie ever made , albeit before the Nolan era. Now, seven years later, Collora has thrown off the shackles of his short film career with the release of his debut feature film Hunter Prey, a science fiction spectacular with the same heart and soul as the glorious Sci-fi of the mid 1980 s. the much-celebrated director and FX designer has his DVD debut December 2010
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By SRFireside
Format:DVD
With low budget science fiction movies it is generally a gamble with the odds already set against you. I don't know what it is about science fiction that draws out the idiots who think they can make a quick buck slapping on some crappy sets on a mediocre script with lousy special effects when there are hundreds of other idiots doing that same thing. There is a glut in the market of these cheap films, and it's hard to tell which ones are worth your time. If you are a true blue rocked to the core sci-fi fan Hunter Prey is one of those worthwhile movies.
I strongly recommend going into this movie with no idea what it's about. But if you must have a synopsis here's the best I can do without revealing too much. A ship crashes and some soldiers are tasked to retrieve an extremely dangerous escaped prisoner. That's all you need to know. Trust me. You get the most out of it that way.
What I like about this film is how it deviates from your normal Sci-Fi in regards to how the story is layed out. Hunter Prey begins with putting you in the middle of a shootout with absolutely no idea what's going on. From there the story starts to unfold and you get more and more information on what's really going on. This sort of gradual reveal works really well with this plot. Especially when you get some intelligent dialog, good cinematography, and pacing that's slow enough to give you time to soak in all the atmosphere.
As this mystery unfolds the real reasons this movie shines start to come through. This movie rides on the writing for the main players. Character development is subtle yet extremely well done. You get to know them with just the little details, and it works. This development is so well done it becomes almost impossible to see them in concepts black and white, good guy and villain. I found myself rooting for both (often times at the same time) as the two main characters seem to shift roles from villain to hero depending on the scene. You learn to love them when you see them on their own, and when they collide the interplay is just as good. I don't think I have ever seen a movie (sci-fi or otherwise) pull this off so well.
If you need other shows to relate for me Hunter Prey most reminds me of Enemy Mine and the old Star Trek episode where Kirk is on a deserted planet in a fight to the death with the lizard-like Gorn (funny that I found somebody in the IMDB message board having the exact same thoughts). Enemy Mine in that you have two separate races that are on opposite sides and that Star Trek episode because of the survival skills both use as well as the wonderful desert backdrop. Granted this is a very different movie from both so take that for what you will.
I love sci-fi for the technology, and Hunter Prey has some really nifty tech. Sure the rifles are generic looking (they were actually tweaked Nerf toy guns), but everything else was really cool. The soldier's armor looks like something you would always see illustrated in a book or comic, but hardly see in real life. The tech behind the suits is even cooler with their little computers (voiced by Buck Rogers star Erin Gray) that monitor your vitals and administer medication as well as do things like scan your environment and communicate offworld. Their is also a pretty neat pistol that knocks you off of your feet (sonic weapon maybe?). There is an assortment of other cool techie things shown throughout the movie that are designed smart and give that added flavor to the film.
The acting is actually pretty good. Granted some characters are behind makeup, but if you ask me an actor who can emote behind all of that just using mostly your eyes is a good one. Some acting can get just a tiny bit over the top, but it never falls into melodrama. It was treat having Erin Gray voice the miniature computer. I didn't even recognize her she was so good. It took the end credits for me to realize it was her.
Special effects are truly impressive and subtle you get very few space scenes and what you get is good. The really cool special effects are in the background like the orbiting sun and planets that give what's your average dessert landscape just enough of that offworld touch to reall sell it. There is one spaceship you see at the end of the movie and when it's in space it looks cool, but when on planet you do see the limits of the computer generated animation. Still nothing worse than you see anywhere else. Actually it's pretty awesome when you consider the budget.
Hunter Prey was made on a shoestring budget at a good deal less than $500,000. And that's 2009 dollars. Most TV sitcoms have larger budgets than that. What they do with that budget is truly impressive. Even if you take into account there are very few actors and they are filming in one location, plus special effects are sparse and of course the Nerf props you still have a good show of what you can do on a tiny budget. Camera work is professional with a good eye on what to shoot. Everything was on location, which would mean a good deal extra expense just for going outside. Is it Oscar-worthy movie making? No. Not in the slightest. Which brings me to the movie's shortcomings.
Being uber-low budget means the script couldn't get enough editing to tweak away some descrepancies. As much as I loved the plot some things, even after you factor all the clever twists and get a solid conclusion that wraps up the big questions nicely, still either felt awkward or didn't make sense. Granted you get the same things from big budget movies (mostly the ones with small minds), however in this arena it only makes the movie feel that much more low budget. These limitations hurt what is otherwise a lean and well oiled machine of a story. Also the soundtrack is... well... I didn't hate it. However the synth tracks that try to sound orchestral don't hit the mark. Again... it's a shorcoming of a tiny budget so this isn't really a big deal. The music just doesn't stand out as a positive, but it does fulfill its purpose.
The DVD is a pretty good sendup for a microbudget movie. You get a 5.1 Dolby Digital and a stereo audio mix for sound and a nice widescreen presentation. What makes this a treat is the audio commentary by Director Sandy Collora, the mastermind behind the movie. His commentary is filled with interesting tidbits on the making of the film. There is also a half hour "making of" documentary with interviews with the rest of crew that show you the little tricks they do in making the movie look as good as it does.
What can I say? Hunter Prey is a surprisingly good low budget science fiction film. It delves into character development rarely seen anywhere else. The shortcomings are way outshined by an impressive finished product. Do yourself a favor and see this movie.
I strongly recommend going into this movie with no idea what it's about. But if you must have a synopsis here's the best I can do without revealing too much. A ship crashes and some soldiers are tasked to retrieve an extremely dangerous escaped prisoner. That's all you need to know. Trust me. You get the most out of it that way.
What I like about this film is how it deviates from your normal Sci-Fi in regards to how the story is layed out. Hunter Prey begins with putting you in the middle of a shootout with absolutely no idea what's going on. From there the story starts to unfold and you get more and more information on what's really going on. This sort of gradual reveal works really well with this plot. Especially when you get some intelligent dialog, good cinematography, and pacing that's slow enough to give you time to soak in all the atmosphere.
As this mystery unfolds the real reasons this movie shines start to come through. This movie rides on the writing for the main players. Character development is subtle yet extremely well done. You get to know them with just the little details, and it works. This development is so well done it becomes almost impossible to see them in concepts black and white, good guy and villain. I found myself rooting for both (often times at the same time) as the two main characters seem to shift roles from villain to hero depending on the scene. You learn to love them when you see them on their own, and when they collide the interplay is just as good. I don't think I have ever seen a movie (sci-fi or otherwise) pull this off so well.
If you need other shows to relate for me Hunter Prey most reminds me of Enemy Mine and the old Star Trek episode where Kirk is on a deserted planet in a fight to the death with the lizard-like Gorn (funny that I found somebody in the IMDB message board having the exact same thoughts). Enemy Mine in that you have two separate races that are on opposite sides and that Star Trek episode because of the survival skills both use as well as the wonderful desert backdrop. Granted this is a very different movie from both so take that for what you will.
I love sci-fi for the technology, and Hunter Prey has some really nifty tech. Sure the rifles are generic looking (they were actually tweaked Nerf toy guns), but everything else was really cool. The soldier's armor looks like something you would always see illustrated in a book or comic, but hardly see in real life. The tech behind the suits is even cooler with their little computers (voiced by Buck Rogers star Erin Gray) that monitor your vitals and administer medication as well as do things like scan your environment and communicate offworld. Their is also a pretty neat pistol that knocks you off of your feet (sonic weapon maybe?). There is an assortment of other cool techie things shown throughout the movie that are designed smart and give that added flavor to the film.
The acting is actually pretty good. Granted some characters are behind makeup, but if you ask me an actor who can emote behind all of that just using mostly your eyes is a good one. Some acting can get just a tiny bit over the top, but it never falls into melodrama. It was treat having Erin Gray voice the miniature computer. I didn't even recognize her she was so good. It took the end credits for me to realize it was her.
Special effects are truly impressive and subtle you get very few space scenes and what you get is good. The really cool special effects are in the background like the orbiting sun and planets that give what's your average dessert landscape just enough of that offworld touch to reall sell it. There is one spaceship you see at the end of the movie and when it's in space it looks cool, but when on planet you do see the limits of the computer generated animation. Still nothing worse than you see anywhere else. Actually it's pretty awesome when you consider the budget.
Hunter Prey was made on a shoestring budget at a good deal less than $500,000. And that's 2009 dollars. Most TV sitcoms have larger budgets than that. What they do with that budget is truly impressive. Even if you take into account there are very few actors and they are filming in one location, plus special effects are sparse and of course the Nerf props you still have a good show of what you can do on a tiny budget. Camera work is professional with a good eye on what to shoot. Everything was on location, which would mean a good deal extra expense just for going outside. Is it Oscar-worthy movie making? No. Not in the slightest. Which brings me to the movie's shortcomings.
Being uber-low budget means the script couldn't get enough editing to tweak away some descrepancies. As much as I loved the plot some things, even after you factor all the clever twists and get a solid conclusion that wraps up the big questions nicely, still either felt awkward or didn't make sense. Granted you get the same things from big budget movies (mostly the ones with small minds), however in this arena it only makes the movie feel that much more low budget. These limitations hurt what is otherwise a lean and well oiled machine of a story. Also the soundtrack is... well... I didn't hate it. However the synth tracks that try to sound orchestral don't hit the mark. Again... it's a shorcoming of a tiny budget so this isn't really a big deal. The music just doesn't stand out as a positive, but it does fulfill its purpose.
The DVD is a pretty good sendup for a microbudget movie. You get a 5.1 Dolby Digital and a stereo audio mix for sound and a nice widescreen presentation. What makes this a treat is the audio commentary by Director Sandy Collora, the mastermind behind the movie. His commentary is filled with interesting tidbits on the making of the film. There is also a half hour "making of" documentary with interviews with the rest of crew that show you the little tricks they do in making the movie look as good as it does.
What can I say? Hunter Prey is a surprisingly good low budget science fiction film. It delves into character development rarely seen anywhere else. The shortcomings are way outshined by an impressive finished product. Do yourself a favor and see this movie.
25 of 29 people found the following review helpful
By J. Schell
Format:DVD
Director Sandy Collora brings this simple, but well-realized tale of alien intrigue to another level by infusing it with the mood and flavor of 70's Sci-Fi. It has it's slow parts, but overall, an astonishing achievement considering the budget and the skeleton crew who crafted it. Collora's cinematography is nothing short of breathtaking, and the unobtrusive digital effects help lend a uniquely stark feel to this often eerie film. For a first feature, this is an amazing piece of work, and one can only guess what Collora could do with a real budget.
16 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I really enjoyed this film. The story develops slowly in the beginning, but the captivating landscapes and cinematography keep you engaged. As the characters develop and the story takes off, you're hooked. There are also several twists that I didn't see coming. Another unique characteristic that you don't find in low-budgets of this type is the music/score. It really moves the story forward and sounds fantastic on a home theatre system. Amazing that the producers, director, cast, and crew pulled this off at this level of quality given the resources (or lack thereof). I highly recommend this film.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
INSPIRATION FOR COMIC COM'S WANNA BE'S
It does offer SciFi action on a shoestring, which amateur antics are, unfortunately, showing in every protracted frame; I guess to expand the film to more than a trailer. Read more
Published 18 days ago by Roy Clark
4.0 out of 5 stars
Solid low-budget sci-fi
A prison ship breaks up in the atmosphere of an alien world and the remaining crew hunts the escaped prisoner. Read more
Published 1 month ago by MTStan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Liked it.
Like it. This movie looks like a follower to "Enemy Mine". It you have seen "Enemy Mine" you will enjoy "Hunter Prey".
Published 3 months ago by Pat
5.0 out of 5 stars
Movie is great, but $20 for DVD??
The movie is awesome but is obviously not a high budget flick.
How can anyone justify $20 for a low budget DVD. Read more
How can anyone justify $20 for a low budget DVD. Read more
Published 4 months ago by D. Woods
3.0 out of 5 stars
decent movie. dont know if it watch it more than once
This movie had great promise but was spoiled for me by corny dialog and so so acting. The cinematography is great along with pretty decent CGI effects, however, the movie was more... Read more
Published 6 months ago by EuroVolk
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great B-move sci-fi adventure
Who says they don't make entertaining B-movies anymore? Even with its modest budget you can tell everyone involved in the making of this movie put their heart and soul into the... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Paul Greene
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great Movie For A B+ Sci-Fi
Hunter Prey is one of those good, B sci-fi films you keep hoping you discover. With B sci-fi movies the saying, "you have to kiss a lot of toads before you find a prince" really... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Ol' Sci-Fi Guy
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Surprisingly Good Sci Fi Flick
Just watched this on The Movie Channel today. Was plesantly surprised. This movie is low budget to say the least, but low budget does not equal crap. Read more
Published 13 months ago by The Man With No Name
3.0 out of 5 stars
"A" For Effort
This lightly budgeted ($425,000 estimated) Sci-Fi flick is better than it should have been given everything. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Eric Sanberg
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Meaningless Time-Passer.
This might have some meaning if it were part of a TV series - otherwise it is "much ado about nothing."
Published 16 months ago by Phulax
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