Prey UHD Review

Director Dan Trachtenberg’s Prey arrives in a stunning 4K UHD Blu-ray release from 20^th Century Studios.

The Production: 4/5

When a franchise runs out of steam, the producers will often create a prequel or origin story. One of the main problems I encounter with prequels or origin stories is the lack of suspense or danger to the central character. Prey, a prequel but not necessarily an origin story to the Predator series, stays clear of that issue by making sure the characters here are new and original, but the timeframe is 300 years in the past. Naru (Amber Midthunder), a young Comanche woman, is trying to convince her family and tribe that she can be a hunter and warrior, often going out on hunts with her brother Taabe (Dakota Beavers). One of their warriors is found badly wounded from what they believe is a mountain lion attack, so Taabe takes a team with him, including Naru, to hunt down the lion. But Naru starts to sense that something is hunting them as well as the lion, something that they have never encountered before. The men do not believe her, and when Taabe returns with the dead lion, Naru sneaks out in hunt of the elusive predator armed with only her hatchet and trusty dog Sarii.

Prey is not only a riveting action film, breathing new life into the Predator franchise, it is also a very beautifully shot film by cinematographer Jeff Cutter (10 Cloverfield Lane). Director Dan Trachtenberg keeps the pace moving briskly for the entire 100 minute running time, with some exciting action sequences that use up every part of the 2.39:1 wide frame. Amber Midthunder (the CW’s Roswell, New Mexico) is excellent as the resourceful young warrior ahead of her time, owning every frame she appears in. Many have felt that Disney left money on the table by not releasing Prey theatrically and instead releasing it straight to the Hulu streaming service. While even the best movies don’t always achieve box office gold, it is a nice sign that Disney, one year later, has given this film its due by releasing it on physical media.

Video: 5/5

3D Rating: NA

IMDB does not list what the native captured resolution was for Prey, other than it was shot with Arri Alexa Mini LF cameras (which has a maximum resolution of 4.5k) and that it was completed as a 4K digital intermediate in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio. The 2160p HEVC HDR10 encode on this UHD disc puts both the 4K Dolby Vision Hulu stream and the included 1080p Blu-ray to shame (and both are actually pretty good). This is a highly detailed image, revealing minute fabric details, facial features, and individual strand of hair and fur. Colors are much more vivid and bold without appearing oversaturated. Where this disc excels, though, is in contrast, particularly black levels, where there is incredible shadow detail in even the darkest of scenes – you definitely want to watch this in a darkened room.

Audio: 5/5

Shame on Hulu for still not supporting Dolby Atmos despite the fact that much of their “original” content is mixed in this format. With this UHD disc, those of us here in the United States finally get to experience Prey in all of its spatial audio glory. The default Atmos track is wide and extremely active, providing pinpoint accuracy of sounds as they appear on and off screen. LFE is strong and beefy, adding major emphasis to explosions, smashes, hits, etc. (the early hatchet-throwing sequence hit me in the chest nearly every time it struck the tree). Dialogue is clear and understandable throughout. The UHD disc does include an optional Comanche language track in Dolby Digital 5.1.

Special Features: 3.5/5

All of the special features can be found on the included Blu-ay edition. The studio has not included a digital copy or Disney Movie Insiders rewards code, although there is an insert advertisement for Meca’s Ultimate Feral Predator action figure.

Making of “Prey” (1080p; 12:17): A better than usual yet still too short behind the scenes look at the film.

“Prey” FYC Panel with Cast & Crew (1080p; 29:01): Members of the cast and crew discuss the film at a Television Academy For Your Consideration screening. The audio is not great here, and at time is hard to hear.

Deleted Scenes (1080p; 4:48): Three scenes referenced in the Audio Commentary are featured here with commentary by Director Dan Trachtenberg.

Audio Commentary with Dan Trachtenberg, Amber Midthunder, Jeff Cutter and Angela M. Catanzaro: The director (Trachtenberg), star (Midthunder), cinematographer (Cutter) and editor (Catanzaro) discuss various aspects of the movie, including the many alternate openings to the film as well as trying to balance the English and Comanche language, and shooting the film in general.

Overall: 4.5/5

Prey looks and sounds absolutely fantastic on UHD Blu-ray.

Prey [4K UHD]

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Todd Erwin

Todd Erwin has been a reviewer at Home Theater Forum since 2008. His love of movies began as a young child, first showing Super 8 movies in his backyard during the summer to friends and neighbors at age 10. He also received his first movie camera that year, a hand-crank Wollensak 8mm with three fixed lenses. In 1980, he graduated to "talkies" with his award-winning short The Ape-Man, followed by the cult favorite The Adventures of Terrific Man two years later. Other films include Myth or Fact: The Talbert Terror and Warren's Revenge (which is currently being restored). In addition to movie reviews, Todd has written many articles for Home Theater Forum centering mostly on streaming as well as an occasional hardware review, is the host of his own video podcast Streaming News & Views on YouTube and is a frequent guest on the Home Theater United podcast.