Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Battlefield 6 Classes - Support trailer image

    Battlefield 6 Really Wants You To Play Support (But Knows You Won’t)

    07/31/2025
    Battlefield 6 Multiplayer Reveal promotional image

    Battlefield 6 Classes, Maps, And More: Everything You Need To Know

    07/31/2025
    A glimpse at all the upcoming Star Wars stories coming to the galaxy

    Star Wars Stories: What We Learned At SDCC 2025

    07/25/2025
    Blindspot episode still

    It’s been 5 years since ‘Blindspot’ ended. Why haven’t you watched it yet?

    07/24/2025
    Strange Scaffold

    Strange Scaffold Summer Showcase Delivers Bizarre And Brilliant Games

    07/22/2025
  • Fantasia Festival
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Switch 2 Games
But Why Tho?
Home » Film » REVIEW: ‘Prey (2021)’ Hits the Target

REVIEW: ‘Prey (2021)’ Hits the Target

Kate SánchezBy Kate Sánchez09/13/20213 Mins ReadUpdated:08/03/2022
Prey
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

Prey

I love films about things going horribly wrong while in the wilderness. Whether that’s monstrous beasts hunting you through a cave or people hunting through the woods after a wrong turn, this specific type of horror taps into a fear of being lost and being knocked down a few links in the food chain. That said, they tend to be formulaic in nature, with variances pushed by characters and antagonists. For that, the German Netflix Original Prey (2021) carves out a space for itself by flipping the script on who is the hunter and who is the hunted.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

A survival thriller at its core, Prey is written and directed by Thomas Sieben. It stars David Kross, Hanno Koffler, Robert Finster, Yung Ngo, Klaus Steinbacher, and Maria Ehrich. In the film, a group of five men venture into a national park for a getaway. They’re traditional bros, talking about their partying, their friendships, and the like. That is until one of them ends up wounded from a hunting rifle bullet shot through the trees in what they believe is an accident. When they make it back to the car, it becomes clear that it’s anything but and a hunter in the woods has decided to make them prey.

Prey succeeds because it doesn’t let its character find safety. When cover is found, bullets shatter it. When they’re on the run, someone is wounded. Every step forward away from their hunter puts them at a bigger disadvantage. Without familiarity with the environment, the men find themselves at the mercy of a hidden sniper with unknown motives and a killer shot.

As the story unwinds and the group’s numbers shrink, Roman becomes one of the last survivors and is pushed to bear witness to the secrets that have led them to become prey in the first place. With a somber realization and a hunter looking to toy with their prey, the film’s final act unravels not only the truth behind the sniper but the truth between the characters as well.

While I want to praise the antagonist’s mostly silent performance, I have to be careful to avoid spoiling the film’s stunning turn. So, I’ll opt for this. The hunter is callous, cold, and methodical. Stalking prey through the forest methodically catching up to them like a slasher in the trees. The hunter pushes the men to their limits and picks them off one by one until forcing their hand and pulling out their truth.

Now, it has to be said that the dynamic between the men works extremely well, especially between brothers Roman and Albert. In the first act, it’s key to building a bridge between the audience and characters that lends to the impact once the bullets start flying. And in the final act, it’s the drama that sets up the ending so effortlessly. Secrets between brothers always work to set up a painful ending.

But even with their great performances, the hunter’s is the one that makes Prey truly special. It’s the unwavering brutality and skill that makes the hunter stick out, especially because their unassuming presence causes no red flags.

Overall, Prey (2021) is a must-watch survival film that will make you look around for a sniper in the trees. From betrayal to tragic accidents, there is a weight to Prey that just works, with its antagonist adding the right amount of twist to surprise viewers.

Prey (2021) is streaming now, exclusively on Netflix.

Prey (2021)
  • 8/10
    Rating - 8/10
8/10

TL;DR

Overall, Prey is a must-watch survival film that will make you look around for a sniper in the trees. From betrayal to tragic accidents, there is a weight to Prey that just works, with its antagonist adding the right amount of twist to surprise viewers.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleTIFF 2021: ‘The Wheel’ is a Painful Kind of Beauty
Next Article REVIEW: ‘Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. 1957—Family Ties,’ Issue #1
Kate Sánchez
  • Website
  • X (Twitter)
  • Instagram

Kate Sánchez is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of But Why Tho? A Geek Community. There, she coordinates film, television, anime, and manga coverage. Kate is also a freelance journalist writing features on video games, anime, and film. Her focus as a critic is championing animation and international films and television series for inclusion in awards cycles. Find her on Bluesky @ohmymithrandir.bsky.social

Related Posts

Brandon Routh and co in Ick
9.0

REVIEW: ‘Ick’ Is A Near Perfect Horror-Comedy

07/29/2025
Bad Bunny and Adam Sandler in Happy Gilmore 2
5.0

REVIEW: ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Earns More Shrugs Than Laughs

07/29/2025
Hi-Five
6.5

FANTASIA 2025: ‘Hi-Five’ Introduces A Scrappy, Superpowered Team Up

07/28/2025
Still from Haunted Mountains The Yellow Taboo
5.5

FANTASIA 2025: ‘Haunted Mountains: The Yellow Taboo’ Gets A Little Lost In The Weeds

07/26/2025
Dakota Gorman in HELLCAT
6.5

FANTASIA 2025: ‘HELLCAT’ Runs High In Tension But Loses Steam

07/25/2025
Moon Seong-hyun and Oh Ja-jun in Fragment
9.5

FANTASIA 2025: ‘Fragment’ Is A Painful Reflection Of Youth

07/24/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
World of Warcraft The War Within Ghosts of Karesh But Why Tho Interviews

‘The War Within’ Patch 11.2 Addresses Raid Trash, Magic-Focused Comps, And More

By Mick Abrahamson07/31/2025Updated:07/31/2025

WoW Sr. Producer and Asst. Lead Quest Designer address The War Within 11.2’s Manaforge Omega, Reshii Wrap rewards, and Mythic+ balancing.

Wildgate promotional key art
9.0
PC

REVIEW: ‘Wildgate’ Is Co-Op Space Mayhem Done Right

By Adrian Ruiz07/25/2025Updated:07/30/2025

Built for friends and tuned for competition, Wildgate is messy in the best way: smart, surprising, and bursting with room to grow.

Glass Heart
7.0
TV

REVIEW: ‘Glass Heart’ Offers Messy, Musical Catharsis

By Allyson Johnson07/22/2025

The musical drama series ‘Glass Heart’ soars when it focuses on the epic performances of it’s fictional band, TENBLANK.

Black Women Anime — But Why Tho (9) BWT Recommends

10 Black Women in Anime That Made Me Feel Seen

By LaNeysha Campbell11/11/2023Updated:12/03/2024

Black women are some of anime’s most iconic characters, and that has a big impact on Black anime fans. Here are some of our favorites.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here