For a movie with so much potential on paper, Prey fails to provide as much bite as most of us might have hoped. The description alone is enough to have most gore-hounds salivating, but the film ultimately falls short. This film has been compared to the likes of Cujo and The Ghost and the Darkness. Although there are certainly similarities with each, this movie does not match up to either of them.

Our tale begins as Peter Weller, best known for playing Robocop, takes his family on a trip to the African savannah. Bridget Moynahan joins him as his new wife, and his son and daughter also tag along. The daughter is your typical 14 year old, basically hating everything. Her hatred is especially focused on Moynahans’ step mother character. Admittedly I was rooting for the daughter to meet the business end of a lion almost as soon as she was introduced. Character development is at a minimum, before the family without Weller is sent off on safari.

Now the bulk of the film begins. The driver of the safari vehicle decides it would be fun to do some off-roading, to impress the youngsters. This sounds like a brilliant idea, especially with the impending danger looming around every corner. All is well until the boy needs to relieve himself, and it will require him to exit the vehicle. In this brief moment, a lion attacks the guide leaving the family helpless, without the keys, or a weapon. It is here where the tale of abandonment and survival begins.

One of the coolest things about this film, and possibly it’s only redeeming factor is the filming of the lions. Most of them were clearly real, and even looked real during the attack sequences. I was quite skeptical that the lions might be CG’s flying across the screen, but it is apparent that the animals are real. Often times it appears that some national geographic footage may have been used, but the areas when a lion and a person share the screen, the beast is real. The method in which these animals stalk the family, and thwart any possibility of rescue is pretty intense.

A major downside to this film is its’ lack of forward momentum. After roughly 30 minutes, the story hits a brick wall and the audience begins to yawn. We delve into the emotional family dynamic, and lose focus on the Jaws like helplessness that has taken so long to establish. Peter Weller is concurrently conducting a search party, with your typical rough and tumble “outsider” which further steals the tension that has been created. The film becomes cliché ridden, and quite boring as these things begin to take place. The tense, brooding atmosphere seems to evaporate as the film progresses. At a certain point I didn’t want to see anyone walk out……. intact.

Plain and simple, this film does not deliver the goods. It sounds great and offers some great kills, but really doesn’t sink its teeth in to you. By the time it was finished I was ready for a nap. Anything short of Robocop himself battling lions couldn’t have saved the damage that had been done. The cinematography using lions is truly remarkable, and I can only imagine the difficulty in using real creatures. But alas, I am a film viewer not a film maker, and in that regard Prey really doesn’t bite as much as it sucks.