U.S. soldiers and mercenaries become trapped in a cave with a danger they could have never expected.
Written by Matthew Hensman and Gustavo Sainz de la Peña and directed by Cire Hensman and Matthew Hensman, is a creature feature that feels like a SyFy original, you one, one of the good ones? The ones they obtain from other production companies and slap their logo on the front end? Yeah, those. This is a creature feature that knows its end goal, its creature, and how to entertain. Is it perfect? No. Of course, it has issues, some of the characters are way too caricatural, giving too much of the archetype, too little personal touch. Some of the action is predictable and the twists are not all that surprising. The way the film and written and directed however allow it to be fun within its genre and within its limitations.
The cast here is a mix of very recognizable faces from this type of films and a lesser-known ones. The mix works well here and folks who watch a lot of these films will love seeing Nick Chinlund giving this his all and seeing Danny Trejo and Adrian Paul for a few minutes in the first third of the film. These two’s presence is fun, but not exactly long enough to count as more than extended cameos, yet they get top billing. The rest of the cast, including Kevin Grevious, do quite well throughout the film, giving performance that can be called appropriate for the material at hand.
Now, for the creature. Without spoiling its look, which seems to be something the marketing already has spoiled, the creature is interesting and not as expected so that is a definitive plus. It looks a bit odd, a bit extra colorful at times, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing. However, there is something to be said about the less-is-more approach to creature feature as the mind can create a much scarier beasts than practical and computer-generated effects can. Here, the creature fits with the mood and feel of the film, giving it what it needs once the cast finds themselves in the caves.
The film as a whole is well-shot with cinematography by Morgan Schmidt and editing by directors Cire Hensman and Matthew Hensman which allows the images to actually be scene. The darkness here is used well and characters are allowed to be visible within it, giving the film a good balance during the darker sequences. There is a definite showing of good planning and knowing what needs to be done to get the film to look how it does here and what will work for this story overall.
The Prey: Legend of Karnoctus has a few issues here and there, but overall, it’s a fun watch for those willing to go along for the ride. The creature may be a bit much, but it still works and the performances are enjoyable. The Prey: Legend of Karnoctus is the kind of film that could easily be watched on a Sunday afternoon when one wants nothing too complex but still looking for entertainment.