Deadliest Prey (2013)

Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Tied for the best movie I have ever seen

It is a performances centric movie

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Okay, so let me just say. If you know anything about writer/director David A. Prior, then you know exactly what you're getting into when you sit down to watch one of his films. He is one of those filmmakers that seems to deliver ultra-low-budget trash, but in such a charming and entertaining way that most of the ones I've seen from him ultimately become So Bad, It's Good cult classics, with Killer Workout and the original Deadly Prey being his crowning achievements. I love Deadly Prey. It's one of those films that just gets everything right in an entertainingly bad movie, and though it's been 27 years, his follow- up sequel does not disappoint. First off, not only does original writer/director Prior return, but most of the original cast does as well, which surprised the hell out of me. Not only that, it seems that decades experience has not helped Prior become a better filmmaker, and thank the heavens for that! This sequel, which "kind of" plays out like a near identical remake of the original, but also as it's own thing entirely in a weird way, delivers the goods just as well as the first one did. I honestly didn't think that was possible, but let me tell you, it does. It just hits all the right notes for a So Bad, It's Good low- budget action flick. There is so much to laugh at, and so many WTF? moments that you will no doubt be highly entertained from beginning to end.

The original film was near perfection. Music, direction, script and casting. That brilliant star visited us all too briefly and many have tried to emulate it and while we were blessed with the Samurai Cops and Miami Connection's, we will never truly have another Deadly Prey.The winner of multiple Dibrini awards and two coveted Danton crowns, the original was splendid and gaudy in its excellence. It had a genuine schlock which the industry of Nostalgia so desperately attempts to emulate. Duplication and imitation is a hard thing, outside of a specific era and place.Deadliest Prey attempts to recapture past glories and like many sequels it seeks the safe path of rhyming, as the great Lucas would say. This it does well, covering the tried paths of the past while adding contemporary twists. No doubt a fun movie to have worked on, it still manages to entertain.While it is nothing like the original, it never could be, it is also nothing like Fantastic Four (2015) or other big budget arrogantly made studio monsters. This is a humble production made for both fun and entertainment, what movies in past generations truly aspired for, especially during the straight to video days.Enjoy it for what it is. Not because you compare it to better polished, though target missing super films.63%

The ruthless Colonel Hogan (fiercely played with growly gusto by David Campbell) gets released from prison after serving a lengthy sentence and immediately plots to get revenge on rugged one man killing machine Vietnam veteran Mike Danton (ripped Ted Prior bringing the mighty macho like nobody's business). So, once again Danto gets abducted and dumped in the woods to be hunted down like an animal by a band of bloodthirsty mercenaries.Fortunately, writer/director David A. Prior doesn't go the obvious deliberately camp route with this long in coming follow-up to the immortal 80's cheese classic "Deadly Prey;" instead Prior brings a lean'n'lean unpretentious sensibility that gets right down to brass tacks with a winning dearth of pretense while managing to recapture the gloriously gonzo go-for-broke spirit of the original complete with a handful of nice nods to same (yep, there's another severed arm gag). Moreover, the violence is much gorier this time and Danto even cracks several priceless one liners. Fritz Matthews cuts an imposing and intimidating figure as Thornton's brutish twin brother, Art James makes a brief, but welcome appearance as Danton's helpful buddy Kaplan, and Tara Kleinpeter looks mighty foxy, but can't act for spit as Hogan's eager assistant Sophia. Both Eric A. Wahl's sharp cinematography and the pulsating score by Tim James are up to par.

I only saw the original Deadly Prey a few weeks ago and I enjoyed it so much I went out of my way to get this follow up. The original is really a great Gem of a cheapy, David Prior was well aware of the production limitations and just has an absolute Ball with the hokey material, in some ways it is even more funny than Rambo First Blood Part 2! The Deadliest Prey is more of a rehash than a true sequel, sort of like how Terminator 2 lifts many scenes from the original with slight context alterations, but TDP is a more extreme case. The new slant added to the story is the human hunting is caught on camera and broadcast over the net. Many of the original actors have come back to reprise their roles which bolsters the authenticity of the proceeding for fans, you will be surprised to hear their acting prowess hasn't changed one iota, and we wouldn't have it any other way! In all honesty, TDP isn't quite as entertaining as the original, but with that said there are still some great gags like when Danton is 'recruited' again, and if the Hackers don't at least make you smile, there is something seriously wrong. For all lovers of B films, Deadly Prey & The Deadliest Prey makes a great double- bill...True that!