Prey appears in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This wound up as a terrific presentation.
Sharpness always looked solid. No issues with softness materialized, as we found a tight, well-defined image.
Neither jaggies nor shimmering created concerns, and I saw no edge haloes. Print flaws remained absent.
Colors occasionally veered a little orange and teal, but they tended toward a more organic sense of blues and greens. The Blu-ray reproduced the tones as intended.
Blacks felt deep and dense, while shadows demonstrated appealing clarity. I felt happy with this top-notch picture.
Even better, the movie’s DTS-HD MA 7.1 soundtrack delivered a rollicking affair. With plenty of action, the soundscape worked overtime.
Of course, these violent scenes became the most involving, but even quieter sequences provided an engaging soundfield. The various channels blended together well and created a seamless sonic image that suited the tale.
Audio quality satisfied, with speech that remained concise and distinctive. Music appeared vibrant and full.
The most important aspect of the track, effects sounded accurate and tight, with stellar low-end. The soundtrack rocked my viewing room and added to the experience.
When we move to extras, we find an audio commentary from writer/director Dan Trachtenberg, director of photography Jeff Cutter, editor Angela M. Catanzaro and actor Amber Midthunder. All four sit together for this running, screen-specific look at story/characters and connections to other films, cast and performances, sets and locations, stunts and action, photography, editing and deleted scenes, various effects, music and sound design, and connected domains.
For the most part, this becomes a satisfying look at the film. We get a few too many oddly silent spaces but the track still gives us a pretty good view of the production.
Three Deleted Scenes fill a total of four minutes, 48 seconds. We find “Alternative Opening Sequence” (1:55), “Big Warrior, Little Warrior” (0:56) and “Treetop Chase” (1:57). The first two offer finished live-action scenes but “Chase” only exists as crude CG pre-vis.
“Opening” and “Warrior” present some minor exposition and seem lackluster. “Chase” would’ve brought an exciting action sequence, however.
Note that the deleted scenes come with commentary from Trachtenberg and cannot be viewed without his remarks. This seems annoying, as it’d be nice to watch the clips with original audio.
At least Trachtenberg adds some insights and lets us know why the shots failed to make the final cut. He acknowledges “Chase” would’ve been thrilling but notes that it would’ve pushed credulity too much, and I agree.
Two featurettes follow, and Making of Prey runs 12 minutes, 17 seconds. It involves notes from Trachtenberg, Midthunder, Cutter, producer Jhane Myers, indigenous trainer Kevin Starblanket, and actor Dakota Beavers.
Here we examine the choice to place the story in the Comanche past, story and characters, cast, training and performances, photography and action, music, Predator design and execution. A few decent notes emerge but most of this reel feels promotional.
An FYC Panel goes for 29 minutes, one second. Along with moderator/filmmaker Barry Jenkins, we hear from Trachtenberg, Midthunder, Catanzaro, Cutter and creature designer Alec Gillis.
The panel looks at inspirations and the take on the Predator franchise as well as cultural facets, cast and performances, editing and photography, Predator design and creation, stunts and action.
The presentation existed to promote the film, so don’t expect a deep look at the film. Still, it comes with a decent mix of thoughts.
With Prey, the Predator franchise finds new life. After a slow start, it becomes a wild ride that satisfies. The Blu-ray comes with excellent picture and audio as well as a pretty good set of supplements. Let’s hope the next Predator film lives up to this one.