Prepper (2016) User Reviews

Sophomoric, pretty bad, not a terrible message

[mjg-4 · 4/10 · 14 September 2018]

There are worse films out there.

When that's how your review starts, it probably is bad news.

I don't have a ton good to say about the film. The acting is stunted; I constantly felt like the leads were going to break into laughter because they just didn't believe in what they were doing.

The overall topic and scenario were not terrible. The message walked a fine line of being informative, preachy, or critical.

The title probably doesn't deserve the (high) rating it's getting, it deserves a solid 3 or 4. I give it a 4 just because I did enjoy watching it even though the acting was cringy.

The beginning is rough but hang in there, Sneaks up on you

[clepak · 5/10 · 20 July 2018]

Im a little shocked this movies score is as high as it is. The first half seemed like it was filmed by High Schoolers but if you can hang in, the 2nd half makes up for it. This movie does have some good info for beginning peppers if you can get past the poor acting of some of the characters. They really did improve as the movie went along.

This might be the worst movie ever made

[vincemckenney · 1/10 · 9 March 2021]

A truly bad film. Calls upon every derogatory stereotype that ever existed. Andrew Patterson might want to consider changing his name before he tries another film.

DO NOT WATCH

[RobbyG52 · 1/10 · 16 August 2018]

The reason for this movie's rating is obviously artificial. There are only a handful of reviews and they are biased. Herein lies an honest review of the film.

The movie is poorly acted, poorly written, poorly shot, and so heavy handed with its message they get the main character to literally tell you at the end of the movie what they have just beaten you over the head with. The cringeworthy sex related dialogue feels as though it was written by a high school student and is jaxtaposed with so many attempted deep and meaningful conversations that it feels like an alien's interpretation of human interaction.

There is no "better part" to this movie the other reviewers promise, the way it starts is the way it ends.

This movie is bad. Not in a "The Room" or "Birdemic" kind of way. Just bad. There is nothing here, look elsewhere.

Terrible!

[audieann · 2/10 · 28 July 2018]

I watched this on prime with great anticipation because we are preppers of a sort and you never know where you might pick up a lesson or two. This was not the movie to watch. I feel like I lost an hour of my life I will never get back. There was absolutely no chemistry between the married couple, the movie used every stupid stereotype of a prepper you could come up with. First time I ever turned off a movie without finishing it. It was stupid and unentertaining. Cardinal sin

I can't see how this has 7/10 stars

[GnormtheGnome · 1/10 · 31 July 2018]

Weird lines that the actors have over memorized or are reading from a teleprompter.

The punchline never came

[gbuskirk · 1/10 · 9 February 2020]

I am absolutely befuddled by this movie. Who invested the time and money to make this thing? At times I was sure it was satire, but the punchlines never came. I thought it was mocking preppers, but it never carried through. There was little good advice, and a lot of poor examples, including in gun handling. It really looked and sounded like a high-school production. There may be better uses for your time.

Glad I stuck in

[greysun-47537 · 7/10 · 2 July 2018]

I almost stopped shortly after it started. The acting wasn't great, especially the secondary characters. The writing wasn't great. The camera work again wasn't great but the two main characters and the premise made me want to see where it went. I am glad I did. It was a good story with a good message. Even half way through I was thinking the whole movie was just going to be a pointless collapse but it took me along for a ride to a good conclusion. Don't go into this expecting big budget, award winning acting or writing but well worth watching to me.

An ABSOLUTE waste of time

[kandrew1-20-88366 · 2/10 · 10 January 2021]

Not only was it not informative, it was not entertaining. I felt like they went out of their way to insult anyone wanting to be prepared

Bad, bad and bad terrible prepper movie

[robeby1 · 16 February 2020]

Wow. This movie is soooooo bad I can't give it any stars. A liberal couple (teachers no less, in Texas) blindly learn how to become preppers. The don't do any research, read books or even Google "How to prepare..." they just bounce between people that give them mostly terrible, and dangerous advice. I'm halfway through this infomercial movie and had to slam it... this movie must have been written by liberal producers for a liberal audience. I highly recommend to NOT watch this movie and Not follow this information in it. If you do, you will end up getting "clapped" and be the first to go in an SHTF situation. First day.

Entertaining movie that makes you think..

[HeWhoRemains · 10/10 · 7 November 2021]

This movie is obviously not a big hollywood production, but it has a good potential. For the smaller production that it is, the acting is wholesome, the characters are likeable and well set up as is the world the movie plays in, the premise sets up some grounded messages that everyone can take home and be inspired by. A good introduction to the real world of prepping au contraire to the image that Hollywood has actually given to the "prepper".

A for Effort, worthwhile message

[kmckee-87520 · 7/10 · 23 February 2019]

So it's cringy at times.I don't think they meant for it to be blockbuster entertainment. It fulfillled its purpose to pursuade viewers to consider the state of our society and be prepared. Give 'em a break. They are trying to be helpful. If you're looking for thrill-a-minute action or suspense, look elsewhere.

Couldn't even finish

[mikemansueto · 1/10 · 29 January 2020]

What am I even watching? The dialogue is so bad. The acting is egregious. I mean, it comes off as comical it's so bad, but I think they're actually trying to be serious. When the pawn shop guy started making overtly lewd innuendo that would never land in reality....even my wife said "what the hell are we watching, turn it off."

Possibly the worst movie ever made

[walescuriosities · 1/10 · 17 January 2020]

The script is completely ridiculous and often feels like an infomercial.

The acting is the sort of stale, plastic performance you often see in people who have literally never acted before and they're clearly nervously trying to remember their exact lines.

The action is non-existant. The big event eventually happens an hour and a half in and the outcome is predictable, badly filmed, and badly acted.

Really bad, and not in a good way.

What did I just watch?

[allentc-20415 · 2/10 · 18 August 2018]

Mockumentary? Drama? Comedy? Satire? I'm not sure, to be honest....so whatever the makers of this film intended, they failed miserably.

Okay, I laughed at the wife slugging the hand-to-hand instructor, Dave at the LGS was funny, and the end credit scenes are pretty hilarious..... but otherwise, this thing is cringe-worthy. I watched a couple of Roger Corman flicks yesterday that made more sense than this film (though I drew the line at Deathstalker II.....even Monique Gabrielle's perky hooters couldn't get me through that one).

If you're the type who likes to critique the actions of the protagonists, this MIGHT be enjoyable if you can make it about 2/3 of the way in. It's like a class on how NOT to safeguard your home.

Cringe worthy. A leftist gun grabbers uninformed fantasy of how things work.

[drofdarbevad-99401 · 2/10 · 30 January 2019]

Zero actual research went into writing this disaster. At no point did anyone in the film think to pick up a book or even google "how to prepare for..." and it it obvious the the writers didn't either. The scenes in the gun store and at the firing range would have made anyone, who ever actually had handled a firearm, run in fear for their life of a negligent discharge if they ever found themselves at places like this. Just enough bad information to make sure you die early in a SHTF situation to limit your suffering.

Not what the title says

[chipsdipsanddorks · 2/10 · 9 January 2021]

Most of the movies is a waste of daily normal activities, then it gets dumb. I like apocalyptic, doomsday survival type movies. This was stupid and nothing close to any prepper person. Not sure where the found the actors, but I guess they worked for free to be in the movie. I finally gave up on watching and watched the inside of my eyelids.

If you're a prepper, skip this one. Simply put....horrible.

[cajun-91067 · 1/10 · 24 November 2022]

As a prepper myself I figured I'd give it a try, as there's always something (normally) you can pick up... I have no idea if there is, since I turned it off after about 20 minutes. I just could NOT stomach the poor acting, drivel dialogue and the SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW development. I figured that since this storyline dealt with an educated individual (a high school teacher), maybe it would dispel some of the misconceptions that real preppers are ignorant yahoos screaming about the end of the world, etc...that was the ONLY part that I liked...the premise. Nothing else is redeeming.

Other than that....if you're a prepper, skip this one. You won't like it.

Worth a watch

[slapshotgoon · 7/10 · 22 February 2023]

Usually I would not suggest watching a movie of this quality but, it actually told a pretty good story. If you are a person getting into prepping it is a pretty good example of the initial feelings and steps you might go through, albeit told through stereotypes and some comedy. For all the people posting it is "unrealistic" or "terrible show of firearms uses and food storage" these people have been in the game for to long.

This is not an easy subject to put to paper and try to explain. Not to mention to hold your attention for any length of time. Really how else do you write a movie about buying foodstock and learning skills to prepare for something? Here is a test. Go look at the military budget or your state budget line by line and write a movie. That's most of prepping.

Sure the production wasn't top notch and the script was pretty bad, but once you saw through that and got through the first 20 minutes the script started to evolve, and get better, you got kind of pulled into the story. I have to imagine the script was getting edited as the movie went along. Now as far as the progression of the main characters through the movie was pretty spot on for the progression of prepping. Especially if you are just starting out and you go all in watching youtube videos like everyone on earth does when getting onto a new lifestyle.

This movie literally went in line with what you are told in every youtube vid. First the main character see stuff going on in the world, then talks to wife and gets here to buy in, then you buy a little extra food and water, then you go and buy some gear, then you get protection, then you tell people in a round about way and feel people out, then SHTF. I compare it to when you (an adult) start a new sport league and you just have to consume every bit of media, especially movies, so you feel justified in your decision. When a 40 y/o man joins a hockey league and spends his weekends watching his new favorite movies Slapshot and the Mighty Ducks Trilogy or an over the hill guy starts mens slowpitch softball and he spends all week watching The Bad News Bears over and over , you know what im saying.

If you are thinking about starting a prepper type lifestyle or better yet wondering what it is like to start, this movie is a definite watch. If you have no interest in the subject or are years in (professional prepper) you probably want to skip.

A Workplace Training Video Production

[cncsurf · 2/10 · 15 September 2018]

The beginning started out quite well. The lead actor, Jay Bowdy, managed to present a feeling of impending doom with quite a few good supporting extras supporting his role as a teacher. Then.... They had to introduce his wife and the film fell to pieces. WHY??? Once they introduce her and the various people helping them become "preppers" it turned in to a production the likes of which we have all had to watch in work place training videos. After forgettable and ridiculous encounters there is one redeeming scene at the very end carried by an unknown actor playing a believable thug. I had never heard of him but I thought Jay Bowdy did quite a good job with what he had and the film would have been good if he was allowed to carry it himself. Avoid this movie and don't waste your time.

Waste of time

[mark-95375-42009 · 1/10 · 30 July 2021]

Definitely not a movie to watch if you're wanting information on prepping. I've never seen so many idiots with their booger pickers on gun triggers. I understand low budget but whomever did the consulting had zero clue about prepping. YouTube videos provide better information.

A bit of potential...

[sfinancing · 2/10 · 2 December 2018]

...that really goes nowhere.

This film actually had a bit of potential going in. Independent and low budget can still produce a good movie...it just didn't in this case. Had they taken this as a character study of 2 liberal(whiney) teachers learning to survive in a world of non-entitlement this could have been an interesting watch. Likewise had the film not taken itself quite so seriously, the one or two mildly amusing scenes could have expanded into a watchable dramedy. As it is this is a confused 1/2 story that takes us on a slowly rambling preachy journey to nowhere.

Really confused as to why this is rated as high as it is.

If you feel the need, watch it yourself and draw your own conclusions(ultimately it is your time to waste)...but only if its free.

Preachy and predictable

[srooks1 · 1/10 · 15 June 2021]

A talky thriller. No action until the last 20 to 30 minutes. Actually the lead actor preaches through the last 20 minutes of the film. The action is predictable. The dialog is wooden. The lead actors have no emotional connection with each other or the film in general Even, the outtakes are not funny and fall flat.

The best thing about this film is the cover art on the DVD case because the cover art has more action than the film.

A few redeeming points

[glenngoehring · 4/10 · 30 July 2019]

Incredibly poor acting! I stuck with this for the entire film. His impassioned speech to the teachers lounge at about the 1:09 mark makes perfect sense. A little of it feels like a sales pitch-especially the underground shelter segment. Gets interesting at 1:25 in when the looting starts- a BIG what would YOU do in that moment query. The last 30 minutes made a nearly unbearable movie at least watchable.

2 Liberal Teachers learn to Prep

[drifus-32340 · 3/10 · 21 September 2018]

This is hard to watch. If you look it as a comedy then it's funny if you "know" things, like James talking points in the teachers conference room like income inequality and other things. Then the cliche "i got a guy" series is funny as they go through each step of checking out land, guns, shelters etc.

Do not take anything in this movie as truth or ideas.