Prey Alone

I watched this film online and if I hadn't read the description of what it was first, I never would have believed it. Apparently, aside from the actors and some hand props, this entire short film was made using computer generated graphics--all of it. And in the fifteen minutes it runs, there are more chases, explosions and action in an entire DIE HARD movie.

At first, the film seems to have an ill-developed plot, as I felt a bit lost. If you feel this way, DO NOT stop watching--let the film continue until it ends and it will all make sense--trust me (have I let you down before?).

A wonderful achievement and a heck of a film considering how it was made.

"...Prey Alone is a high octane, ball busting, roaring screaming chase movie set somewhere in the near future...

...It is in fact the first digital home movie. None of the backgrounds even exist - they were all created in computers...

...the only elements of live action in the movie are the actors and some hand props...

...it's not just an example of imaginative cinematic techniques, it has a powerful narrative with a thoroughly satisfying & clever twist in the tale that ties up all the loose ends and wraps up the experience with a big bow." Well. There you go. There's not much else to say really! Quote courtesy of the homepage.

The short is tight, dark and tense, giving a great feeling of paranoia and a bit of confusion from the beginning, and before long it's kicking into high gear to to reach a superbly satisfying and totally unexpected finale. The story is clever, and well woven in throughout the piece with clues and references throughout.

These guys really know where to place a camera and how to pull the audience along with them and into the action. Speaking of which there are some really cool moments that look superb on screen, and the effects that make up a huge part of this movie are complimentary and not overpowering. There's no Bullet-Time type effect that takes you out of the movie and you stare in awe at the effect itself, no all of this fits in and although there are scenes you're aware you're looking at an effect, it's not a movie drop out moment.

The acting is good as well, as this is often where shorts and movies alike with limited budgets can fall over. Not here though, not at all. The actors are strong, restrained and in particular Ger Carey who does a great job giving more with his facial expressions than with words.

There are a couple of "no way" moments, but then you hardly have time to think about them, the action is moving too fast, and it's big toy action so you can't help but grin.

If only some of the big Hollywood movies had this much good quality in them, most probably wouldn't break the ten minute mark.

You have to see this short, and it's easy to get hold of too, just check it out from the site itself. Get to it through the Gallery section to find out more information and see the trailer, there's quite a bit of behind the scenes information and pictures, and hit the Mpeg section to download the 15 minute movie.

This is an absolutely stunning short film that captures the spirit of the Matrix and Sin City and distills it into fifteen minutes.

Shot using green screen and with almost no sets the film is the perfect combination of special effects and intelligent storytelling. The acting is good, mindful of the genre it is working in, but perfectly suited to the story. The special effects aren't blockbuster standard but for the budget they are very impressive and they are never bad enough to distract you from the story.

Hardly subtle but undeniably thrilling which is very very rare for a short film these days.

Prey Alone - wow, what a film, what a concept, what production values!! And that's just from having seen the trailer and checked out the excellent website that promotes this short film. I really really need to see this - where can it be bought on DVD? Downloaded? Seen on a big screen in the UK? The world needs more films like this one and I am inspired by the fact that this has been made... not least because it is the sort of thing that the Darkmatters project (novel, trailer, website) is looking to do at some point when the funding i.e. book deal is in place... Excellent stuff - Gogol Darkmatters if you want to see what I'm talking about!!

A superb special effects showcase that could potentially look better than The Matrix. Stunning visuals and crisp audio design make this one of the tightest short films of recent times. Apparently made on no budget the clear and present precision of each scene makes the mind boggle, each shot is blue screened and it's hard to even notice that nothing is real, for goodness sake there are helicopters and fighter jets and they look flawless. On no budget this short feature has pushed the boundaries of film action through special effects. A brain mangling twist at the end ensures your socks are well and truly blown off. The makers of this film deserve to make very big and very cool movies, it should be a case of accepting the right offer from Hollywood. AWESOME